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 .
A phase II multicenter dose-finding, efficacy and safety trial of ipsapirone in outpatients with generalized anxiety disorder
Benzodiazepines have been prescribed for the treatment of  Generalized Anxiety Disorder ( GAD ) for nearly three decades due to their proven anxiolytic efficacy , despite a considerable side effect and abuse liability profile . A new class of compounds , the azapirones , have been developed as an alternative to benzodiazepine treatment . Ipsapirone is a novel anxiolytic azapirone which has high specificity for the 5-HT1A receptor and which has the potential for offering certain advantages over buspirone . The present 5-week study investigated three doses of ipsapirone ( 2.5 mg , 5.0 mg and 7.5 mg tid ) versus placebo in 267 GAD out patients .  Efficacy was evaluated using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale ( HAM-A ) , Zung Anxiety Scale ( Zung-A ) , and Clinical Global Impression ( CGI ) . The study design consisted of a 1-week placebo run-in , a 4-week double-blind treatment period , and a 1-week placebo washout . The 5.0 mg group demonstrated consistently superior improvement in all efficacy variables during the treatment period , with significant differences ( p < 0.05 ) from placebo and , at times , the 2.5 mg and 7.5 mg groups . Incidence of adverse events , primarily dizziness , nausea , sedation , and asthenia , was found to be dose proportional , with significant increase in the 7.5 mg group , which may account for the diminished effectiveness seen with this dose . Our results suggest that ipsapirone may represent a viable treatment for GAD
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 .