Controlled withdrawal of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor drugs in elderly patients in nursing homes with no indication of depression Cardiac side‐effects of two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in middle- aged and elderly depressed patients A randomised controlled trial of cognitive behaviour therapy in adolescents with major depression treated by selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. The ADAPT trial. Is Baseline Agitation a Relative Contraindication for a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor: A Comparative Trial of Fluoxetine Versus Imipramine Response to an open trial of a second SSRI in major depression. Effects of selective serotonin reuptake and dual serotonergic-noradrenergic reuptake treatments on memory and mental processing speed in patients with major depressive disorder. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for migraine prophylaxis. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor discontinuation syndrome: a randomized clinical trial Selective alteration of personality and social behavior by serotonergic intervention. Treatment of residual anxiety symptoms with adjunctive aripiprazole in depressed patients taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Serotonin reuptake inhibition vs. norepinephrine reuptake inhibition: a double-blind differential-therapeutic study with fluvoxamine and oxaprotiline in endogenous and neurotic depressives. Combining norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibition mechanisms for treatment of depression: a double-blind, randomized study A Naturalistic Long-Term Comparison Study of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in the Treatment of Panic Disorder Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment of depression in symptomatic HIV infection and AIDS. Improvements in affective and somatic symptoms. Impact of treatments for depression on comorbid anxiety, attentional, and behavioral symptoms in adolescents with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor-resistant depression. Use of benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in middle-aged and older adults with anxiety disorders: a longitudinal and prospective study. Time to response in panic disorder in a naturalistic setting: combination therapy with alprazolam orally disintegrating tablets and serotonin reuptake inhibitors compared to serotonin reuptake inhibitors alone.
Objective The aim of the investigation was to study the effects of withdrawing selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ( SSRI ) drugs in nursing home patients , who had no documented diagnosis or symptoms of depression . Setting The setting of the study was in 11 nursing homes in the county of Stockholm , Sweden . Participants Participants were patients without dementia or history of depression who had received treatment with SSRI drugs for more than 6 months and who had no indications of anxiety disorder or major depression Design The included patients ( n=70 ) were r and omized to either the intervention group  ( withdrawal of SSRI ) or the control group  ( no change in treatment ) , 35 patients to each group . Main outcome measures The patients were subjected to assessment using the following instruments : Montgomery-Åsberg depression rating scale , global assessment for functioning , health index and a symptom assessment form . Assessment was made at the start of the study and at the 3-month and 6-month follow-ups . Results We found no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in any outcome measure . Conclusion Treatment with SSRI drugs in patients without clinical major depression or anxiety disorder is often unjustified and should be discontinued Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are the ‘ new ’ drugs of first choice for the treatment of depression in the older patient . Systematic studies on the effects of SSRIs on cardiac function are scarce , despite the high prevalence of cardiac disorders in the older depressed patient . This is a study which systematic ally assesed cardiac function by echo-cardiography in middle-aged and elderly depressed patients treated with SSRI . In a double-blind r and omized trial , 20 patients were assigned to receive fluvoxamine 20 mg/day or fluoxetine 100mg/day for 6 weeks . Cardiac function was assessed by left ventricle ejection fraction , aortic flow integral and early or passive/late or active mitral inflow , and electrocardiography . Neither SSRI significantly affected cardiac function . Compared with patients without a history of myocardial infa rct ion and /or hypertension , patients with such a history showed a significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction . Despite our small study sample , these data indicate that both fluoxetine and fluvoxamine do not affect cardiac function adversely OBJECTIVES To determine if , in the short term , depressed adolescents attending routine NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services ( CAMHS ) , and receiving ongoing active clinical care , treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) plus cognitive behaviour therapy ( CBT ) compared with SSRI alone , results in better healthcare outcomes . DESIGN A pragmatic r and omised controlled trial ( RCT ) was conducted on depressed adolescents attending CAMHS who had not responded to a psychosocial brief initial intervention ( BII ) prior to r and omisation . SETTING Six English CAMHS participated in the study . PARTICIPANTS A total of 208 patients aged between 11 and 17 years were recruited and r and omised . INTERVENTIONS All participants received active routine clinical care in a CAMHS outpatient setting and an SSRI and half were offered CBT . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The duration of the trial was a 12-week treatment phase , followed by a 16-week maintenance phase . Follow-up assessment s were at 6 , 12 and 28 weeks . The primary outcome measure was the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales for Children and Adolescents ( HoNOSCA ) . Secondary outcome measures were self-report depressive symptoms , interviewer-rated depressive signs and symptoms , interviewer-rated psychosocial impairment and clinical global impression of response to treatment . Information on re source use was collected in interview at baseline and at the 12- and 28-week follow-up assessment s using the Child and Adolescent Service Use Schedule ( CA-SUS ) . RESULTS Of the 208 patients r and omised , 200 ( 96 % ) completed the trial to the primary end-point at 12 weeks . By the 28-week follow-up , 174 ( 84 % ) participants were re-evaluated . Overall , 193 ( 93 % ) participants had been assessed at one or more time points . Clinical characteristics indicated that the trial was conducted on a severely depressed group . There was significant recovery at all time points in both arms . The findings demonstrated no difference in treatment effectiveness for SSRI + CBT over SSRI only for the primary or secondary outcome measures at any time point . This lack of difference held when baseline and treatment characteristics where taken into account ( age , sex , severity , co-morbid characteristics , quality and quantity of CBT treatment , number of clinic attendances ) . The SSRI + CBT group was somewhat more expensive over the 28 weeks than the SSRI-only group ( p=0.057 ) and no more cost-effective . Over the trial period there was on average a decrease in suicidal thoughts and self-harm compared with levels recorded at baseline . There was no significant increase in disinhibition , irritability and violence compared with levels at baseline . Around 20 % ( n=40 ) of patients in the trial were non-responders . Of these , 17 ( 43 % ) showed no improvement by 28 weeks and 23 ( 57 % ) were considered minimally ( n=10 ) or moderately to severely worse ( n=13 ) . CONCLUSIONS For moderately to severely depressed adolescents who are non-responsive to a BII , the addition of CBT to fluoxetine plus routine clinical care does not improve outcome or confer protective effects against adverse events and is not cost-effective . SSRIs ( mostly fluoxetine ) are not likely to result in harmful adverse effects . The findings are broadly consistent with existing guidelines on the treatment of moderate to severe depression . Modification is advised for those presenting with moderate ( 6 - 8 symptoms ) to severe depressions ( > 8 symptoms ) and in those with either overt suicidal risk and /or high levels of personal impairment . In such cases , the time allowed for response to psychosocial interventions should be no more than 2 - 4 weeks , after which fluoxetine should be prescribed . Further research should focus on evaluating the efficacy of specific psychological treatments against brief psychological intervention , determining the characteristics of patients with severe depression who are non-responsive to fluoxetine , relapse prevention in severe depression and improving tools for determining treatment responders and non-responders A common presentation for major depression includes psychomotor agitation . However , this subtype has been the infrequent subject of controlled investigation during depression trials . Yet , the subcategorization of agitated depression has historically been associated with the belief that older , sedating compounds have a superior risk : benefit profile . In the 8-week , double-blind , r and omized , parallel trial , 124 subjects with Research Diagnostic Criteria -compatible agitated depression were r and omized to either imipramine ( IMI ) or fluoxetine ( FLU ) . Both compounds proved to be similarly effective as measured by change in HAM-D17 , HAM-D17 response , and HAM-D17 remission rates . Similar comparability was seen in secondary measures of agitation , anxiety , suicidality , and global impressions . However , of note , a statistically significant difference in early discontinuations because of intolerable