ReviewCNS drug reviews2001
A review of the pharmacological and clinical profile of mirtazapine.
Review in CNS drug reviews, 2001. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 167 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Efficacy and Safety Analyses of Mirtazapine in the Treatment of Malignant Tumor Related Depression: A Phase II, Placebo-controlled, Randomized, Double-blinded Clinical Trial in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients
Effect of Mirtazapine Versus Placebo on Appetite, Nutritional Status and Quality of Life in Non-small Cell Lung cáncer Patients With Anorexia; Randomized Double-blind Clinical Trial.
Who cites it
167 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 777 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Interventions to Improve Sleep in People with Cognitive Impairment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Quantitative evaluation of multiple treatment regimens for treatment-resistant depression.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- The risks of adverse events with mirtazapine for adults with major depressive disorder: a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.BMC psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- What is the evidence for mirtazapine in treating cancer-related symptomatology? A systematic review.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2020Pooled it
- Pharmacological interventions for treatment-resistant depression in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Mirtazapine for fibromyalgia in adults.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Mirtazapine versus other antidepressive agents for depression.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2011Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Usefulness of mirtazapine and SSRIs in late-life depression: post hoc analysis of the GUNDAM study.European journal of clinical pharmacology · 2023Trial
- Multiple Pre-Treatment miRNAs Levels in Untreated Major Depressive Disorder Patients Predict Early Response to Antidepressants and Interact with Key Pathways.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Trial
- Protective role of mirtazapine in adult female Mecp2Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders · 2020Trial
- Effect of mirtazapine on pruritus in patients on hemodialysis: a cross-over pilot study.International urology and nephrology · 2020Trial
- The efficacy of mirtazapine in the treatment of cocaine dependence with comorbid depression.The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse · 2012Trial
- Residual effects of esmirtazapine on actual driving performance: overall findings and an exploratory analysis into the role of CYP2D6 phenotype.Psychopharmacology · 2011Trial
- Comparison of the effects of mirtazapine and fluoxetine in severely depressed patients.CNS drugs · 2005Trial
- [N-methyl-11C]Mirtazapine for positron emission tomography neuroimaging of antidepressant actions in humans.Psychopharmacology · 2004Trial
- Psychopharmacological Mechanisms of Antidepressant Withdrawal: Insights From Venlafaxine.Human psychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Hyponatremia risk with antidepressant use: A retrospective study.Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA · 2026Article
- Mirtazapine and Slow-Wave Sleep: A Focused Narrative Review of Human Polysomnographic Evidence.Cureus · 2026Review
- Antidepressants and Road Safety: A Forensic Toxicological Perspective Based on Observational Data and Current Evidence.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
107 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The novel antidepressant mirtazapine has a dual mode of action. It is a noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant (NaSSA) that acts by antagonizing the adrenergic alpha2-autoreceptors and alpha2-heteroreceptors as well as by blocking 5-HT2 and 5-HT3 receptors. It enhances, therefore, the release of norepinephrine and 5-HT1A-mediated serotonergic transmission. This dual mode of action may conceivably be responsible for mirtazapine's rapid onset of action. Mirtazapine is extensively metabolized in the liver. The cytochrome (CYP) P450 isoenzymes CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP3A4 are mainly responsible for its metabolism. Using once daily dosing, steady-state concentrations are reached after 4 days in adults and 6 days in the elderly. In vitro studies suggest that mirtazapine is unlikely to cause clinically significant drug-drug interactions. Dry mouth, sedation, and increases in appetite and body weight are the most common adverse effects. In contrast to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), mirtazapine has no sexual side effects. The antidepressant efficacy of mirtazapine was established in several placebo-controlled trials. In major depression, its efficacy is comparable to that of amitriptyline, clomipramine, doxepin, fluoxetine, paroxetine, citalopram, or venlafaxine. Mirtazapine also appears to be useful in patients suffering from depression comorbid with anxiety symptoms and sleep disturbance. It seems to be safe and effective during long-term use.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.