CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF IMIPRAMINE, FLUVOXAMINE, AND PLACEBO IN DEPRESSED OUTPATIENTS

Background: The data presented represent cardiovascular parameters col lected from one site of a larger, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-c ontrolled, 6-week outpatient efficacy study of the serotonin uptake in hibitor fluvoxamine in depressed outpatients. Method: In this smaller study, we compared fluvoxamine (N = 17) to the prototypic antidepressa nt, imipramine (N = 14), and to placebo (N = 15). Specific parameters investigated were drug effects on postural pulse and blood pressure ch anges and ECG parameters including PR, QRS, and QTc intervals and vent ricular heart rate. Results: Fluvoxamine had few effects on measured p arameters. Imipramine produced statistically significant changes on al l measures: placebo had no effects on cardiac measures. Conclusion: Ou r data support that fluvoxamine, in a sample of healthy depressed outp atients, has little effect on cardiovascular function. Further study a nd clinical experience with this drug will be necessary before the ful l extent of its cardiac profile is known.