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Once-Weekly Fluoxetine

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Abstract

  • ▴ The relatively long half-life of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine has allowed the development of a delayed-release (enteric-coated) formulation containing 90mg fluoxetine per capsule for once-weekly oral administration.

  • ▴ The cumulative relapse rate in patients switched to once-weekly fluoxetine 90mg for 25 weeks (after responding to 13 weeks of fluoxetine 20 mg/day) was similar to that in patients continuing to receive fluoxetine 20 mg/day and significantly lower than seen in patients switched to placebo.

  • ▴ The efficacy of the once-weekly formulation was also similar to that of the daily formulation in other assessment parameters (modified 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Clinical Global Impressions — Severity of Illness Scale).

  • ▴ Patient compliance (measured using an electronically monitored tablet bottle) was maintained at 87.5% in evaluable patients receiving once-weekly fluoxetine 90mg for 12 weeks from a baseline of 85.4% after responding to 4 weeks of fluoxetine 20 mg/day; in contrast, compliance declined significantly (from 87.3% at baseline to 79.4%; p > 0.001) in patients continuing to receive 20 mg/day for 12 weeks.

  • ▴ Once-weekly fluoxetine is well tolerated, with a tolerability profile similar to that of the immediate-release formulation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Adis International Limited, 41 Centorian Drive, Private Bag 65901, Mairangi Bay, Auckland 10, New Zealand

    Antona J. Wagstaff & Karen L. Goa

Authors
  1. Antona J. Wagstaff
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  2. Karen L. Goa
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Correspondence to Antona J. Wagstaff.

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Wagstaff, A.J., Goa, K.L. Once-Weekly Fluoxetine. Drugs 61, 2221–2228 (2001). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200161150-00006

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200161150-00006

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