adverse events emerged . Whereas 43.5 % of IMI subjects discontinued early , only 9.7 % of FLU subjects ( p < 0.001 ) did . Significantly more central nervous system events characterized the IMI than the FLU subgroup ( IMI , 24.2 % , vs. FLU , 6.5 % ; p = 0.006 ) . In conclusion , among subjects with major depression , subtype agitated , the risk : benefit profile favored FLU over IMI . This was driven by the superior tolerance of FLU . No evidence emerged in support of the clinical hypothesis that a “ sedating ” agent is the treatment of choice for this group . The results are important when striving to maximize compliance with pharmacotherapy in order to minimize recidivism and associated psychological and economic morbidity . ( J Clin Psychopharmacol 1994;14:385–391 BACKGROUND We evaluated the efficacy of a second serotonin selective reuptake inhibitor ( SSRI ) in patients who had failed to respond to the first SSRI used . METHOD Fifty-five patients with major depression who had failed one of the SSRIs for their current depressive episode were included . After failing a trial of one SSRI , they received a second SSRI in an open clinical trial . RESULTS On the basis of the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scale , 28 of 55 patients had a marked or complete antidepressant response . CONCLUSION These data provide preliminary clinical evidence that substituting a second SRI may be a useful clinical alternative in depressed patients who fail to respond to an adequate trial of an SSRI Patients with major depressive disorder ( MDD ) usually suffer from altered cognitive functions of episodic memory , working memory , mental processing speed and motor response . Diverse studies suggest that different antidepressant agents may improve cognitive functions in patients with MDD . The aim of this work is to study the effects of serotonergic reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) and serotonergic-noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors ( SNRIs ) treatments to improve the performance on memory tasks and mental processing speed in MDD . Seventy-three subjects meeting criteria for major depressive disorder were assessed with the Hamilton depression rating scale and a neuropsychological battery . The subjects were medicated with escitalopram ( n=36 ) or duloxetine ( n=37 ) for 24 weeks . At the end of the trial , the subjects were assessed again with the same neuropsychological battery used prior to the treatment . Both treatments improved importantly the episodic memory and to a lesser extent , working memory , mental processing speed and motor performance . Our results suggest that cognition is partially independent from improvement in clinical symptoms . Both groups achieved remission rates in the HAM-D-17 after 24 weeks of treatment , but SNRI was superior to SSRI  at improving episodic and working memory . Our work indicates that the superiority of SNRI over the SSRI  at episodic memory improvement is clinical ly relevant The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of sertraline in migraine prophylaxis . Other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been studied for migraine prophylaxis , but this is the first report with sertraline .  Twenty-seven subjects were enrolled and baseline assessment of migraine frequency and severity were measured over a 4-week period . Subjects were then r and omized to receive placebo or sertraline in a double-blind fashion with headache frequency and severity measured over an 8-week period . Subjects completed a daily diary reporting the occurrence , severity , and degree of impairment associated with migraine . The headache index , a composite measure of migraine frequency and severity , scores did not significantly improve between assessment s at baseline ( 20.8 + /- 14.88 ) , 8 weeks ( 17.6 + /- 12.27 ) , and 12 weeks ( 16.7 + /- 6.38 ) in the treatment group ( n=6 ) ( P=0.956 ) . This finding is compared to other studies with the serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors , fluoxetine , fluvoxamine , and paroxetine . The authors believe that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are not as effective as conventional migraine prophylaxis medications such as beta-blockers , tricyclic antidepressants , or divalproex sodium , but that in patients with comorbid depression who have failed conventional therapy selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may be effective BACKGROUND Recent reports describe discontinuation-emergent adverse events upon cessation of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors including dizziness , insomnia , nervousness , nausea , and agitation . We hypothesized that interruption of fluoxetine treatment would be associated with fewer discontinuation-emergent adverse events than interruption of sertraline or paroxetine treatment , based on fluoxetine 's longer half-life . METHODS In this 4-week study , 242 patients with remitted depression receiving maintenance