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New Antidepressant Works Fast
Nov. 11, 2002 -- Often, several weeks go by before an antidepressant begins lifting the fog of depressiondepression. But a new drug called Cymbalta seems to offer quicker results -- without any noticeable long-term side effects.
In several large studies, presented at the U.S. Psychiatric and Mental HealthMental Health Congress last week, Cymbalta showed it works quicker than the usual two to four weeks it takes for other antidepressants, writes Stephen K. Brannan, MD, researcher with Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis. Lilly is a WebMD sponsor.
With other antidepressants, "significant improvements in depressive symptoms are often delayed until 2-4 weeks of therapy," Brannan writes. Often, depressed patients think that means the drug isn't doing its job. Because of this, they may be prescribed a higher -- unnecessary -- dose, he says.
Some studies have suggested that other antidepressants can start working faster than this, however.
Cymbalta affects two different brain chemical messengers -- serotonin and norepinephrine. The most popular class of antidepressants -- known as SSRIs -- affects only serotonin and includes Celexa, Paxil, Prozac, and Zoloft. In the current study, Cymbalta showed potential in treating a broad spectrum of symptoms and doing it faster than SSRI drugs, says Brannan.
His two studies involved more than 1,000 patients who took either Cymbalta or a placebo for nine weeks. In the first week of treatment -- and through the rest of the study period -- all patients who took Cymbalta had significant "robust and sustained" improvements, he reports.
If the drug works faster -- and gives patients an effect they can feel -- patients may be more likely to keep taking the antidepressant. By taking it continually for up to nine months, they prevent another bout of depression, he says.
Another recent study looking at Cymbalta's long-term effects shows that it is "effective, safe, and well-tolerated," writes lead researcher Joel Raskin, MD, with Lilly Research Laboratories at Eli Lilly Canada Inc., in Hamilton, Ontario.
The study involving nearly 1,300 patients and was conducted at 52 clinics in the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. Patients took either 80 mg or 120 mg of Cymbalta -- or placebo -- every day for 52 weeks.
Depression is a chronic disorder, with a high chance of recurrence after age 45. Thus, it's important that antidepressants be proven safe for patients to take for the long-term, reports Raskin.
In Raskin's study, patients felt some nausea during the first eight weeks. After that, they reported virtually no ill effects from the antidepressant.
Cymbalta is not yet approved by the FDA but is expected to be approved soon.
SOURCE: U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress, Las Vegas, Oct. 28-31, 2002.
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