Am J Psychiatry 1994; 151:1220-1222
Copyright © 1994 by American Psychiatric Association
Alprazolam blockade of CO2-provoked panic in patients with panic disorder
WC Sanderson, S Wetzler and GM Asnis
Department of Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY 10467-2490.
The primary aim of this study was to determine if pretreatment with a
single dose of alprazolam reduces anxiety and panic provoked by the
inhalation of 35% carbon dioxide (CO2) in patients with panic disorder. Ten
panic disorder patients participated in a CO2 challenge test after
pretreatment with a single dose of alprazolam (1 mg p.o.) or placebo in a
randomized, double-blind, within-subjects design. Seventy percent of the
subjects had a panic attack with placebo, compared to only 10% with
alprazolam. Alprazolam reduced the number and severity of panic symptoms
and baseline anxiety significantly more than placebo. This study
demonstrates the efficacy of the acute administration of alprazolam to
block panic attacks and supports the usefulness of the CO2 challenge as an
analogue method to study panic disorder.
