Rolipram versus nortriptyline in gerontopsychiatric inpatients with major depression

To define the therapeutic profile of the new putative antidepressant rolipram, a double-blind (double-dummy) study with 0.5 mg rolipram versus 25 mg nortriptyline three times daily was conducted in hospitalized gerontopsychiatric inpatients with major depression. During both therapies, improvement was achieved compared with base line. However, the rate of recovery in patients treated with 3×25 mg nortriptyline was significantly greater than in those treated with 3×0.5 mg rolipram. Overall, rolipram was better tolerated than nortriptyline and produced fewer adverse effects that could be attributed to cholinergic blocking. We conclude that 3×0.5 mg rolipram presumably is too low a dosage for the treatment of major depression in gerontopsychiatric inpatients.