Moclobemide versus tranylcypromine in the treatment of depression

Moclobemide and tranylcypromine were compared in 2 randomized groups of 20 depressed patients each. Fifteen of the patients on moclobemide and 18 of those on tranylcypromine were diagnosed as suffering from endogenous depression. The dosage was 150-300 mg moclobemide and 15-30 mg tranylcypromine daily. At the end of treatment, improvement on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression was 59.3% in the moclobemide group and 65.5% in the tranylcypromine group. The final overall assessment of efficacy was good or very good for 68% of the patients on moclobemide and for 85% of those on tranylcypromine. The final assessment of tolerance was good or very good for 85% of the moclobemide patients and 100% of the tranylcypromine patients. None of the differences in scores between the groups were statistically significant. This study therefore yielded comparable results for efficacy and tolerance of the 2 drugs in the treatment of depression.