Abstract
When clinicians are concerned about an increased risk of suicidality induced by antidepressants in young patients, mirtazapine is considered a suitable option because of its low risk of provoking suicidality and its sedative effect. However, mirtazapine often needs to be discontinued or the dose reduced because of drowsiness, especially in young persons. This study retrospectively compared the clinical effects of mirtazapine in 16 young university students to those in 16 elderly patients with depression. Drowsiness was the most frequent side effect, and was observed more often in the students. Greater numbers of students also had their doses reduced or stopped using mirtazapine specifically because of oversedation. Furthermore, the final dose of mirtazapine was much lower in the student group even though the therapeutic effects were similar to those in the elderly group, suggesting that lower doses of mirtazapine should be administered to young depressed patients as starting or maintenance doses to avoid sedation and achieve a minimal level of therapeutic efficacy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-4 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Clinical Neuropsychopharmacology and Therapeutics |
| Volume | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 2015 Jan 16 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Drowsiness
- Histamine receptor
- Mirtazapine
- Suicidality
- Young patients
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Pharmacology (medical)
Cite this
Efficacy and safety of mirtazapine in university students with depression : A comparison with elderly patients. / Ishii, Terumi; Hori, Takafumi; Tachikawa, Hirokazu; Hatanaka, Kimitaka; Asada, Takashi.
In: Clinical Neuropsychopharmacology and Therapeutics, Vol. 6, 16.01.2015, p. 1-4.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Efficacy and safety of mirtazapine in university students with depression
T2 - A comparison with elderly patients
AU - Ishii, Terumi
AU - Hori, Takafumi
AU - Tachikawa, Hirokazu
AU - Hatanaka, Kimitaka
AU - Asada, Takashi
PY - 2015/1/16
Y1 - 2015/1/16
N2 - When clinicians are concerned about an increased risk of suicidality induced by antidepressants in young patients, mirtazapine is considered a suitable option because of its low risk of provoking suicidality and its sedative effect. However, mirtazapine often needs to be discontinued or the dose reduced because of drowsiness, especially in young persons. This study retrospectively compared the clinical effects of mirtazapine in 16 young university students to those in 16 elderly patients with depression. Drowsiness was the most frequent side effect, and was observed more often in the students. Greater numbers of students also had their doses reduced or stopped using mirtazapine specifically because of oversedation. Furthermore, the final dose of mirtazapine was much lower in the student group even though the therapeutic effects were similar to those in the elderly group, suggesting that lower doses of mirtazapine should be administered to young depressed patients as starting or maintenance doses to avoid sedation and achieve a minimal level of therapeutic efficacy.
AB - When clinicians are concerned about an increased risk of suicidality induced by antidepressants in young patients, mirtazapine is considered a suitable option because of its low risk of provoking suicidality and its sedative effect. However, mirtazapine often needs to be discontinued or the dose reduced because of drowsiness, especially in young persons. This study retrospectively compared the clinical effects of mirtazapine in 16 young university students to those in 16 elderly patients with depression. Drowsiness was the most frequent side effect, and was observed more often in the students. Greater numbers of students also had their doses reduced or stopped using mirtazapine specifically because of oversedation. Furthermore, the final dose of mirtazapine was much lower in the student group even though the therapeutic effects were similar to those in the elderly group, suggesting that lower doses of mirtazapine should be administered to young depressed patients as starting or maintenance doses to avoid sedation and achieve a minimal level of therapeutic efficacy.
KW - Drowsiness
KW - Histamine receptor
KW - Mirtazapine
KW - Suicidality
KW - Young patients
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85043215175&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85043215175
VL - 6
SP - 1
EP - 4
JO - Clinical Neuropsychopharmacology and Therapeutics
JF - Clinical Neuropsychopharmacology and Therapeutics
SN - 1884-8826
ER -