Trazodone in depressed outpatients.

The authors compared the nontricyclic antidepressant trazodone with amitriptyline and placebo in a double-blind study of 202 unipolar depressed outpatients. Trazodone's clinical efficacy was similar to that of amitriptyline, with both active drugs producing significantly more clinical improvement than placebo. The incidence of anticholinergic side effects was lower for the patients taking trazodone than for those taking amitriptyline.