These drugs were better tolerated than tricyclics and benzodiazepines as they had a low risk of dependence and overdosing complications .
The serotonergic , noradrenergic and GABAergic pathways play a major role in the fear network and in the physiopathology of PD .
INTRODUCTION Panic disorder ( PD ) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder characterized by unexpected and recurrent panic attacks .
PD patients present significant psychosocial impairment and a high risk of psychiatric comorbidities and suicide .
PD should be treated effectively as soon as the symptoms emerge because the longer these patients remain without treatment , the worse the prognosis will be .
SSRIs and SNRIs are the first-line compounds in the treatment of PD .
The effect of mirtazapine in panic disorder: an open label pilot study with a single-blind placebo run-in period
In this open label pilot study , we studied the efficacy of mirtazapine ( Remeron ) in panic disorder . Twenty-eight patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of panic disorder , with or without agoraphobia ( 10 males/18 females ) , were included and 19 patients completed the study . The 15-week trial started with a 3-week single-blind placebo run-in period . After this run-in period , the 12-week active treatment phase started . As primary efficacy measures , we studied the decrease in the number of full symptom panic attacks and the number of patients completely free of panic during the last 3 weeks of the study . Seventy-four percent of the patients were considered responders , according to a decrease of at least 50 % in panic attack frequency . All primary and secondary efficacy measures showed a significant improvement from the second week of active treatment onwards to endpoint . The main side-effects were different from the usual side-effects in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) ( initial drowsiness , weight gain and pain in the legs ) . The results of this open label study in panic disorder suggest that mirtazapine seems to be a fast and effective treatment alternative for SSRIs in panic disorder
These drugs were better tolerated than tricyclics and benzodiazepines as they had a low risk of dependence and overdosing complications .
The serotonergic , noradrenergic and GABAergic pathways play a major role in the fear network and in the physiopathology of PD .
INTRODUCTION Panic disorder ( PD ) is a prevalent psychiatric disorder characterized by unexpected and recurrent panic attacks .
PD patients present significant psychosocial impairment and a high risk of psychiatric comorbidities and suicide .
PD should be treated effectively as soon as the symptoms emerge because the longer these patients remain without treatment , the worse the prognosis will be .
SSRIs and SNRIs are the first-line compounds in the treatment of PD .