A Comparative Investigation of Desipramine and Nortriptyline in the Treatment of Depression

Most of the investigators to date have been comparing desipramine with imipramine, and little work has been published on comparative studies of the demethylated compounds of imipramine and amitriptyline, i.e. desipramine and nortriptyline. Arieff (1966) conducted a clinical study, but did not find any difference between the two drugs, and stated “However, the improvement was never as striking or as rapid as when imipramine or amitriptyline was effective.” Steward and Mitchell (1966) in a double-blind controlled study also found no difference between the two drugs.