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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 1999;281:1784.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Newer antidepressant drugs, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are as effective in treating depression as older-generation antidepressants, such as tricyclics, according to a new evidence report prepared for the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) by the San Antonio (Tex) Evidence-based Practice Center. The researchers, who reviewed relevant literature on medications for treating depression, said that older and newer antidepressant drugs also have similar dropout rates because of adverse effects.

The report noted that while SSRIs are therapies of choice for many physicians, because of similar efficacy clinicians should consider both newer and older antidepressants when making treatment decisions, taking into account such factors as cost and tolerance for particular adverse effects.

The researchers also found no evidence for effectiveness of two herbal preparations, kava kava and valeriana, and said that evidence about the effectiveness of St John's wort is unclear. However, they noted that . . . [Full Text of this Article]