TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Del Casale, Antonio
AU  -  Girardi, Paolo
AU  -  Brugnoli, Roberto
AU  -  Sani, Gabriele
AU  -  Di Pietro, Simone
AU  -  Brugnoli, Chiara
AU  -  Caccia, Federica
AU  -  Angeletti, Gloria
AU  -  Serata, Daniele
AU  -  Rapinesi, Chiara
AU  -  Tatarelli, Roberto
AU  -  Kotzalidis, Georgios D.
T1  -  Duloxetine in the treatment of elderly people 
with major depressive disorder
PY  -  2012
Y1  -  2012-11-01
DO  -  10.1708/1183.13091
JO  -  Rivista di Psichiatria
JA  -  Riv Psichiatr
VL  -  47
IS  -  6
SP  -  479
EP  -  488
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2038-2502
Y2  -  2026/05/04
UR  -  http://dx.doi.org/10.1708/1183.13091
N2  -  SUMMARY. Introduction. The elderly population is more frequently subjected to depressive mood compared to the general population and show peculiarities affecting responsiveness; furthermore, aged people need also special care. Duloxetine is a relatively new antidepressant that proved to be effective in adult depression, but has received little attention in elderly populations heretofore. Aim. To review the evidence of duloxetine in late-life major depressive disorder (MDD). Method. A systematic review of studies focusing on the use of duloxetine in MDD in the elderly has been carried out through the principal specialized databases, including PubMed, PsycLIT, and Embase. Results. Only a handful of papers were specifically dedicated to this issue. Duloxetine was found to be effective and safe in old-age MDD, to be better than placebo on many clinical measures in all studies, and to better differentiate from placebo with respect to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Compared to placebo, its side-effect profile is slightly unfavorable and its drop-out rate is slightly higher. Furthermore, when pain is present in old-age MDD, duloxetine is able to reduce it. Conclusions. The efficacy and safety of duloxetine in old-age depression are similar to those encountered in adult MDD. There is a relative lack of comparative studies other than with placebo. The special needs of elderly patients with MDD must be addressed with close patient contact to avoid the perils of inappropriate dosing.
ER  -