A 12-week double-blind multi-centre study of paroxetine and imipramine in hospitalized depressed patients

Fifty-seven inpatients with major depression (DSM-III-R) entered a 12-week study comparing paroxetine and imipramine. Trends (not reaching statistical significance) in favour of paroxetine were seen on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The UKU Side Effect Rating Scale showed a significant difference in favour of paroxetine on reduced salivation. Global evaluation of side effect symptoms showed that significantly more paroxetine patients had no side effects, both in the investigators’ and the patients’ opinion. These results are in line with previous findings of paroxetine being an effective and well tolerated antidepressant.