Two primary outcomes of efficacy and acceptability showed a possible advantage of benzodiazepines over placebo .
Low- quality evidence shows a possible superiority of benzodiazepine over placebo in the short-term treatment of panic disorders .
Due to these limitations , our results regarding the efficacy of benzodiazepines versus placebo provide only limited guidance for clinical practice .
BACKGROUND Panic disorder is characterised by recurrent unexpected panic attacks consisting of a wave of intense fear that reaches a peak within a few minutes .
Panic disorder is a common disorder , with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 1 % to 5 % in the general population and a 7 % to 10 % prevalence in primary care setting s. Its aetiology is not fully understood and is probably heterogeneous .
Panic disorder is treated with psychological and pharmacological interventions , often used in combination .
Although benzodiazepines are frequently used in the treatment of panic disorder , guidelines recommend antidepressants , mainly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) , as first-line treatment for panic disorder , particularly due to their lower incidence of dependence and withdrawal reaction when compared to benzodiazepines .
Despite these recommendations , benzodiazepines are widely used in the treatment of panic disorder , probably because of their rapid onset of action .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and acceptability of benzodiazepines versus placebo in the treatment of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia in adults .
Adinazolam-SR in panic disorder with agoraphobia: relationship of daily dose to efficacy.
BACKGROUND We report the results from a multicenter , double-blind , r and omized , fixed-dose study design ed to evaluate the relationship between daily dose and efficacy of adinazolam-SR in patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia . METHOD Patients ( N = 315 ) were r and omized to one of four treatment groups ( placebo , N = 83 ; 30-mg group , N = 79 ; 60-mg group , N = 81 ; and 90-mg group , N = 72 ) and then treated twice daily for 4 weeks . All treatment groups were comparable demographically . Primary efficacy measures included total number of panic attacks , global improvement score using the Clinical Global Impressions ( CGI ) scale , phobic anxiety dimension of the Symptom Checklist-90 phobic cluster , overall phobia state using the Phobia Scale , and severity of illness on the CGI . RESULTS The 60- and 90-mg/day adinazolam-SR treatment groups showed superior results when compared with the placebo group at Week 4 while the 30-mg group did not . Treatment with adinazolam-SR was well tolerated , with sedation the only treatment-emergent symptom that occurred more frequently in patients treated with adinazolam-SR than placebo . CONCLUSION These results suggest that adinazolam-SR at doses of 60-mg/day or greater administered twice daily is a safe and effective treatment in selected patients with panic disorder with agoraphobia
Two primary outcomes of efficacy and acceptability showed a possible advantage of benzodiazepines over placebo .
Low- quality evidence shows a possible superiority of benzodiazepine over placebo in the short-term treatment of panic disorders .
Due to these limitations , our results regarding the efficacy of benzodiazepines versus placebo provide only limited guidance for clinical practice .
BACKGROUND Panic disorder is characterised by recurrent unexpected panic attacks consisting of a wave of intense fear that reaches a peak within a few minutes .
Panic disorder is a common disorder , with an estimated lifetime prevalence of 1 % to 5 % in the general population and a 7 % to 10 % prevalence in primary care setting s. Its aetiology is not fully understood and is probably heterogeneous .
Panic disorder is treated with psychological and pharmacological interventions , often used in combination .
Although benzodiazepines are frequently used in the treatment of panic disorder , guidelines recommend antidepressants , mainly selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) , as first-line treatment for panic disorder , particularly due to their lower incidence of dependence and withdrawal reaction when compared to benzodiazepines .
Despite these recommendations , benzodiazepines are widely used in the treatment of panic disorder , probably because of their rapid onset of action .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and acceptability of benzodiazepines versus placebo in the treatment of panic disorder with or without agoraphobia in adults .