Am J Psychiatry 1987; 144:303-308
Copyright © 1987 by American Psychiatric Association
Discontinuation of alprazolam treatment in panic patients
AJ Fyer, MR Liebowitz, JM Gorman, R Campeas, A Levin, SO Davies, D Goetz and DF Klein
Alprazolam treatment was tapered in 17 panic patients at a rate of 10% of
the starting dose every 3 days. Only four subjects completed withdrawal on
schedule (4-5 weeks); four additional subjects discontinued treatment in
7-13 weeks. During withdrawal 15 patients had recurrent or increased panic
attacks and nine had significant new withdrawal symptoms. Most common among
the latter were malaise, weakness, insomnia, tachycardia, lightheadedness,
and dizziness. None had seizures, psychosis, or significant neurological or
EEG abnormalities. Results indicate that relapse and withdrawal are
important considerations in the choice of alprazolam treatment for panic
attacks.
