Summary of findings 9. Paroxetine compared with fluoxetine for depression.
| Paroxetine compared with fluoxetine for depression | ||||||
| Patient or population: patients with depression Settings: in‐ and out‐patients Intervention: paroxetine Comparison: fluoxetine | ||||||
| Outcomes | Illustrative comparative risks* (95% CI) | Relative effect (95% CI) | No of Participants (studies) | Quality of the evidence (GRADE) | Comments | |
| Assumed risk | Corresponding risk | |||||
| Fluoxetine | Paroxetine | |||||
| Failure to respond at endpoint (6‐12 weeks) | 386 per 1000 | 555 per 1000 (332 to 436) | OR 1.98 (0.79 to 1.23) | 2418 (11 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 | |
| Failure to respond at 1‐4 weeks | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | 0 (0) | See comment | No trial reported this outcome. |
| Failure to respond at 16‐24 weeks | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | 0 (0) | See comment | No trial reported this outcome. |
| Failure to remit at endpoint | See comment | See comment | Not estimable | 0 (0) | See comment | No trial reported this outcome. |
| SMD at endpoint | The mean SMD at endpoint in the intervention groups was 0.04 standard deviations higher (0.05 lower to 0.12 higher) | 2109 (9 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 | This effect approaches zero. | ||
| Failure to complete ‐ any cause ‐ total drop out rate | 325 per 1000 | 336 per 1000 (300 to 372) | OR 1.05 (0.89 to 1.23) | 2798 (13 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 | |
| Participants with at least some Side Effects | 774 per 1000 | 763 per 1000 (703 to 814) | OR 0.94 (0.69 to 1.28) | 2255 (9 studies) | ⊕⊕⊕⊝ moderate1 | |
| *The basis for the assumed risk (e.g. the median control group risk across studies) is provided in footnotes. The corresponding risk (and its 95% confidence interval) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI). CI: Confidence interval; SMD: standardized mean difference; OR: Odds ratio; | ||||||
| GRADE Working Group grades of evidence High quality: Further research is very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect. Moderate quality: Further research is likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and may change the estimate. Low quality: Further research is very likely to have an important impact on our confidence in the estimate of effect and is likely to change the estimate. Very low quality: We are very uncertain about the estimate. | ||||||
1 Blinding stated but not tested. No information on randomisation procedures and allocation concealment.