Time to discontinuation among the three second-generation antidepressants in a naturalistic outpatient setting of depression.

AIM

This study compared the discontinuation time among the three second-generation antidepressants (paroxetine, venlafaxine, and mirtazapine) in a naturalistic setting for outpatient treatment of depression.

METHODS

This study used data from retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients admitted to an outpatient psychiatric clinic between January 2003 and December 2005. Patient groups (paroxetine-, venlafaxine-, and mirtazapine-treated) were compared with each other with regard to their discontinuation times for a 6-month period after treatment initiation. The data were analyzed, using a Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, and a Cox proportional hazards regression model.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in discontinuation times among the three second-generation antidepressants during the 6-month period after initiation of drug therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

In a naturalistic setting for the care of depression, it seems that there are no differences in discontinuation times among these three second-generation antidepressants.