Effects of mirtazapine on sleep polygraphic variables in major depression.

Mirtazapine, a noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant(NaSSA), was administered on a flexible schedule in a sample of 17 drug-free patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for a major depressive episode. Sleep polygraphic recordings were performed before and during acute and chronic treatment. Severity of depression and subjective assessment of changes within different aspects of sleep were also evaluated.

Venlafaxine compared with fluoxetine in outpatients with depression and concomitant anxiety.

The aim of this double-blind study was to compare the efficacy and safety of venlafaxine vs. fluoxetine in the treatment of patients with depression and anxiety. A total of 146 moderately depressed patients with associated anxiety were randomized to receive 75 mg/d venlafaxine or 20 mg/d fluoxetine for 12 wk.

Mirtazapine, but not fluvoxamine, normalizes the blunted REM sleep response to clonidine in depressed patients: implications for subsensitivity of alpha(2)-adrenergic receptors in depression.

To determine whether alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor (alpha2AR) subsensitivity is a state or a trait marker of depression, we consecutively challenged 32 drug-free depressed patients with a clonidine REM suppression test (CREST). We then treated the patients with fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or mirtazapine, a selective alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor antagonist. The first 10 patients from each treatment group who recovered were given a second challenge test.