A controlled study of venlafaxine and fluoxetine for retarded depression in 32 cases

Objective To explore the effect and safety of venlafaxine in the treatment of retarded depression.Methods Sixty-four inpatients and outpatients with retarded depression were involved in this study,they were randomly assigned to venlafaxine group(32 cases) and fluoxetine group(32 cases) for 8 weeks.The effects and side effects were evaluated with Hamilton depression rating scale(HAMD) and the treatment emergent symptom scale(TESS) before and 1,2,4,8 weeks after the treatment.Results The rate of efficiency and excellence of two drugs were 90.6% and 68.8% for venlafaxine group,87.5% and 56.3% for fluoxetine group after 8 weeks respeetively.The score of HAMD reduced significantly after treatment in each group(P0.01),with markedly lower score of HAMD in venlafaxine group 1,2 weeks after treatment as compared with that in fluoxetine group(both P0.05).In treating retardation symptom,venlafaxine was superior to fluoxetine(P0.05).No significant difference in side effects was found between two groups(P0.05).Conclusion Venlafaxine is a safe and effective antidepressant in treating retarded depression,with a rapid onset of action.