The Effectiveness of Remeron - Essay Example

According to Gorman (2002, screen 1) “Remeron has proven to be effective for treating anxiety and sleep disturbances associated with depression.”  In the following paragraphs, studies into the effects and benefits of this drug are presented.

In a 2005 study, Versiani et al. conducted an active RCT to determine the effectiveness of Remeron in the treatment of patients with severe depression in comparison with fluoxetine (Prozac), a commonly prescribed treatment.  In reviewing the literature the authors stated that earlier studies had determined that Remeron “increases noradrenergic and serotonergic neurotransmission via central α2-adrenoceptor blockade while blocking central serotonin 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors” (Versiani et al., 2005, p. 138).  These studies have shown that this action reduces the risk of adverse reaction to Remeron while resulting in a reduction of stress and positive effects on the patients’ sleep patterns. 

The current study, following rigorous design to ensure the validity of the findings, showed that Mirtazapine (Remeron) was as effective as Prozac at treating severe depression with no statistical differences in adverse reactions.  The beneficial effects of Remeron in reducing stress were shown to take effect much more quickly than the subjects treated with Prozac.  This significance was noted on day seven of the trial which is similar to findings published in a Harvard Women’s Health Watch (2000) article which stated that “researchers at Harvard recently reported on double-blind, controlled studies that showed Remeron relieved depression significantly faster than Prozac and Paxil” (“Relieving”, 2000, p. 4).

Additionally, Remeron had a significant improvement on sleep disturbances of patients over patients treated with Prozac.  However, it was also noted that patients treated with Remeron had a mean increase of 7% in body weight while patients treated with Prozac showed slight weight loss.  In general, however, the study revealed that Remeron is as effective as Prozac in treating severe depression with no increased safety concerns and additionally shows the faster response to stress reduction and has the added benefit of reducing sleep disorders.  Appendix A contains several tables and graphs from Versiani et al.’s study displaying the findings which demonstrate the benefits of Remeron in the treatment of severe depression.