A double-blind, placebo-controlled assessment of nortriptyline's side-effects during 3-year maintenance treatment in elderly patients with recurrent major depression
✍ Scribed by Rory L. Marraccini; Charles F. Reynolds III; Patricia R. Houck; Mark D. Miller; Ellen Frank; James M. Perel; Cleon Cornes; Sati Mazumdar; David J. Kupfer
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1999
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 77 KB
- Volume
- 14
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0885-6230
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✦ Synopsis
The authors assessed the severity of nortriptyline's side-effects in older patients with recurrent major depression during placebo-controlled, double-blind maintenance therapy. Data were from 37 patients completing 2-3 years of maintenance therapy; 29 were on nortriptyline and eight were on placebo. The authors detected a time-by-treatment interaction for dry mouth (greater in nortriptyline-treated patients), but no increased association of nortriptyline with constipation, weight change or orthostatic symptoms. Heart rate was consistently higher in nortriptyline-maintained patients as compared with placebo. The total 'side-effect' score on the Asberg Rating Scale, as well as complaints of physical tiredness, daytime sleepiness and nocturnal sleep disturbance, were related primarily to residual depression rather than treatment with nortriptyline.