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 vs amitriptyline in depressions with reduced REM latencies.
This study was design ed to compare the antidepressant effects of alprazolam , a triazolobenzodiazepine , with amitriptyline hydrochloride in a group of patients with nonpsychotic , major depressions diagnosed by Research Diagnostic Criteria . A mean rapid eye movement latency of less than 65 minutes was required to enter this study . Dexamethasone suppression tests were conducted before treatment . By strictly applied Research Diagnostic Criteria , 83.6 % of the subjects were endogenous , and 34.7 % were in patients . A significantly greater percentage of alprazolam-treated patients responded within the first seven days of treatment . By the end of this six-week trial , alprazolam was associated with significant reductions in Hamilton , Beck , Covi , Raskin , and Carroll Rating scores ( pretreatment to posttreatment ) . However , by the end of treatment the effects of  amitriptyline  exceeded those of alprazolam on both the Hamilton and Beck scales . These data indicate that alprazolam is not as effective as amitriptyline in major depressions with a shortened rapid eye movement latency
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 .