Monotherapy with quetiapine seems to be efficacious in reducing symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder and this effect may be similar to that of antidepressants .
BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are common and disabling conditions , with a lifetime prevalence of 17 % in the general population .
Due to high rates of treatment resistance , there is interest in new pharmacological treatment options such as second-generation antipsychotics .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of second-generation antipsychotics as monotherapy or adjunctive treatment for people with anxiety disorders .
An open-label trial of risperidone augmentation for refractory anxiety disorders.
BACKGROUND There is a paucity of data to support " next-step " treatments for the many patients with anxiety disorders who remain symptomatic after initial pharmacotherapy . METHOD Thirty patients with a primary diagnosis of an anxiety disorder-panic disorder ( PD ) , social anxiety disorder ( SAD ) , or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)-refractory to initial pharmacotherapy with an adequate ( or maximally tolerated ) antidepressant and /or benzodiazepine trial of at least 8 weeks ' duration prior to study initiation received open-label augmentation with  flexibly dosed risperidone for 8 weeks . Participants were diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV . RESULTS Risperidone augmentation at a mean + /- SD dose of 1.12 + /- 0.68 mg/day ( range , 0.25 - 3.00 mg/day ) result ed in a significant reduction in anxiety symptoms across disorders as measured by the Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety ( HAM-A ) scores and for each disorder-specific primary outcome measure-the Panic Disorder Severity Scale , the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale , and HAM-A-in the intent-to-treat sample . Seventy percent ( 21/30 ) of participants completed the 8-week trial , with premature discontinuation due primarily to sedation and weight gain . CONCLUSIONS Although conclusions are limited by the open-label , relatively brief nature of this trial , our data suggest that augmentation with low-dose risperidone may be a useful option for patients with PD , SAD , or GAD refractory to adequate initial intervention with antidepressants and /or benzodiazepines . Longer-term , controlled safety and efficacy data are needed to underst and the place of risperidone augmentation in the algorithm of treatment options for refractory anxiety disorders
Monotherapy with quetiapine seems to be efficacious in reducing symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder and this effect may be similar to that of antidepressants .
BACKGROUND Anxiety disorders are common and disabling conditions , with a lifetime prevalence of 17 % in the general population .
Due to high rates of treatment resistance , there is interest in new pharmacological treatment options such as second-generation antipsychotics .
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of second-generation antipsychotics as monotherapy or adjunctive treatment for people with anxiety disorders .