COMPARISON OF FLUVOXAMINE, IMIPRAMINE, AND PLACEBO IN THE TREATMENT OF OUTPATIENTS WITH PANIC DISORDER

Citation
Npv. Nair et al., COMPARISON OF FLUVOXAMINE, IMIPRAMINE, AND PLACEBO IN THE TREATMENT OF OUTPATIENTS WITH PANIC DISORDER, Anxiety, 2(4), 1996, pp. 192-198
Citations number
18
Categorie Soggetti
Psychiatry
Journal title
ISSN journal
10709797
Volume
2
Issue
4
Year of publication
1996
Pages
192 - 198
Database
ISI
SICI code
1070-9797(1996)2:4<192:COFIAP>2.0.ZU;2-Y
Abstract
Fluvoxamine and imipramine were compared to placebo in an 8-week doubl e-blind randomized multicentre trial comprising of 148 outpatients bet ween 19 and 57 years of age (mean: 35) with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of P anic Disorder. Mean daily dose at endpoint was: fluvoxamine, 171.4 mg; imipramine 164.7 mg. The mean number of panic attacks per week at bas eline were 10.9, 14.4 and 6.5 for fluvoxamine, imipramine and placebo, respectively. The intent-to-treat analysis of the change from baselin e (difference score) of the number of panic attacks at endpoint reveal ed: a difference of 3.3 attacks (95% CI: -0.3, 6.8) between fluvoxamin e and placebo and a difference of 6.0 attacks (95% CI: 1.5, 10.5) betw een imipramine and placebo. Treatment was stopped prematurely in 31 (6 2%) on fluvoxamine, 16 (33%) on imipramine and 29 (58%) on placebo. Th e number of patients withdrawing due to intolerance was 13 (26%) for f luvoxamine, 10 (21%) for imipramine and 4 (8%) for placebo. The number of patients withdrawing due to lack of efficacy was 10 (20%) for fluv oxamine, 4 (8%) for imipramine and 12 (24%) for placebo. Overall, this study demonstrated that fluvoxamine was not effective in the treatmen t of panic disorder but did show a strong effect for imipramine. A cha nce occurrence of significantly fewer number of panic attacks in the p lacebo group at baseline may limit the conclusions of this study. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.