To compare short-term efficacy of benzodiazepines, antidepressants, psychological panic management, exposure in vivo, and combination treatments in panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (PA), a meta-analysis was conducted. Included were 106 studies, pertaining to 222 treatment conditions, 5,011 patients at pretest and 4,016 at posttest. Pre/post effect sizes Cohen's d were calculated withi...

Recent studies have indicated that exogenously administered neurotrophins produce antidepressant-like behavioral effects. We have here investigated the role of endogenous brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor trkB in the mechanism of action of antidepressant drugs. We found that trkB.T1-overexpressing transgenic mice, which show reduced trkB activation in brain, as well as h...

Children and adolescents suffering from anxiety disorders may require pharmacotherapy. Tricyclic antidepressants are often prescribed in these instances. Unfortunately, most clinical research analyzing the effectiveness of tricyclic antidepressants on anxiety disorders has focused exclusively on adult patients. This critical review examines those studies that have investigated the effects of tr...

BACKGROUND In individual studies and limited meta-analyses venlafaxine has been reported to be more effective than comparator antidepressants, particularly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). AIMS To perform a systematic review of all such studies. METHOD We conducted a systematic review of double-blind, randomised trials comparing venlafaxine with alternative antidepressants i...

Epilepsy is a common disabling neurological disorder associated with increased rates of mood disorders especially depression as compared to the general population. Most antidepressants at therapeutic dosages exhibit a seizure risk. Some antidepressants may also display antiepileptic effects, especially at low doses, but the mechanism of this action is largely unknown. In general, the new antide...

Correspondence BRiTISH 301 Tricyclic Antidepressants SIR,-I am worried by one sentence in the article on tricyclic antidepressants (13 April, p. 102): "Jaundice, which is very uncommon , is of the cholestatic type similar to that found in chlorpromazine." This is misleading. Jaundice is one of the more frequent side-effects reported from imipramine and imitrip-tyline, the most widely used membe...

Adherence to antidepressants is crucial for optimal treatment outcomes when treating depressive disorders. However, poor adherence common among patients prescribed antidepressants. This targeted review summarizes the main factors associated with adherence, interventions that promote antidepressant pharmacological aspects related and formulates 10 clinical recommendations optimize adherence. Pat...

BACKGROUND Evidence about the association between antidepressants and the risk of stroke recurrence was scanty. This study evaluated the risk of stroke recurrence according to using antidepressants in patients with stroke from a national representative cohort. METHODS This cohort study followed 16770 patients aged > =20 years who had an incident stroke from 2000 to 2009 from the National Heal...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Antidepressant drugs are frequently used in deliberate self-poisoning resulting in a major risk for the patients due to their cardiac and central-nervous toxicity. In the present study the cases of intoxications consulting our Poison Center should be analysed illustrating recent results and trends about self-poisoning with antidepressants. PATIENTS AND METHODS During ...