Table 45-2 Clinical studies of higher-dosage strategies in unipolar depression
| Table 45-2 Clinical studies of higher-dosage strategies in unipolar depression | ||||||
|
Antidepressant |
Investigators |
No. of prior failed trials |
N |
Design |
Daily dosage |
Response rate |
| MAOI | ||||||
| Tranylcypromine | Amsterdam and Berwish 1989 | 3 to 14 | 7 | Open | 90-170 mg | 4 of 7 (57%) |
| TCA | ||||||
| Amitriptyline, imipramine, doxepin | Schuckit and Feighner 1972 | ? | 40 | Retrospective | 100-500 mg amitriptyline; 150-600 mg imipramine; 250-350 mg doxepin | —a |
| Trazodone | ||||||
| Trazodone | Cole et al. 1981 | ≥1 | 22 | Retrospective | Up to 800 mg | 14 of 22 (63%) |
| SSRI | ||||||
| Fluoxetine | M. Fava et al. 1992 | 1 | 15 | Open | Up to 80 mg | 5 of 15 (33%) |
| Fluoxetine | M. Fava et al. 1994b | 1 | 41 | RCT | 40-60 mg | 8 of 15 (53%) |
| Note. MAOI = monoamine oxidase inhibitor; TCA = tricyclic antidepressant; SSRI = selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor; RCT = randomized clinical trial; "?" indicates not reported. | ||||||
| a Because this was a safety trial, not an efficacy trial, no response rates were reported. No subjects were discontinued due to side effects. | ||||||