Double-blind clinical trial of the antidepressant action of amineptine.

A double-blind controlled study was carried out in 51 patients with moderate to severe depression to compare the effectiveness and tolerability of amineptine (200 mg per day) with that of amitriptyline (75 mg per day) given over a period of 6 weeks. Assessments of overall response to treatment, judged clinically, taking into account the patients' views, and also comparing total scores on the Hamilton Rating Scale, showed that amineptine was equally as effective as amitryptyline in producing a marked improvement in most patients. The results suggest, however, that amineptine was more rapid in action as well as being better tolerated. Analysis of the scores for individual items on the rating scale showed up differences between the two drugs in their influence on a number of the items and in the time of onset of improvement.