Volume 41 · Number 3
MARCH 2011
Nefazodone Revisited
Psychiatr Ann. 2011 March;41(3):184-191
By Bezalel Dantz, MD
Nefazodone, a phenylpiperazine antidepressant, was developed with the intention of improving the side-effect profile associated with trazodone. Released in the US in 1994, it was rapidly adopted as a new antidepressant without the sexual side effects and sleep disturbance associated with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). It reached the pinnacle of its use in 2000, when a landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported an 85% response rate in depressed patients who completed a 12-week course of nefazodone combined with cognitive behavioral therapy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bezalel Dantz, MD, is Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.
Address correspondence to: Bezalel Dantz, MD, 2150 West Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60612, (312) 942 8795; or e-mail: [email protected].Dr. Dantz has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
The author would like to acknowledge the contributions of Sheila Lahijani, MD, to this article.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
- Review the efficacy and tolerability of nefazodone in comparison to first- and second-generation antidepressants.
- Describe the sources of concern regarding nefazodone-associated hepatotoxicity.
- Discuss a balanced perspective of the risk-benefit profile of nefazodone as compared with other commonly used psychotropics.
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