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 .
World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Guidelines for the Pharmacological Treatment of Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders – First Revision
In this report , which is an up date of a guideline published in 2002 ( B and elow et al. 2002 , World J Biol Psychiatry 3:171 ) , recommendations for the pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorder , obsessive-compulsive disorder ( OCD ) and post-traumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ) are presented . Since the publication of the first version of this guideline , a substantial number of new r and omized controlled studies of anxiolytics have been published . In particular , more relapse prevention studies are now available that show sustained efficacy of anxiolytic drugs . The recommendations , developed by the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry ( WFSBP ) Task Force for the Pharmacological Treatment of Anxiety , Obsessive-Compulsive and Post-traumatic Stress Disorders , a consensus panel of 30 international experts , are now based on 510 published r and omized , placebo- or comparator-controlled clinical studies ( RCTs ) and 130 open studies and case reports . First-line treatments for these disorders are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) , serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors ( SNRIs ) and the calcium channel modulator pregabalin . Tricyclic antidepressants ( TCAs ) are equally effective for some disorders , but many are less well tolerated than the SSRIs/SNRIs . In treatment-resistant cases , benzodiazepines may be used when the patient does not have a history of substance abuse disorders . Potential treatment options for patients unresponsive to st and ard treatments are described in this overview . Although these guidelines focus on medications , non-pharmacological were also considered . Cognitive behavioural therapy ( CBT ) and other variants of behaviour therapy have been sufficiently investigated in controlled studies in patients with anxiety disorders , OCD , and PTSD to support them being recommended either alone or in combination with the above medicines
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 .