therapy with open-label fluoxetine , sertraline , or paroxetine for 4 - 24 months had their maintenance therapy interrupted with double-blind placebo substitution for 5 - 8 days . The  Symptom Question naire ( SQ ) , the Discontinuation-Emergent Signs and Symptoms checklist , the 28-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale , and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale  were used to assess somatic distress and stability of antidepressant response . RESULTS Two hundred twenty patients ( 91 % ) completed the study . Following interruption of therapy , fluoxetine-treated patients experienced fewer discontinuation-emergent events than either sertraline-treated or paroxetine-treated patients ( p < .001 ) . The mean SQ somatic symptom scale score in fluoxetine-treated patients was significantly lower than that in sertraline-treated and paroxetine-treated patients ( p < .001 ) . Fluoxetine-treated patients also experienced less reemergence of depressive symptoms than sertraline-treated or paroxetine-treated patients ( p < .001 ) . CONCLUSIONS Abrupt interruption of antidepressant therapy for 5 - 8 days was associated with the emergence of new somatic and psychological symptoms in patients treated with paroxetine and to a lesser degree sertraline , with few symptoms seen with fluoxetine OBJECTIVE The authors sought to test the causal hypothesis that serotonergic function modulates aspects of the normal spectrum of individual differences in affective experience and social behavior in humans . METHOD A selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ( SSRI ) , paroxetine , 20 mg/day ( N = 26 ) , or placebo ( N = 25 ) was administered to normal volunteers in a double-blind manner for 4 weeks , and personality variables and social behavior were assessed at baseline and at weeks 1 and 4 of treatment . RESULTS Relative to placebo , SSRI administration reduced focal indices of hostility through a more general decrease in negative affect , yet did not alter indices of positive affect . In addition , SSRI administration increased a behavioral index of social affiliation . Changes in both negative affect and affiliative behavior were significantly related to volunteers ' plasma SSRI levels at the end of the experiment . CONCLUSIONS Central serotonergic function may modulate a dimension of normal personality characterized by reduced negative affective experience and increased affiliative behavior .  SSRI administration has significant and detectable effects on these measures even in the absence of baseline clinical depression or other psychopathology BACKGROUND Depression and anxiety are common disorders and have substantially overlapping symptom complexes . Not surprisingly , treatment approaches are similar for both conditions with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) as the initial therapy of choice . However , after first line treatments have been deployed , residual symptoms are often problematic . Augmentation strategies to address these difficulties are an area of active investigation . This study assessed aripiprazole as adjunctive therapy to SSRIs for patients with persistent anxiety symptoms complicating a depression or anxiety disorder . METHODS Ten patients who had been receiving SSRIs for at least 6 weeks , but still had clinical ly significant anxiety symptoms , were enrolled in an open label , flexibly-dosed study of adjunctive aripiprazole . Clinical status was assessed with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale ( HAM-A ) , Montgomery Asberg Rating Scale ( MADRS ) , and Sheehan Disability Scale ( SDS ) . RESULTS Eighty percent of the subjects had a greater than 50 % reduction of symptoms on these outcome measures by week 2 of therapy , and continued with further decrements in symptoms throughout the course of the study . CONCLUSIONS The results of this trial provide preliminary evidence that aripiprazole may be an effective adjunctive treatment in individuals on SSRIs with residual symptoms of anxiety or depression . More rigorous double-blind studies are warranted to confirm and eluci date the potential role of aripiprazole in these conditions The antidepressive properties of the specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluvoxamine and the specific norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor oxaprotiline were investigated in a sequential design with the aim of evaluating the hypothesis that two distinct biochemical subtypes of depression exist . Responders were treated for 7 weeks with the compound to which they had responded . After 1 placebo week , the nonresponders were switched to the alternative compound . An evaluation of the data obtained during the 3-week treatment periods from 24 patients ( 37 trials ) with major depression revealed a highly significant reduction of Hamilton Scores with both compounds , oxaprotiline and fluvoxamine . If the patients with major depression are subdivided into two groups , endogenous depressives and neurotic depressives , there is no significant difference between the therapeutic improvements ( both compounds ) achieved in the two groups . The data shows that only about 20 % of the nonresponders on one compound responded to the alternative drug , whereas 90 % of responders ( within 3 weeks ) were still responders after 7 weeks . The data are at variance with the concept of two distinct biochemical subtypes of depression ( serotonergic vs. norepinephrinergic ) .  