When alprazolam was compared with placebo for reduction in symptoms all estimates indicated a positive effect for alprazolam .
The RD of all-cause withdrawals did not differ between alprazolam and placebo .
Alprazolam appears to reduce depressive symptoms more effectively than placebo and as effectively as tricyclic antidepressants .
Whilst the rate of all-cause withdrawals did not appear to differ between alprazolam and placebo , and withdrawals were less frequent in the alprazolam group than in any of the conventional antidepressants combined group , these findings should be interpreted with caution , given the dependency properties of benzodiazepines
BACKGROUND The ' off-label ' effect of alprazolam on depression has not been systematic ally evaluated .
OBJECTIVES To determine the antidepressant effect , including tolerability and acceptability , of alprazolam as monotherapy for major depression , when compared to placebo and conventional antidepressants in out patients and patients in primary care .
Alprazolam and amitriptyline in the treatment of moderate depression
Forty-three out- patients with depression of a moderate degree were enrolled in a r and omized , double-blind parallel group study comparing amitriptyline and alprazolam for 6 weeks of treatment . Patients were evaluated at the end of placebo washout and at Weeks 1 , 2 , 3 and 6 of drug therapy using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale ( HAM-D ) , Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale ( HAM-A ) , Beck Depression Inventory ( BDI ) and Clinical Global Impression ( CGI ) . Drug dosage was determined in a fixed-flexible design result ing in mean final doses of alprozalam 3.2 mg/day and of amitriptyline 115 mg/day . Although both drug groups improved there were statistically significant differences in favour of amitriptyline at the end of the study on the HAM-D , BDI and HAM-A scales .  Patients on amitriptyline reported more side effects overall than patients taking alprazolam with significantly more reports of dry mouth in the amitriptyline group
When alprazolam was compared with placebo for reduction in symptoms all estimates indicated a positive effect for alprazolam .
The RD of all-cause withdrawals did not differ between alprazolam and placebo .
Alprazolam appears to reduce depressive symptoms more effectively than placebo and as effectively as tricyclic antidepressants .
Whilst the rate of all-cause withdrawals did not appear to differ between alprazolam and placebo , and withdrawals were less frequent in the alprazolam group than in any of the conventional antidepressants combined group , these findings should be interpreted with caution , given the dependency properties of benzodiazepines
BACKGROUND The ' off-label ' effect of alprazolam on depression has not been systematic ally evaluated .
OBJECTIVES To determine the antidepressant effect , including tolerability and acceptability , of alprazolam as monotherapy for major depression , when compared to placebo and conventional antidepressants in out patients and patients in primary care .