Comparative Study between Mirtazapine and Amitriptyline in Treatment of Depression Induced by Alzheimer Disease

Objective: To compare the efficacy and security of mirtazapine and amitriptyline in the treatment of depression induced by Alzheimer disease(AD).Methods: Sixty patients with depression induced by AD were randomly into the treatment groups of mirtazapine or amitriptyline for 8 weeks.Clinical progress was examined with HAMD and TESS.Results: The effective rates of mirtazapine and amitriptyline were 83.0 % and 70.0 % respectively with the difference being not significant between two groups.There was no significant difference in the scores of HAMD between two groups at the end of 8 weeks.The scores of HAMD were decreased significantly at the end of the second week in mirtazapine group,but did at the end of the fourth week in amitriptyline group.The side effects of mirtazapine were fewer and milder than those of amitriptyline. Conclusion: Mirtazapine is an effective and safe drug in the treatment of depression associated with AD.