There is ongoing controversy about whether men and women respond equally well to antidepressants. A 1996 meta-analysis, which reviewed 35 studies comparing men's and women's responses to the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine, found a statistically significant better response to the drug among the men studied. A later randomized double-blind study, which compared men's and women's responses to imipramine and the SSRI antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft), found that the women responded better to sertraline, while the men responded best to imipramine. (It should be noted, however, that when the results were analyzed based upon whether the women had entered menopause, it was found that postmenopausal women responded equally well to both medications. The implication of this is that, for unknown reasons, SSRIs work better in the presence of estrogen.
Several subsequent studies, however, have failed to find any differences between men and women in antidepressant response. Although in one study women had a statistically better response to MAOIs, the clinical relevance of the difference was considered questionable.
Because of this conflicting information, it is uncertain whether gender differences in antidepressant response really exist or what should be done about them. It should be noted, however, that settling this question might not have much effect on what antidepressants doctors prescribe. SSRIs are already often a doctor's first choice, due to the fact that they have fewer side-effects than tricyclics and MAOIs and are generally well-tolerated.
Source:
Gorman, J. M. "Gender differences in depression and response to psychotropic medication." Gender Medicine 3.2 (2006): 93-109.
