Overall , a general lack of efficacy of SGAs on panic symptoms was observed .
Except for ziprasidone , SGAs were well tolerated in these short-term trials
A role for second-generation antipsychotics ( SGAs ) in the treatment of  panic disorders ( PD ) has been proposed , but the actual usefulness of SGAs in this disorder is unclear .
Hypersensitivity to inhalation of carbon dioxide and panic attacks
Thirteen healthy subjects with infrequent panic attacks and without agoraphobia who did not meet DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder , 43 patients with panic disorder , and 43 healthy control subjects who never experienced panic attacks underwent one vital capacity inhalation of 35 % CO2 . Healthy subjects with infrequent panic attacks reacted similarly to patients with panic disorder and more strongly than healthy subjects who never experienced panic attacks . The results suggest that ( a ) subjects with sporadic unexpected panic attacks and patients with panic disorder belong to the same spectrum of vulnerability and ( b ) CO2 hypersensitivity might be a trait marker of panic attacks rather than of a clinical diagnosis of panic disorder
Overall , a general lack of efficacy of SGAs on panic symptoms was observed .
Except for ziprasidone , SGAs were well tolerated in these short-term trials
A role for second-generation antipsychotics ( SGAs ) in the treatment of  panic disorders ( PD ) has been proposed , but the actual usefulness of SGAs in this disorder is unclear .