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 .
Buspirone and lorazepam in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder in outpatients
Abstract In this double-blind , placebo-controlled 10-week trial , the anxiolytic properties of the nonbenzodiazepine buspirone were compared with the benzo diazepine lorazepam and placebo in 125 out patients with generalized anxiety disorder according to DSM-III . After a 3- to 7-day wash-out period , patients were allocated at r and om to receive orally 3 × 5 mg buspirone ( n = 58 ) , 3 × 1 mg lorazepam ( n = 57 ) , or placebo ( n = 10 ) over a 4-week period . The study also comprised a 2-week taper period and a 4-week placebo-control period to assess the stability of clinical improvement . The patient´s clinical state was estimated on entry and at weekly intervals by general practitioners using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety ( HAM-A ) and Clinical Global Impression ( CGI ) assessment and by a self-rating scale ( State Trait Anxiety Inventory X2 = STAI-X2 ) . Lorazepam treatment result ed in descriptively , but not significantly , greater improvement on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety during the whole treatment ( week 0–4 ) and taper period ( week 5 , 6 ) than did buspirone . After treatment with active drugs had been discontinued , the 4-week placebo control period showed buspirone-treated patients to display a stability of clinical improvement , while the symptoms of lorazepam-treated patients worsened at week 7–10 . Both buspirone and lorazepam were more efficacious in reducing anxiety symptoms  than placebo during the treatment and taper period ; however , in contrast to the active drugs ( buspirone , lorazepam ) , patients of the placebo group showed further clinical improvement during the control period , especially in the HAM-A score , so differences between placebo and active drugs became smaller at the end of the study
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 .