Subject(s)
Alprazolam/administration & dosage , Panic Disorder/drug therapy , Propranolol/administration & dosage , Adult , Alprazolam/adverse effects , Drug Administration Schedule , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Panic Disorder/psychology , Personality Inventory , Propranolol/adverse effectsABSTRACT
Twenty-three patients who met DSM-III-R criteria for social phobia were randomly assigned either to a clonazepam treatment group or to a nontreatment control group in an 8-week pilot study. Clonazepam was found to have a significant effect on the treated patients, as demonstrated by scores on a variety of instruments measuring overall anxiety and phobic avoidance, and social phobic symptoms. Initial sedation, which was experienced by 70% of the treated subjects, was the most common side effect of clonazepam treatment and usually resolved spontaneously or with dose reduction. The preliminary findings of this pilot study are sufficiently promising to warrant further study of the efficacy of clonazepam in this condition.
Subject(s)
Clonazepam/therapeutic use , Phobic Disorders/drug therapy , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Personality Inventory , Phobic Disorders/psychology , Pilot Projects , Psychiatric Status Rating Scales , Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicABSTRACT
Fifty-five patients completed a 5-week double-blind study comparing alprazolam, propranolol, and placebo in the treatment of panic disorder and agoraphobia with panic attacks. There was no concomitant behavioral treatment. Patient and therapist rating scales included Sheehan's Panic and Anxiety Attack Scales, the Marks-Sheehan Phobia Scale, the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Hamilton Depression Scale, and the Side Effects Checklist. The results generally support the efficacy of alprazolam, but not propranolol, in the treatment of panic disorder and agoraphobia with panic attacks. The significance of the results are discussed, as well as a number of the unique aspects of our procedures and patient population.
