A placebo- and imipramine-controlled study of paroxetine.

The objective of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of paroxetine with imipramine and placebo in depressed outpatients. Following a 4- to 14-day placebo washout, patients were randomized into treatment groups and received study compound for up to 42 days. At Day 42, paroxetine was significantly more effective than placebo (p less than .05) in several observer- and patient-rated scales: the Retardation and Anxiety/Somatization factors of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Raskin Depression Scale, the Covi Anxiety Scale, the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) Improvement Scale, the Symptom Checklist-56 (SCL-56) Total, and the Patient's Global Evaluation (PGE). There were no significant differences between paroxetine and imipramine. Significantly more imipramine (75%) than paroxetine (35%) or placebo (23%) patients reported anticholinergic side effects, including blurred vision (5%, 0%, and 0%, respectively), constipation (35%, 8%, and 15%, respectively), and dry mouth (63%, 25%, and 15%, respectively). The data from this study indicated that paroxetine is a safe, well-tolerated, effective treatment for major depressive disorder.