A comparative study of treatment of depression, Mirtazapine vs. fluoxepine

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of mirtazapine with fluoxetine in treatment of depression. Methods Forty seven patients with depression were divided into two groups, 24 patients were treated with mirtazapine ,29.6±10.2 mg,day, and 23 patients with fluoxetine ,34.4±8.3 mg,day, for 6 weeks respectively. Hamilton Depression Scale ,HAMD, and Treatment Emergent Symptoms Scale ,TESS, were used before treatment and 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks after treatment to assess the therapeutic efficacy and side effects. Results ,1, The HAMD scores for both groups were significantly decreased after treatment ,P0.01,. ,2, The decreasing rates of HAMD scores between two groups were significantly different ,P0.01, at all time points from the end of first week, ,3, At the end of the 6th week, the efficacy rate of mirtazapine and fluoxetine was 91.7% and 87.0% respectively ,P0.05,. ,4, TESS scores indicated that the occurrence of common side effects of mirtazapine was similar to fluoxetine ,P0.05,, but the occurrence rate of drowsiness and weight gain in mirtazapine group was higher that that in fluoxepine group ,P0.05,. Conclusion Mirtazapine is of good efficacy, rapid action, and less side effects in treatment of depression.