Comparative study of the treatment with tetracyclic and tricyclic antidepressants in patients with minor depressive disorders.

One hundred and twenty-nine cases with depression were submitted to a comparative therapeutic study, using a flexible treatment administration: mianserin 30-60 mg and imipramine 50-150 mg. The mean dosages were 43.6 mg of mianserin and 62 mg/day of imipramine. Twenty-nine patients were excluded from the study, the rest constituting 2 equal groups of 50 cases each. The study covered a period of 4 weeks. After this period, almost 40% of the cases were discharged due to their obvious improvement. The significant benefits of mianserin were evident in the 7th and in the 21st day of the study on HDRS for the total score and in the 7th day on HDRS for the anxiety-somatization score. The superiority of mianserin was also obvious due to the total score on Lipmann-Rickels' scale as well as for the general neurotic symptoms. No statistically significant differences between mianserin and imipramine for the antidepressive efficacy were observed by the end of the study. A greater number of secondary effects was noticed in the group treated with imipramine. It seems that mianserin was a better therapy for this category of psychic patients, especially for older cases, probably due to the anxiolytic influence and to a lower incidence of side-effects.