Comparative study of mirtazapine vs clomipramine in treatment of dysthymic disorder

AIM: To compare the clinical efficacy and adverse reactions of mirtazapine vs clomipramine in the treatment of dysthymic disorder. METHODS: Seventy (34 patients treated with clomipramine; 36 patients with mirtazapine) patients of dysthymic disorder were randomly assigned to two groups. One group was treated with mirtazapine and the other with clomipramine for a course of 6 wk to assess their clinical efficacy and adverse reactions, including dosages of mirtazapine and clomipramine, 45 mg·d~(-1) and 200 mg·d~(-1), respectively. RESULTS: At the end of wk 1 of the treatment, HAMD(Hamilton rating scale) showed that the clinical efficacy of mirtazapine group was better than that of clomipramine group (P 0.01), there was no significant difference in clinical effects between two groups by Ridit analysis (P 0.05) ,and the adverse reactions of mirtazapine group were less and milder. CONCLUSION: Mirtazapine is a safe and effective drug for the treatment of dysthymic disorder.