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 .
Efficacy of buspirone in generalized anxiety disorder with coexisting mild depressive symptoms.
BACKGROUND This study was design ed to evaluate the anxiolytic efficacy of buspirone in patients with a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) with coexisting mild depressive symptoms . METHOD Patients who participated in this multicenter study scored > /= 18 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety ( HAM-A ) and between 12 and 17 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression ( HAM-D ) . Following a 7- to 10-day placebo lead-in phase , patients who continued to qualify were r and omly assigned to receive either buspirone titrated from 15 to 45 mg/day ( N = 80 ) or placebo ( N = 82 ) for the next 6 weeks . 121 patients completed 6 weeks of treatment . The primary efficacy measure was the HAM-A , taken weekly during the study . RESULTS Buspirone-treated patients averaged a 12.4-point reduction from their baseline total HAM-A score of 24.9 , while their counterparts on placebo averaged a 9.5-point reduction from their mean baseline total HAM-A score of 25.6 . This 2.9-point difference in HAM-A reductions between treatment groups was significantly different ( p < .03 ) . Buspirone patients decreased their HAM-D scores by an average 5.7 points from their mean baseline total HAM-D score of 15.8 , while placebo patients decreased their HAM-D scores by an average 3.5 points from their mean baseline score of 16.3 ( p < .05 ) . Overall , the incidence of adverse events was similar for both treatment groups , but buspirone-treated patients reported significantly more nausea , dizziness , somnolence , and sweating than placebo patients . CONCLUSION Buspirone is superior to placebo in improving anxiety and depressive symptoms in GAD patients who have coexisting depressive symptoms
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 .