ACUTE INOSITOL DOES NOT ATTENUATE M-CPP-INDUCED ANXIETY, MYDRIASIS AND ENDOCRINE EFFECTS IN PANIC DISORDER

Many anti-panic drugs, administered chronically, can block pharmacolog ically-induced ''panic attacks''; acutely they often exacerbate panic disorder. Theories of action need to account for this biphasic effect. Chronic inositol had previously shown efficacy against panic disorder . The authors investigated the effect of a single dose of 20 g inosito l on an m-CPP challenge in a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial in panic-disorder patients. Seven patients had robust psycholog ical, physiological and endocrine responses to 0.08 mg m-CPP i.v.; ino sitol had virtually no effect on these responses, although it had some acute effects during the evening before the challenge. A similar tria l involving chronic inositol would be of interest. (C) 1997 Elsevier S cience Ltd.