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 .
A double-blind clinical trial of alprazolam, imipramine, or placebo in the depressed elderly.
The efficacy and safety of alprazolam as compared to imipramine or a placebo added to weekly interpersonal psychotherapy was compared in a 6-week double-blind r and omized clinical trial of 35 ambulatory elderly patients with major depression . The average maximum dosage of alprazolam was 2.2 mg and the average maximum dosage of imipramine was 97.5 mg . The findings showed a rapid onset of action of alprazolam within 1 week on symptoms of depression and anxiety . The effects for imipramine were seen later in the study . There were no serious side effects that interfered with treatment . The anticholinergic effects of imipramine were the ones that most commonly interfered with treatment . Alprazolam produced the greatest number of symptoms with discontinuation , most of which were alleviated within a week . We conclude that alprazolam may be useful as an antidepressant for the elderly . More clinical trials are needed to test its efficacy in the depressed elderly with concomitant medical problems , using plasma levels . A double-blind discontinuation study of alprazolam is needed to determine the degree of symptom return
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 .