[Results of treatment with the anti-depressive agent lofepramine in neurological practice].

The effectiveness and tolerance of Lofepramine was investigated in a neurological practice on 100 patients with predominantly slight and moderately severe depressive states. The treatment could be carried out according to the trial plan on 78 patients and the success of the therapy could be evaluated. 67 patients showed definite improvement (85.9%) and tolerance was good to very good in 96.2% of the cases. Although a tranquilizaer was also administered to 62 patients, the success of therapy was definitely accounted for by the antidepressant. This applies particularly to the symptoms of fear, tiredness and impairment of work capacity as well as "depressive mood", hypochondria, somatization and states of agitation. No serious side effects were observed in any patient. Insufficient success in therapy was observed most often when the minimal dose of 35 mg per day was administered, while convincing results were obtained by a dosage of 70 to 140 mg of Lofepramine daily. A large number of patients who were initially treated with higher doses of Lofepramine profited from a subsequent long-term therapy lasting several months during which 17.5 to 35 mg of Lofepramine were administered daily.