Paroxetine, Venlafaxine improve depression symptoms in patients with parkinson's disease: Presented at WPC.

Patients with Parkinson's disease treated with paroxetine or venlafaxine extended-release have achieved improvements in standard measures of depression, according to a study presented here at the 2nd World Parkinson Congress. Dr Richard and colleagues randomised 115 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and depression to receive paroxetine, venlafaxine or placebo. At baseline, patients had a score more than 12 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), and the majority of patients (73%) were diagnosed with major depression. Patients were followed for 12 weeks, allowing 6 weeks to reach a stable dose and 6 weeks of maintenance. Patient withdrawals during the study …