Dexamethasone suppression tests , performed in 23 patients , gave no prognostic hint as to whether the patients reacted well to drug therapy or not BACKGROUND Although several antidepressants are now available , all have limited efficacy and a delayed onset of action . The current study was undertaken as a proof of the concept that combining norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibition would be more effective and act more rapidly than either drug alone . METHODS In patients with nonpsychotic unipolar major depression and a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ( HAMD ) score of at least 18 after 1 week of hospitalization without antidepressant medication were r and omized to 6 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine ( FLX ) 20 mg/day , desipramine ( DMI ) adjusted to an adequate plasma level , or the combination of FLX 20 mg/day and DMI , given under double-blind conditions . Twenty-four-hour DMI levels were used to rapidly adjust DMI dose to achieve a therapeutic level and to anticipate the enzyme-inhibiting effects of FLX . Treatment-resistant patients were stratified . Patients were rated with the HAMD and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale ( MADRS ) . RESULTS Thirty-nine patients began treatment . One patient withdrew consent . The DMI-FLX combination was significantly more likely to result in remission on the MADRS than either FLX or DMI alone [ 53.8 % vs. 7.1 % and 0 % , respectively ; chi(2)(2 ) = 13.49 , p = .001 ] . The advantage for combined treatment was not explained by history of treatment resistance or by drug plasma concentrations . Rapid response , at 1 or 2 weeks , was neither statistically nor meaningfully greater with combined treatment . CONCLUSIONS This study supports the hypothesis that the combination of a noradrenergic and serotonergic agent is more likely to result in remission than either selective agent alone during a 6-week treatment period Objectives : Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are currently considered as the first drug of choice in the treatment of panic disorder ( PD ) . The aim of this long-term , naturalistic comparison study was to compare 4 SSRIs with respect to tolerability and treatment outcome of PD . Outcome measures included relapse rates and adverse effects . Methods : Two hundred patients with PD were enrolled in our study . All subjects met DSM-IV criteria for PD or PD with agoraphobia ( PDA ) . All patients were assigned to receive SSRI monotherapy for 12 months with either citalopram ( n = 50 ) , fluoxetine ( n = 50 ) , fluvoxamine ( n = 50 ) , or paroxetine ( n = 50 ) in a r and omized , nonblinded fashion . Both the treating psychiatrist and the patients were not blind to the assigned treatment , but the clinician raters were blind to the study medication . The study design allowed for assignment of a particular SSRI as indicated according to the clinical judgment of the study psychiatrists . The Panic Self- Question naire , which is a self-report scale , was administered at baseline and then once per month during the duration of the 12-month study . The visual analog scale and the Clinical Global Impression Scale were administered at baseline and then once per month during the period of the study . Reports of sexual dysfunction were assessed using a nonstructured clinical interview at monthly visits . The body weight of study subjects was measured at baseline , and then at the 12th month visit end point . Results : Of 200 patients who entered the study , 127 patients ( 63.5 % ) completed the full 12-month protocol . Retention rates were highest for paroxetine ( 76 % [ 38/50 ] ) , intermediate for citalopram ( 68 % [ 34/50 ] ) and fluvoxamine ( 60 % [ 30/50 ] ) , and lowest for fluoxetine ( 50 % [ 25/50 ] ) . Patients who completed the 12-month protocol responded favorably to the study treatment . The paroxetine and the citalopram groups had significantly lower rates of panic symptoms as measured at visits on weeks 4 and 8 . At visits on months 3 , 6 , 9 , and 12 , however , there were no statistically significant differences between the 4 groups in relapse rates ( defined as the occurrence of 1 or more panic attacks during the previous week of treatment ) ( F1,127 = 0.17 ; P = 0.13 [ not statistically significant ] ) . At the 12th month end point , patients in all 4 treatment groups had a statistically significant increase in body weight . Body weight among the study population increased by 6.1 + 4.9 kg from a mean weight of 