Retrospective cohort study of venlafaxine, fluoxetine or sertraline in long-term care

Objective: To describe the effects of venlafaxine, fluoxetine and sertraline treatment on mood and behaviour patterns, physical functioning, and tolerability issues in a long-term care environment. Design, setting and participants: Retrospective cohort analysis of 257 elderly residents of three long-term care facilities in the US who used venlafaxine, fluoxetine or sertraline during a 3-month period. Main outcome measures: Indicators of depression, anxiety and sad mood, physical functioning, antidepressant-related adverse events, and the global impression of efficacy. Results: The average age of the participants was 80.6 years. At the 3-month follow-up, more than 85% of the residents recorded no change in indicators of depression, anxiety and sad mood or physical functioning, and there were no statistically significant differences among the three antidepressant drug groups. A marginal improvement in the social interaction indicator was observed among residents who received venlafaxine (11%) compared with those receiving fluoxetine (3%) or sertraline (2%). Antidepressant-related adverse events were infrequent and similar in incidence across the three drug groups. Conclusions: Indicators of mood and functioning of most residents were stable over the 3-month period and similar among the venlafaxine, fluoxetine and sertraline groups, and no significant differences in the safety profiles of the three drugs were recorded.