Bupropion-SR, sertraline, or venlafaxine-XR after failure of SSRIs for depression

The Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) trial used an equipoise stratified, randomized design to evaluate the relative efficacy and tolerability of various antidepressant treatments for outpatients with nonpsychotic major depressive disorder who had a lack of remission or could not tolerate the selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) citalopram. After unsuccessful treatment with a SSRI, approximately one in four patients had a remission of symptoms after switching to another antidepressant.