Wang 2003.

Study characteristics
Methods	Parallel design 3‐arm trial: routine care, fluoxetine plus routine care, amitriptyline plus routine care. We are using the routine care and fluoxetine plus routine care in this analysis Aim: to observe effects of antidepressant therapy on post‐stroke and neurological rehabilitation in the elderly
Participants	Country: China Setting: inpatient Stroke criteria: ischaemic stroke, clinical diagnosis plus confirmation by imaging (although not clear whether a stroke lesion had to be present) Depression diagnosed according to CCMD‐II‐R diagnostic criteria, HAMD ≥ 18 Treatment: 64 people, mean age 75.6 ± 19.7 years, 39 men Control: 56 people, mean age 74.9 ± 20.8 years, 29 men Excluded: psychiatric disorder history, severe cardiac, pulmonary, hepatic and renal diseases
Interventions	Treatment: fluoxetine 20 mg to 80 mg daily (start at 20 mg/day, increase dosage at 3 weeks if poor therapeutic effect and no AE), plus usual stroke care Control: usual stroke care Duration of treatment: 12 to 24 weeks Duration of follow‐up (treatment end to study end): 6 to 9 months
Outcomes	HAMD Neurological function impairment score BI AEs not recorded
Funding source	Source of funding not stated
Notes	−
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Method not described
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not described
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	No placebo
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Not described
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	High risk	13 dropped out of fluoxetine group, and 9 dropped out of control group
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	No protocol
Other bias	Unclear risk	Baseline appeared balanced but no statistical comparison between groups