This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
Abstract
This comprehensive study investigated both the role of antidepressant drugs in the
treatment of affective disorders of later life and their safety with careful clinical
and pharmacological monitoring. A 7-week double-blind comparison was made of the efficacy
and safety of nortriptyline (a tricyclic), phenelzine (a monoamine oxidase inhibitor),
and placebo. The results indicated a response rate of approximately 60% for both nortriptyline
and phenelzine versus a 13% response rate for placebo. Anticholinergic side effects
were more frequently reported in the nortriptyline group. Orthostatic symptoms were
reported with similar frequency in both drug groups. Overall, both drugs were well
tolerated.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Biological PsychiatryAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Relationship between plasma level and therapeutic effect of nortriptyline.Br Med J. 1971; 3: 331-334
- Use of MAO inhibitors in elderly patients.Am J Psychiatry. 1979; 136: 1466-1467
- Epidemiology of dysphoria and depression in an elderly population.Am J Psychiatry. 1980; 137: 439-444
- Affective disorders in the elderly: Diagnostic and research considerations.Age Ageing. 1983; 12: 1-10
- Platelet monoamine oxidase inhibition as a potential indicator of favorable response to MAOIs in geriatric depression.Biol Psychiatry. 1981; 16: 997-1001
- The treatment of affective disorders in the elderly.Psychopharmacol Bull. 1983; 19: 226-237
- Resistant geriatric depressions and therapeutic response to monoamine oxidase inhibitors.Biol Psychiatry. 1983; 18: 195-205
- The epidemiology of depression and dementia in the elderly: The use of multiple indicators of these conditions.in: Cole Barrett Psychopathology in the Aged. Raven Press, New York1980: 37-60
- Outcome of drug treatment in depressed patients over the age of fifty.in: Shamoian Treatment of Affective Disorders in the elderly. APA Press, Washington, DC1985: 29-36
- Plasma-nortriptyline levels in endogenous depression.Lancet. 1973; i: 113-115
- High plasma nortriptyline levels in the treatment of depression.Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1978; 23: 309-314
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors.in: Handbook of Affective Disorders. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh1980
- Relationship between age and tricyclic antidepressant plasma levels.Am J Psychiatry. 1977; 134: 790-793
- Adverse reactions to phenelzine: Results of a nine-hospital depression study.J Clin Pharmacol. 1972; 12: 22-25
- The global deterioration scale for assessment of primary degenerative dementia.Am J Psychiatry. 1982; 139: 1136-1139
- Age-related factors affecting antidepressant drug metabolism and clinical response.in: Nancy K GeriatricPsychopharmacology. Elsevier-North Holland, New York1974
- Clinical pharmacology of phenelzine.Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1978; 35: 629-635
- Comparison of imipramine- and nortriptyline-induced orthostatic hypotension: A meaningful difference.J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1981; 1: 316-321
- The practical significance of nortriptyline plasma control. A prospective evaluation under routine conditions in endogenous depression.Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1978; 59: 35-39
- Research Diagnostic Criteria. Rationale and reliability.Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1978; 35: 773-782
- Diagnosis and pharmacological management of depression in the elderly.J Clin Exp Gerontol. 1982; 4: 1-39
- Nortriptyline plasma levels and therapeutic response.Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1976; 20: 458-463
Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
April 11,
1986
Received:
February 12,
1986
Footnotes
☆Supported in part by NIMH Grant MH35196 (A.G.).
Identification
Copyright
© 1986 Published by Elsevier Inc.
