Patients feel constantly under stress. They are tense, worried, have difficulty sleeping. GAD may result in clinical depression and can affect general health because of its influence on other body systems such as the immune system. Patients with the condition frequently go to their physicians with related symptoms such as upset stomach, headaches and chest pain. These patients utilize medical care and frequently require expensive testing to rule out physical causes of the symptoms.
Many patients lose time from work, and some are unemployed, requiring government assistance.
For years, valium-like drugs have been prescribed for the condition. Because of their these medications. They also may be habit forming in certain individuals. The trial now being conducted is a large double-blind, placebo controlled study coordinated and sponsored by the Clinical Innovation Group of MUSC's Foundation for Research Development. It is anticipated that 262 patients will be enrolled at MUSC, the University of Pennsylvania, the Birmingham Research Group, Princeton Biomedical Research, the University of California at San Diego, George Washington University, Eastside Comprehensive Medical Services in New York and Four Rivers Clinical Research, Inc. in Peducah, Kentucky.