Comparative study of citalopram and amitriptyline in the treatment of depression

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect and adverse reation of citalopram and amitriptyline to treat depression.Methods:55patients with depression accorded with the CCMD-3criterion for drepression were randomly divided into citalopram group and amitriptyline group.The patients in two groups were given with citalopram or amitriptyline respectively Hamilton rating scale of depression(HAMD),clinical global impression(CGI)and treatment emergent symptom scale(TESS)were used to evaluate the changes of clinical symptoms and side effects before treatment adn one week,two weeks,four weeks and six weeks after treatment respectively.Results:There were not significant differeces in CGI and HAMD scores between two groups(P0.05).Citalopramwasmore quick than amitriptyline in the anti-depressive effect,and which was has less side effects than amitriptyline(P0.01).Conclusion:The results suggested the citalopram was a new,safe and effective anti-depressant.