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Query: UMLS:C0027497 (nausea)
 23,468 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

For the past decade, the role of noradrenaline in depression has been somewhat neglected in favour of serotonin. This is largely because of the advent of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which have facilitated clinical and experimental observation of the roles of serotonin. Until now, no such tools have been available to study the noradrenergic system. However, the recent development of reboxetine, the first selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, has allowed clinical investigation of the role of the noradrenergic system in different aspects of depressive disorders. In clinical trials, the use of reboxetine has shown that selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibition is an effective approach to alleviating depression. It is more effective than placebo and at least as effective as desipramine, imipramine and fluoxetine in the short term. In addition, its efficacy is maintained in patients with severe depression and in those receiving long-term maintenance treatment. Reboxetine is very well tolerated, as predicted from its pharmacological profile, having fewer anticholinergic side-effects than imipramine or desipramine. Compared with fluoxetine, patients treated with reboxetine experienced less nausea and sexual dysfunction, adverse events that are common among those taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Adverse events predicted by the neuroanatomy of the noradrenergic system, such as tremor and cardiovascular effects, occurred less frequently than expected. Clinical experience with reboxetine challenges our current knowledge of the role of noradrenaline in depression and questions existing evidence based on studies with noradrenergic tricyclic antidepressants. Selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibition, as exemplified by reboxetine, therefore offers a significant improvement in antidepressant pharmacotherapy, and an opportunity to increase our understanding of the role of noradrenaline in depression.
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PMID:Predicting response: noradrenaline reuptake inhibition. 1046 25

The past decade has witnessed the advent of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as first-line treatments for major depression. Still, there is considerable debate as to whether these agents are as effective or as potent as the first-generation tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) or the mixed reuptake inhibitor, venlafaxine, all of which exert considerable effect on norepinephrine (NE) reuptake. Recently, reboxetine, a selective NE reuptake inhibitor (selective NRI), has been introduced in Europe. This drug has only a minimal affinity for muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and therefore causes less dry mouth, constipation, or other such effects than do the TCAs. Reboxetine does not block serotonin reuptake or alpha1 receptors and, thus, does not appear to produce significant nausea, diarrhea, or hypotension. Unlike other antidepressants, reboxetine appears to be nonsedating. Data on acute and long-term clinical efficacy and safety from double-blind, placebo-controlled, and active comparator studies with reboxetine are reviewed. These studies indicate that reboxetine is significantly more effective than placebo and as effective as fluoxetine in reducing depressive symptoms. Improvements in social adjustments were reported to be more favorable with reboxetine than with fluoxetine. Further, data from controlled clinical trials have shown that the side effect profile for reboxetine is relatively benign. The clinical implications of studies on reboxetine are discussed with an eye toward understanding the potential role NE reuptake blockers may play in the treatment of patients with major depression.
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PMID:Clinical efficacy of reboxetine in major depression. 1091 15

Depression in the elderly is often not recognised and is frequently under-treated. Reboxetine is a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (selective NRI) which is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of depressed adult patients. This prospective, uncontrolled, multicentre study was designed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of reboxetine as maintenance therapy for major depressive disorder or dysthymia in 160 elderly patients (aged 65-94 years). One hundred and thirty-nine patients completed the 6-week run-in period and entered the long-term phase; 104 patients completed the 52-week treatment period. The proportion of patients with CGI-global improvement ratings assessed as 'much' and 'very much' improved increased from 15.1% at week 2 to 88.7% at week 6 and to 95.2% at week 52. The mean HAM-D total score showed a reduction from 24.0 at baseline to 10.4 at week 6 and 7.5 at week 52. Twenty-five patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events. The most frequently reported adverse events were nausea (11.9%), insomnia (11.9%), headache (10.0%) and dry mouth (9.1%), and these were of mild or moderate severity. In summary, results from this study show reboxetine to be effective, and well tolerated in both the short- and long-term treatment of elderly depressed or dysthymic patients.
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PMID:Reboxetine in the maintenance therapy of depressive disorder in the elderly: a long-term open study. 1098 24

The goal of the present work was to conduct a meta-analysis comparing reboxetine and the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for major depressive disorder (MDD). Medline/Pubmed was searched for double-blind, randomized trials comparing these two agents for MDD. The makers of reboxetine (Pfizer Inc.) were also contacted to provide missing data and/or unpublished studies. 9 trials (n=2641) were combined using a random effects model. Response rates were comparable between the SSRI (63.9%) and reboxetine (59.2%)-treated groups (p=0.118). There was no significant difference in the degree of improvement in psychosocial functioning, as measured by the social adaptation self-evaluation scale, between the two groups. Overall discontinuation rates (25.1% versus 32.0%; p=0.015), and the rate of discontinuation due to intolerance (8.5% versus 12.6%; p=0.007) favored SSRI treatment. The rate of discontinuation due to lack of efficacy did not differ significantly between the two groups. SSRI-treated patients were more likely to experience nausea, hypersomnia, and fatigue. Reboxetine-treated patients were more likely to experience constipation, difficulty urinating, and insomnia. These results suggest that the NRI reboxetine and the SSRIs differ with respect to their side-effect profile and overall tolerability but not their efficacy in treating MDD.
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PMID:A meta-analysis of clinical trials comparing reboxetine, a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of major depressive disorder. 1771 52