A preliminary study of serotonergic antidepressants in treatment of dysthymia

Rosenthal, Jesse et al. A Preliminary Study of Serotonergic Antidepressants in the Treatment of Dysthymia. Prog. Neuro-Psychopharmacol. & Biol. Psychiat. 1992, 16(6): 933–941. 1. 1. There is increasing evidence that antidepressants may alleviate symptoms of dysthymia, but few prior studies on selective serotonergic agents. 2. 2. Twenty patients meeting criteria for dysthymia, but not meeting criteria for major depression, received open label trials of a serotonergic antidepressant, either fluoxetine or trazodone. 3. 3. Seventeen (85%) completed three-month medication trials, and of these, twelve (70.6% of completers) responded to treatment. Seven (41.2% of completers) were still in remission on followup at five months. 4. 4. Both fluoxetine and trazodone were well tolerated in dysthymics, and showed similar short-term effectiveness in treating dysthymic symptoms.