72.4 + 7.3 kg at the onset of treatment . Reports of sexual adverse effects at the 12th month visit were similar in the citalopram , fluoxetine , and paroxetine groups , but the fluvoxamine patient group reported fewer sexual adverse effects at the 12th month visit . Conclusions : Most of our PD patients responded well to 12-month treatment with either citalopram , fluoxetine , fluvoxamine , or paroxetine , and the overall response rate was equal after the first 4 weeks of treatment . Although patients treated with paroxetine had the lowest dropout rates during the initiation phase , they had the highest rate of adverse effects as measured at the 12th month visit . Conversely , patients in the fluvoxamine group had the highest dropout rate ( which was primarily caused by adverse effects in the initiation phase of treatment . ) ; however , patients who were able to tolerate fluvoxamine throughout the full course of the study were observed to have lower rates of sexual dysfunction and weight gain compared with patients treated with the other agents . Overall , when measured at the 12th month visit , monotherapy with paroxetine and citalopram was associated with a higher rate of sexual adverse effects than was treatment with fluoxetine or fluvoxamine . In addition , monotherapy with paroxetine , citalopram , and fluoxetine seemed to cause more weight gain than did treatment with fluvoxamine Somatic symptoms often complicate the diagnosis and psychopharmacological treatment of depression in HIV illness . We treated 33 depressed HIV-positive men and women with medically symptomatic HIV or AIDS ( CDC stages 2B , 2C , 3B , or 3C ) in a 6 week open-label trial with sertraline , paroxetine , or fluoxetine , to assess their effectiveness and tolerability . We further assessed whether treatment of depression result ed in a reduction in both affective and somatic symptoms in this medically ill population . Twenty-four subjects ( 73 % ) completed the trial ( 7 on sertraline , 7 on paroxetine , 10 on fluoxetine ) , 20 ( 83 % ) of whom were clinical responders . Nine dropped out within 1 - 3 weeks of treatment because of adverse effects , mostly agitation , anxiety , and insomnia . Subjects who completed 6 weeks of SSRI treatment experienced significant reductions in both affective and somatic symptoms , many of the latter having been attributed to HIV rather than depression . These results suggest that , even in later stages of HIV illness , the contribution of depression to perceived somatic symptoms may be significant , and that these symptoms may improve with antidepressant treatment OBJECTIVE To assess the relative efficacy of antidepressant medication , alone and in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy ( CBT ) , on comorbid symptoms of anxiety , attention , and disruptive behavior disorders in participants in the Treatment of Resistant Depression in Adolescents ( TORDIA ) trial . METHOD Adolescents with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)-resistant depression ( N = 334 ) were r and omly assigned to a medication switch alone ( to another SSRI or to venlafaxine ) or to a medication switch plus CBT .  Anxiety , attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) , and disruptive behavior disorder ( DBD ) symptoms were assessed by psychiatric interview and self-report at regular intervals between baseline and 24 weeks . The differential effects of medication and of CBT , and the impact of remission on the course of comorbid symptoms and diagnoses , were assessed using generalized linear mixed models . RESULTS Remission was associated with a greater reduction in scalar measures of anxiety , ADHD , and DBDs , and a greater decrease in the rate of diagnosed anxiety disorders . The correlations between the changes in symptoms of depression on the CDRS-R and anxiety , ADHD , and oppositional symptoms were modest , ranging from r = 0.12 to r = 0.28 . There were no significant differential treatment effects on diagnoses , or corresponding symptoms . CONCLUSION The achievement of remission had a beneficial effect on anxiety , ADHD , and DBD symptoms , regardless of the type of treatment received . There were no differential effects of medication or CBT on outcome , except for a nonsignificant trend that those adolescents treated with SSRIs showed a greater decrease in rates of comorbid DBDs relative to those treated with venlafaxine . Clinical trial registration information-Treatment of SSRI-Resistant Depression In Adolescents ( TORDIA ) ; http:// clinical trials.gov/ ; NCT00018902 OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the use of benzodiazepines ( BZs ) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors/selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs/SNRIs ) over nine years of follow-up in middle-aged and older adults with diagnoses of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia , social phobia , or generalized anxiety disorder . SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Participants