OBJECTIVE Vasomotor symptoms (VMS) recur after discontinuation of hormonal therapy. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used increasingly to treat VMS, but whether VMS recur after cessation of SSRI is unknown. We hypothesized that relapse of VMS to baseline levels after SSRI cessation would be common and predicted by menopausal and psychological characteristics. METHODS Recurr...

BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder is associated with significant impairment in occupational functioning and reduced productivity, which represents a large part of the overall burden of depression. AIMS To examine symptom-based and work functioning outcomes with combined pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy treatment of major depressive disorder. METHOD Employed patients with a DSM-IV diagno...

BACKGROUND Conventional meta-analyses have shown inconsistent results for efficacy of second-generation antidepressants. We therefore did a multiple-treatments meta-analysis, which accounts for both direct and indirect comparisons, to assess the effects of 12 new-generation antidepressants on major depression. METHODS We systematically reviewed 117 randomised controlled trials (25 928 partici...

AIM This study reports the results of a large prospective single-blinded clinical trial of 3 SSRI (paroxetine, fluoxetine and escitalopram) in PE using a validated questionnaire. METHODS A total of 100 normally potent men suffering from PE were enrolled in a randomized single-blinded comparative study of fluoxetine, paroxetine and escitalopram Patients were randomized into 3 treatment groups....

Anhedonia is defined as a diminished ability to obtain pleasure from otherwise positive stimuli. Anxiety and mood disorders have been previously associated with dysregulation of the reward system, with anhedonia as a core element of major depressive disorder (MDD). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether stress-induced anhedonia could be prevented by treatments with escitalopram...

Escitalopram is an antidepressant from the class called Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s). SSRI’s were among the first pharmaceutical products commercialized as single enantiomers following a 1992 United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Policy Statement. The directive required a thorough investigation of the biological and toxicological properties of single enantiomers. ...

Health technology The study examined two selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), escitalopram and sertraline, for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Escitalopram was initially given at 10 mg/day; the dose was assumed to increase to 20 mg/day if the patient did not respond to the initial dose. Sertraline was initially given at 50 mg/day; dose titration to 100, 150 and 20...

OBJECTIVE There are no direct comparisons between escitalopram and paroxetine controlled release in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS We conducted a 24-week, rater-masked, randomized trial of escitalopram (5-20 mg/day) versus paroxetine controlled release (12.5-50 mg/day) in patients with MDD (UMIN000011191). Patients with the diagnosis of moderate-to-severe MDD (a 17-ite...

BACKGROUND Escitalopram is licensed for use at doses up to 20 mg but is used clinically at higher doses. There is limited published data at higher doses and none in the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). METHODS This open-label, pilot study was designed to investigate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of escitalopram in doses up to 50 mg in MDD. It was conducted in 60 primary c...

BACKGROUND Acute neural effects of antidepressant medication on emotion processing biases may provide the foundation on which clinical outcomes are based. Along with effects on positive and negative stimuli, acute effects on neutral stimuli may also relate to antidepressant efficacy, yet these effects are still to be investigated. The present study therefore examined the impact of a single dose...