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 .
Efficacy and Safety of Lesopitron in Outpatients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder
OBJECTIVE : To compare the relative efficacy and safety of lesopitron 40–80 mg/d versus lorazepam 2–4 mg/d and placebo in a subgroup of patients with anxiety history taken from a larger study of patients with a primary diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) . DESIGN : Six-week , r and omized , double-blind , parallel , placebo and lorazepam-controlled , Phase II , single-center , outpatient study . SETTING : Outpatient clinic . PATIENTS : One hundred sixty-one patients with GAD were r and omized in the main study ; 68 with a documented history of GAD or anxiety disorder not otherwise specified were included in the subgroup . METHODS : After a one-week placebo lead-in , patients were r and omized to receive placebo , lesopitron , or lorazepam twice daily for six weeks , followed by a one-week taper period . Efficacy was assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety ( HAM-A ) and the Clinical Global Impressions scale . Safety was assessed through physical examinations , monitoring of vital signs , 12-lead electrocardiograms , laboratory analyses , and adverse event monitoring . RESULTS : An overall mean improvement in the HAM-A total score between baseline and end point for all three treatment groups was seen , with mean changes of 3.4 ( 95 % CI 2.0 to 4.8 ) , 6.1 ( 95 % CI 4.1 to 8.1 ) , and 6.1 ( 95 % CI 4.6 to 7.6 ) for the placebo , lesopitron , and lorazepam groups , respectively ( omnibus p = 0.044 , uncorrected ) . Positive treatment effects were also observed in the subgroup population on several other measures and suggest that additional therapeutic trials may be warranted . Future trials could be stratified on the basis of referral status ( symptomatic volunteer vs. clinical patient with preexisting illness ) or previous exposure to anxiolytics , and use a fixed-dose rather than flexible-fixed-dose design . CONCLUSIONS : The subgroup analysis represents a comparison of treatment outcome in GAD patients presenting with a history of previous episodes of GAD or anxiety disorder not otherwise specified compared with those who were experiencing their first episode of GAD and reported no anxiety history . Although the overall study analysis was equivocal , for the approximately 40 % of patients with recurrent anxiety disorder , beneficial effects for both lesopitron and lorazepam are suggested
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 .