Participants
allergic, seizures, gastrointestinal disease, febrile convulsions, depressive disorder, MDD, psychotic disorders, DSM-5
SECONDARY, CHRONIC DISEASES, GASTROINTESTINAL DISEASE, FEBRILE CONVULSIONS
Participants were eligible if they were male and female outpatients aged 18 to 65 years with a diagnosis of MDD, meeting the DSM-5 (Exclusion criteria for all participants were: any other psychotic disorders (except for MDD); depressive disorder secondary to other mental illnesses or physical illnesses as well; be allergic to venlafaxine and desvenlafaxine; failed to respond to a full course of treatment with venlafaxine; a clear suicide attempt or behavior; pregnant or lactating women, or patient with a planned pregnancy in the near future; a history of seizures (except for seizures caused by febrile convulsions in children); received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or systematic psychotherapy (interpersonal relationship therapy, dynamic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy) or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) within 3 months prior to screening; receiving light therapy 2 weeks prior to screening; stopping psychotropic drugs for less than 7 half-lives prior to study randomization (monoamine oxidase inhibitor for at least 2 weeks, fluoxetine for at least 1 month); a history of gastrointestinal disease known to interfere with drug absorption or excretion; clinical abnormalities on total bilirubin (TBIL), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatinine, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), or 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) at screening period; participating in other clinical trials within 3 months prior to screening; serious acute or chronic diseases, mental illnesses, of which investigators believe that the subjects are not suitable for this study.