Remission of generalized anxiety disorder after 6 months of open-label treatment with venlafaxine XR.

Background: Remission has become one of the leading outcome criteria in clinical trials. Data collected by this research group assessed the rate of remission after 6 months of treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) with venlafaxine XR, to search for predictors of remission and to define how early on in treatment later remission can be predicted.

Method: Two hundred sixty-eight patients with a GAD diagnosis enrolled into an open-label 6-month-treatment trial with venlafaxine XR (75-225 mg/day).

Evidence for the use of vilazodone in the treatment of major depressive disorder.

Introduction: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by dysfunction in cognition, behavior, and physical functioning, and is associated with a chronic clinical course. There are barriers to successful treatment, which often result in early discontinuation and relapse. Adverse effects (AEs) remain the most commonly cited reason for discontinuation of treatment with conventional antidepressants, particularly early on in therapy.

Pharmacological treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.

Introduction: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic, relapsing, debilitating disorder, associated with markedly impaired social and occupational functioning. Pharmacological treatment is considered standard care and several drug classes are now FDA approved for the treatment of GAD. While there are clear data for the efficacy of short-term acute treatment, long-term treatment and treatment-resistant GAD remain challenging.

Ziprasidone treatment of refractory generalized anxiety disorder: a placebo-controlled, double-blind study.

This 8-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, flexible-dose trial assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of ziprasidone in adults with treatment-resistant generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Seventy-three subjects with treatment-resistant GAD were recruited, and 62 were randomized to either ziprasidone or placebo treatment at a ratio of 2:1 using a flexible dosing strategy (20-80 mg daily). Randomization was stratified into 2 subtypes of patients, those in whom the study drug was used as augmentation and those who have stopped their ineffective medications before entering the present trial (nonaugmented group).

Physician Withdrawal Checklist (PWC-20).

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the United States. Despite having a number of medication options readily available, benzodiazepines (BZs) and antidepressants have achieved remission rates of only 35% after 8 weeks of acute treatment. In the development of new anxiolytics, particularly those that affect the gamma-aminobutyric acid system, it is essential to assess the new compound's potential to cause discontinuation symptoms after stopping the medication as part of both short- and long-term treatment.

Imipramine and buspirone in patients with panic disorder who are discontinuing long-term benzodiazepine therapy.

Pretreatment with imipramine, buspirone, or placebo was compared in 40 patients meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition criteria for panic disorder and in patients who were discontinuing long-term benzodiazepine use. The average duration of benzodiazepine use was 75 +/- 64 months, and the average benzodiazepine intake expressed as diazepam equivalents was 25.7 +/- 19 mg/d.