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.
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.
Authors: Chadi G Abdallah; Jeremy D Coplan; Andrea Jackowski; João R Sato; Xiangling Mao; Dikoma C Shungu; Sanjay J Mathew Journal: Eur Neuropsychopharmacol Date: 2012-06-26 Impact factor: 4.600
Authors: Christopher Pittenger; Vladimir Coric; Mounira Banasr; Michael Bloch; John H Krystal; Gerard Sanacora Journal: CNS Drugs Date: 2008 Impact factor: 5.749
Authors: Chadi G Abdallah; Jeremy D Coplan; Andrea Jackowski; João R Sato; Xiangling Mao; Dikoma C Shungu; Sanjay J Mathew Journal: Neurosci Lett Date: 2012-10-05 Impact factor: 3.046
Authors: Sonja Horstmann; Susanne Lucae; Andreas Menke; Johannes M Hennings; Marcus Ising; Darina Roeske; Bertram Müller-Myhsok; Florian Holsboer; Elisabeth B Binder Journal: Neuropsychopharmacology Date: 2009-11-18 Impact factor: 7.853