A controlled study on venlafaxine and sertraline in treatment of depression with somatic symptoms

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of venlafaxine and sertraline in the treatment of depression with somatic symptoms.Methods A total of 120 patients were divided into two groups:venlafaxine group and sertraline group.All patients were treated for 8 weeks.Hamilton depression scale(HAMD),and the anxiety scale of HAMD,and treatment emergent symptom scale(TESS)were used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the two drugs.Results The response rate was 60.0% in venlafaxine group and 66.7% in sertraline group(P0.05).At the end of 2 weeks,the anxiety scale of HAMD in venlafaxine group was significantly lower than in sertraline group(P0.05);while at the end of 8 weeks,the score of HAMD in sertraline group was significantly lower than in venlafaxine group(P0.05).The inefficient rate was lower in sertraline group than in venlafaxine group.All patients in both two groups suffered from mild adverse reactions.In venlafaxine group,blood pressure increased in 6 patients.Conclusion The efficacy of venlafaxine in the treatment of depression with somatic symptoms is similar to sertraline.Both of them are effective and safe.