Side Effects Main Difference Between Newer Antidepressants

A recent review of 46 randomized, controlled trials on the efficacy and safety of newer anti-depressants in the treatment of major depressive disorder found few differences in efficacy between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, bupropion, duloxetine, mirtazapine, and venlafaxine.

The article indicates that:

According to fair to good evidence, the second-generation antidepressants that were compared had only minimal differences in efficacy, and 88% of comparative efficacy studies reported no statistically significant difference in any outcome measure at the end of the study. One effectiveness trial rated good and 2 effectiveness trials rated fair reported no statistically significant differences in primary outcome measures for compared drugs. Meta-analyses showed a modest but statistically significant additional treatment effect for sertraline and venlafaxine compared with fluoxetine. About 96% of comparative trials were sponsored by or had at least 1 author affiliated with a pharmaceutical company; the remaining trials did not report funding sources. Adverse event profiles differed among drugs; however, the degree and quality of adverse event assessment varied and only 13% of trials used a standardized scale to assess adverse events.

The researchers conclude that overall, second-generation antidepressants do not differ substantially for treatment of major depressive disorder.

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