Venlafaxine v other antidepressants for depressive disorders at mean follow up of 10 weeks*
| Outcomes | Comparator drug | Number of trials | Pooled effect size (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean depression severity | TCA | 7 | -0.13 (-0.33 to 0.09)† |
| SSRI | 19 | -0.17 (-0.27 to –0.08) | |
| Other | |||
| mirtazapine, trazodone) | 3 | -0.09 (-0.42 to 0.23)† | |
| Overall | 29 | -0.14 (-0.22 to –0.07) |
| Pooled odds ratio (CI) | NNT (CI) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *SSRI = selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitor; TCA = tricyclic agent. CI defined in glossary. Response defined as ≥ 50% improvement from baseline. Remission defined as depression rating scale score below a predefined threshold. | ||||
| †Not significant. | ||||
| Response rates | TCA | 8 | 1.29 (0.89 to 1.85)† | |
| SSRI | 17 | 1.26 (1.02 to 1.58) | ||
| Other | ||||
| (mirtazapine, trazodone) | 3 | 1.28 (0.43 to 4.31)† | ||
| Overall | 28 | 1.27 (1.07 to 1.52) | 19 (11 to 63) | |
| Remission rates | TCA | 1 | 1.03 (0.46 to 2.32)† | |
| SSRI | 16 | 1.43 (1.21 to 1.71) | ||
| Other (mirtazapine) | 1 | 0.69 (0.33 to 1.43)† | ||
| Overall | 18 | 1.36 (1.14 to 1.61) | 14 (9 to 29) | |