Comparative study of venlafaxine and paroxetine in the treatment of depression

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and side effects of venlafaxine and paroxetine in the treatment of depression.Methods 72 patients with depression were randomly assigned to venlafaxine group and paroxetine group for 8 weeks treatment emergent symptoms scale(TESS).Results Total clinical effective rate and response rate in venlafaxine group and paroxetine group were 75%and 91.7%;72.2%and 88.9%respectively.No signifcant difference was found in clinical efficacy between two groups.However,the tolal score of HAMD in venlafaxine group was significantly lower than that in paroxetine group after two-week treatment.The side effects of both groups were fewer and lighter.Conclusion Both venlafaxine and paroxetine are effective antidepressants with fewere side effects.