How do the newer antidepressants compare in safety and adverse events?
The most common adverse events include nausea, headache, diarrhea, fatigue, dizziness, sweating, sexual side effects, tremor, dry mouth, and weight gain. In general, discontinuation rates because of adverse events did not differ. However, the frequency of some adverse events differs among the newer antidepressants: Venlafaxine has higher rates of nausea and vomiting and a risk of seizures in overdose Paroxetine has higher rates of sexual side effects whereas bupropion has fewer sexual side effects than fluoxetine and sertraline do Mirtazapine leads to higher weight gains Sertraline has higher rates of diarrhea There is insufficient data to draw conclusions about the comparative risks of suicide among the newer antidepressants.
