THE EFFECT OF CITALOPRAM IN PANIC DISORDER AND AGORAPHOBIA - A PILOT-STUDY

A relationship seems to exist between the activity of the serotonergic neurotransmission and anxiety. It has been demonstrated that various drugs with serotonin reuptake-inhibiting effect such as clomipramine, fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, and zimeldine have a beneficial effect on pan ic attacks. Citalopram is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor wit h antidepressant effect. According to a previous Pilot study it also h as antipanic effect. In the present study 24 patients fulfilling the D SM-III-R criteria for panic disorder (PD) without or with agoraphobia were included. All patients were given daily doses of 40-60 mg citalop ram and all except one completed the 8-week trial period. Both spontan eous and situational panic attacks and general anxiety, depression, an d phobic avoidance behaviour decreased significantly during the 8-week treatment period. Most of the patients showed good improvement, and s ide-effects (nausea, insomnia, headache, and sweating) diminished afte r some weeks of treatment. The results of this pilot study are encoura ging. Citalopram seems to be an effective drug in the treatment of PD patients, without any risk of dependence or anticholinergic or sedativ e side-effects.