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3 results

  • Comparison of the Efficacy, Safety and Withdrawal of Alpidem and Alprazolam in Anxious Patients

  • Lodovico Frattola, Martine Garreau, Roberto Piolti, Sirio Bassi, Maria G. Albizzati, Cristina Borghi, Paolo L. Morselli
  • Journal:
    The British Journal of Psychiatry / Volume 165 / Issue 1 / July 1994
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    02 January 2018, pp. 94-100
    Print publication:
    July 1994
  • Background

    We investigated whether a new non-benzodiazepine anti-anxiety drug, alpidem, produces weaker withdrawal symptoms than alprazolam.

    Method

    Under a double-blind procedure, 122 patients suffering from general anxiety disorders were randomly allocated to either alpidem (50 mg, three times a day) or alprazolam (0.5 mg, three times a day) for six weeks, followed by a two-week placebo withdrawal phase. The diagnosis of withdrawal syndrome (WS) was made, in blind conditions, on the basis of the Withdrawal Symptom Check List (WSCL), after one or two weeks of discontinuation of active treatment.

    Results

    The WS occurred significantly less frequently in the alpidem group (n = 10, 18%) than in the alprazolam group (n = 26, 48%). Typical withdrawal symptoms on the WSCL were also significantly less severe (P = 0.044) in the alpidem group compared with the alprazolam group.

    Conclusions

    Alpidem may be a valid alternative to current benzodiazepine anxiolytic therapy because it produces fewer and weaker withdrawal symptoms than alprazolam and is better tolerated.