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 .
Extended release quetiapine fumarate (quetiapine XR) monotherapy as maintenance treatment for generalized anxiety disorder: a long-term, randomized, placebo-controlled trial
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of extended release quetiapine fumarate ( quetiapine XR ) as maintenance monotherapy for patients with generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) .  Time-to-event ( anxiety symptom recurrence ; maximum 52 weeks ) multicenter , r and omized-withdrawal , parallel-group , double-blind , placebo-controlled study of quetiapine XR ( 50–300 mg/day ) following open-label run-in ( 4–8 weeks ) and open-label stabilization ( ≥12 weeks ) . Primary variable : time from r and omization to anxiety event . Secondary variables included : Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale ( HAM-A ) total , HAM-A psychic/somatic anxiety factors , Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness ( CGI-S ) , and Quality of Life , Enjoyment and Satisfaction Question naire ( Q-LES-Q ) scores ; adverse events ( AE ) reporting . Four hundred and thirty-two patients , stabilized on quetiapine XR , were r and omized to continue quetiapine XR ( N=216 ) or switch to placebo ( N=216 ) . Risk of anxiety symptom recurrence was significantly reduced by 81 % for quetiapine XR versus placebo : hazard ratio=0.19 ( 95 % confidence interval 0.12–0.31 ; P<0.001 ) . Fewer patients receiving quetiapine XR ( N=22 , 10.2 % ) than placebo ( N=84 , 38.9 % ) experienced anxiety symptom recurrence . Significant differences were observed between quetiapine XR and placebo in : HAM-A total , psychic/somatic , CGI-S ( all P<0.001 ) and Q-LES-Q ( P<0.05 ) scores . AEs ( > 10 % ) during open-label treatment were dry mouth , sedation , somnolence , dizziness , fatigue , and constipation . During r and omized treatment , the most common AEs for quetiapine XR were headache and nasopharyngitis  . Quetiapine XR monotherapy reduced the risk of anxiety symptom recurrence in patients with GAD stabilized on quetiapine XR , with tolerability results consistent with the known profile of quetiapine
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 .