Comparing the effects of fluoxetine and fluvoxamine in the treatment of children and adolescents with depression

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a severe disorder that has a significant impact on the psychological and social functioning of children and adolescents. Considering the current limitations in the treatment of this disorder; the present study aimed to examine the effect of fluoxetine and fluvoxamine on the treatment of child and adolescent depression. In this double-blind clinical trial study, 40 children and adolescents with MDD referred to child psychiatric clinic of Kashan University of Medical Sciences (during 2013-2014) were randomly divided into the fluvoxamine and fluoxetine groups. Data were collected using the children’s depression inventory, children's global assessment scale, and drug side effect questionnaire. The participants were evaluated at the beginning and 2, 4, and 8 weeks after the beginning of the treatment. The mean age of children and adolescents was 12.40±2.63 years. The mean scores of CDI in the flouxetine and fluvoxamine groups were significantly decreased from 25.65±10.49 to 11.55±3.23 and from 28.45±7.61 to 8.05±4.87, respectively. Moreover, the mean scores of CDI in the flovaxamine group demonstrated a significant decrease at weeks 4 and 8 compared to the fluoxetine group (P=0.03 and P=0.005, respectively). In the 8th week the response rates to treatment were %85 and 55% in the fluvoxamine and fluoxetine groups, respectively. No serious side effect was observed in the participants and no suicidal attempts were reported during the study. Considering that there is a significant reduction in the depression score in the fluvoxamine group compared to the fluoxetine one, fluvoxamine can be used as an effective and safe drug in the treatment of MDD in children and adolescents.