Comparative study of Mirtazapine vs Venlafaxine in the treatment of depression

Objective:To compare efficacy and side effects between Mirtazapine vs Venlafaxine in the treatment of depression.Methods:84 inpatients and outpatients with a diagnosis of depression according to CCMD-3 were involved in this study,they were randomly assigned to the Mirtazapine group(n = 42) and the Venlafaxine group(n = 42) for 8 weeks.Effects and side reactions were evaluated with HAMD,HAMA,CGI-SI and TESS before and after the treatment.Results: Findings indicated that efficacy of Mirtazapine was similar to than of Venlafaxine,however Mirtazapine took effect more quickly and its side effects were less than Venlafaxine.Conclusions: Both Mirtazapine and Venlafaxine have better efficacy and milder side effect in the treatment of depression.Mirtazapine is an effective and safe antidepressant.It is suggested that Mirtazapine could be used as a first-line antidepressant in the treatment of depression.