Higher duloxetine starting dose found safe for severe depression.(News Notes)(Report)(Brief article)

Daily doses of duloxetine at 60 mg and 120 mg were equally effective and tolerable in hospitalized patients with severe depression with or without suicidal behavior. The finding is from a European multicenter trial conducted to determine whether duloxetine 120 mg/day would result in an earlier and better response than 60 mg/day. Patients were randomized to daily doses of duloxetine 60 mg or 120 mg under double-blind conditions for 8 weeks. In the 60-mg group, patients who failed to respond had their doses titrated to 120 mg/day. At week 4, there was no significant between-group difference in change in score from baseline on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), …