Azapirones may be less effective than benzodiazepines and we were unable to conclude if azapirones were superior to antidepressants , kava kava or psychotherapy .
Azapirones appeared to be well tolerated .
Azapirones appeared to be useful in the treatment of GAD , particularly for those participants who had not been on a benzodiazepine .
Azapirones may not be superior to benzodiazepines and do not appear as acceptable as benzodiazepines .
Side effects appeared mild and non serious in the azapirone treated group .
Longer term studies are needed to show that azapirones are effective in treating GAD , which is a chronic long-term illness
BACKGROUND Azapirones are a group of drugs that work at the 5-HT1A receptor and are used to treat patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) .
However , several studies have shown conflicting results .
Whether azapirones are useful as first line treatment in general anxiety disorders still needs to be answered .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and the acceptability of azapirones for the treatment of GAD .
A placebo-controlled study of enciprazine in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: a preliminary report.
Enciprazine is a propanolamine derivative with a pre clinical profile similar to buspirone but with less affinity for the postsynaptic dopamine receptor ( Linden et al. 1988 ) . We report on the outcome , using intent-to-treat data , of a 5-week , double-blind trial comparing three dose strengths of enciprazine ( 5 mg t.i.d . , 10 mg t.i.d . , and 20 mg t.i.d . ) to placebo . A dose escalation was permitted after 2 weeks of active drug treatment , which 61 percent of patients overall took advantage of . A " last observation carried forward " ( LOCF ) analysis found a mean improvement in Hamilton Anxiety Scale ( HAM-A ) scores by Week 5 of -11.0 for the combined enciprazine treatment groups , and -4.4 for the placebo group ( p less than .05 ) . Fifty-two percent of enciprazine patients were judged to be " much " or " very much " improved , whereas none of the placebo patients were judged to have comparable improvement . Enciprazine was well-tolerated , with low levels of sedative and asthenic side effects reported . The compound appears to have promise as an anxiolytic agent
Azapirones may be less effective than benzodiazepines and we were unable to conclude if azapirones were superior to antidepressants , kava kava or psychotherapy .
Azapirones appeared to be well tolerated .
Azapirones appeared to be useful in the treatment of GAD , particularly for those participants who had not been on a benzodiazepine .
Azapirones may not be superior to benzodiazepines and do not appear as acceptable as benzodiazepines .
Side effects appeared mild and non serious in the azapirone treated group .
Longer term studies are needed to show that azapirones are effective in treating GAD , which is a chronic long-term illness
BACKGROUND Azapirones are a group of drugs that work at the 5-HT1A receptor and are used to treat patients suffering from generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) .
However , several studies have shown conflicting results .
Whether azapirones are useful as first line treatment in general anxiety disorders still needs to be answered .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and the acceptability of azapirones for the treatment of GAD .