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Open-Label Trial of Riluzole in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

OBJECTIVE: There is a need to identify novel pharmacotherapies for anxiety disorders. The authors examined the safety and efficacy of riluzole, an antiglutamatergic agent, in adult outpatients with generalized anxiety disorder. METHOD: In an 8-week, open-label, fixed-dose study, 18 medically healthy patients with DSM-IV generalized anxiety disorder received treatment with riluzole (100 mg/day) following a 2-week drug-free period. The primary efficacy measure was the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) score at endpoint. RESULTS: Twelve of the 15 patients who completed the trial responded positively to riluzole. At 8 weeks, eight of the 15 patients had HAM-A score indicating remission of their anxiety. The median time to response was 2.5 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: Riluzole appears to be an effective, well-tolerated, and rapidly acting anxiolytic medication for some patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Larger, placebo-controlled studies are indicated.

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				M. H. Pollack, M. W. Otto, P. P. Roy-Byrne, J. D. Coplan, B. O. Rothbaum, N. M. Simon, and J. M. Gorman Novel Treatment Approaches for Refractory Anxiety Disorders Focus, September 1, 2008; 6(4): 486 - 495. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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