in this study were enrolled in the Harvard/Brown Anxiety Research Project ( HARP ) . HARP is a naturalistic , longitudinal , multisite study of adults with anxiety disorders who are recruited from psychiatric setting s. The analytic sample consisted of 51 participants with anxiety disorders who were 55 to 70 years old at baseline and a younger cohort of 211 participants added for comparative analysis . DESIGN The authors examined patterns of medication use ( BZs and SSRIs/SNRIs ) in participants with anxiety disorders as they aged , by assessing the proportion of participants taking these medications using generalized estimating equation modeling . MEASUREMENTS The present data were derived from the structured diagnostic interview administered at enrollment using a combination of the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Third Edition-R Non-Affective Disorder , Patient Version , Research Diagnostic Criteria Schedule for Affective Disorders-Lifetime , and subsequent follow-up interviews over a nine-year period using the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation-Pharmacia & Upjohn to assess the weekly course of disorders to indicate syndrome severity and document medication use by specific type and dose on a weekly basis . RESULTS Findings showed that rates of BZ use were high among both the older ( 53 % at baseline ) and the younger ( 57.4 % ) age groups and did not significantly decrease over time , after controlling for time in episode of their anxiety disorders . There was a statistically significant increase in  SSRI/SNRI use over time in both groups . At the beginning of the study , 18 % of the older group and 21 % of the younger group were using SSRIs/SNRIs ; however , at the end of the study , the rates increased to 35 % and 43 % , respectively . CONCLUSIONS Although there was an increase in  SSRI/SNRI use in older participants with anxiety disorders over the course of study , at nine years of follow-up , only 35 % of participants were utilizing SSRI/SNRI medication , while more than one-half of the same participants were continuing to use BZs . To the authors ' knowledge , there are no r and omized clinical trials that have addressed comparative efficacy and safety of BZs and SSRIs/SNRIs in this population . However , there is documented evidence of adverse effects of chronic BZ use and the risk of developing dependency in older population OBJECTIVE This study evaluated time to response in the treatment of panic disorder with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor ( SSRI ) or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor ( SNRI ) combined with alprazolam orally disintegrating tablets ( ODT ) , or SSRI/SNRI alone . DESIGN Subjects were r and omized to eight weeks open-label treatment with alprazolam ODT ( 4 weeks treatment followed by 3 - 4 week taper ) combined with an SSRI or SNRI , or treatment with SSRI/SNRI alone . SETTING The study was conducted under naturalistic conditions at 62 primary care and 34 psychiatric practice s. PARTICIPANTS Male or female subjects ≥18 years of age diagnosed with panic disorder , with or without agoraphobia . MEASUREMENTS The primary efficacy measure was time to response , defined as ≥50-percent decrease from baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety ( HAM-A ) total score . Secondary measures included change from baseline in HAM-A scores and the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement ( CGI-I ) and Patient Global Impression ( PGI ) scales . RESULTS The intent-to-treat ( ITT ) population comprised 245 subjects . There was no statistical difference between treatment groups in time to response in the ITT population ; however , a prospect ively defined per protocol analysis revealed a statistically significant earlier onset of effect in subjects receiving SSRI/SNRI plus alprazolam ODT ( P<0.05 ) . Mean change from baseline in HAM-A total score and clinician and patient measures of global improvement also showed statistically significant early advantages for combination therapy compared with SSRI/SNRI monotherapy . CONCLUSION Combined treatment of panic disorder with alprazolam ODT and an SSRI/SNRI may be associated with more rapid improvement in anxiety symptoms compared with an SSRI/SNRI alone
Treatment with SSRIs rather than placebo was associated with clinical improvement by the end of the first week of use .
CONCLUSIONS Treatment with SSRIs is associated with symptomatic improvement in depression by the end of the first week of use , and the improvement continues at a decreasing rate for at least 6 weeks
CONTEXT Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are often described as having a delayed onset of effect in the treatment of depression .
However , some trials have reported clinical improvement as early as the first week of treatment .
OBJECTIVE To test the alternative hypotheses of delayed vs early onset of antidepressant action with SSRIs in patients with unipolar depression .