The relative efficacy of buspirone, imipramine and placebo in panic disorder: A preliminary report

• Published in: Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 815 - 817
• Main Authors: Sheenan, David V., Raj, Ashok B., Harnett Sheehan, K., Soto, Sonia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.04.1988
• Subjects: Adult; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders - drug therapy; Benzodiazepine; Buspirone; Buspirone - therapeutic use; Fear - drug effects; Female; Humans; Imipramine; Imipramine - therapeutic use; Male; Panic - drug effects; Panic disorder; Placebo; Placebos; Imipramine; Anxiety; Buspirone; Panic disorder; Placebo; Benzodiazepine
• ISSN: 0091-3057; 1873-5177
• DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(88)90214-6

There is a need for safe effectibe alternatives to benzodiazepines in the treatment ofpanic disorder. Buspirone, a new nonbenzodiazepine anxiolytic, is compared to imipramine and placebo in the treatment of panic disorder in an 8 week double-blind controlled study of 52 randomly assigned patients. Weekly assessments were made using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale, the Sheehan Clinician Rated Anxiety Scale, the Sheehan Patient Rated Anxiety Scale, the Phobia Scale, the Disability Scale, the Hamilton Depression Scale, the Montgomery Asberg Depression Scale, the Investigator Rated Global Improvement Scale and the Patient Rated Global Improvement Scale. Preliminary results of repeated measures Anovas are reported. Imipramine was superior to placebo on many of the outcome measures. Imipramine was superior to buspirone on the Patient Rated Global Improvement Scale and on the Investigator Rated Global Improvement Scale, but not on other measures. Although buspirone appeared to be more effective than placebo, differences were not statistically significant. Some buspirone patients did very well compared to others, suggesting a possible bimodal distribution of response. Patients on buspirone had fewer and less disruptive side effects than those on imipramine.