| Methods |
Six‐week randomised, double‐blind study |
| Participants |
Outpatients fulfilling DSM‐III criteria for major depression, with a score between 18 and 25 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression‐21 item (HDRS‐21) .
Age range: 18‐65 years
Exclusion criteria: organic brain disease, seizures, other serious illness, hyperthyroidism, allergy, drug or alcohol abuse, use of MAOI within 2 week, serious suicidal risk, pregnancy and lactation. |
| Interventions |
Fluoxetine: 31 participants
Amineptine: 32 participants
Fluoxetine dose: 20 mg/day
Amineptine dose: 200 mg/day |
| Outcomes |
HDRS‐21, Montgomery and Asberg Scale for Depression (MADRS), Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Severity |
| Notes |
Funding: unclear |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Quote: "randomly assigned", no further information |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
No information provided |
| Blinding (performance bias and detection bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
Double blind, no further information |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
Quote: "(treatments) were administered in identical capsules", no further information |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
Double blind, no further information |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Unclear risk |
Scores reported without denominators. Number and reasons for early termination reported |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Unclear risk |
End‐point scores reported without standard deviations. Side effects not clearly reported |
| Other bias |
Unclear risk |
Funding: unclear |
