BACKGROUND: The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is very prevalent and psychiatric comorbidity runs high. A significant proportion of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients manifest concurrent IBS. METHOD: We conducted a 14-week, open-label trial of the triazolobenzodiazepine alprazolam in 32 patients with comorbid generalized anxiety and IBS. At the end of a 2-week placebo run-in, eligible subjects received 6 weeks of active drug therapy. RESULTS:Ninety-four percent of subjects (N = 25) had a full or partial anxiolytic response at the 6th treatment week (p less than .001). Eighty-nine percent (N = 24) experienced a concomitant reduction in IBS severity. For the majority, these dual benefits were still evident at the conclusion of a 4-week drug taper (p = .05) and achieved a trend (p = .07) at a 4-week postdrug discontinuation visit. CONCLUSION:Alprazolam was safe, effective, and well tolerated during the acute treatment of comorbid GAD and IBS; only a limited posttreatment rebound was observed.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is very prevalent and psychiatric comorbidity runs high. A significant proportion of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients manifest concurrent IBS. METHOD: We conducted a 14-week, open-label trial of the triazolobenzodiazepine alprazolam in 32 patients with comorbid generalized anxiety and IBS. At the end of a 2-week placebo run-in, eligible subjects received 6 weeks of active drug therapy. RESULTS: Ninety-four percent of subjects (N = 25) had a full or partial anxiolytic response at the 6th treatment week (p less than .001). Eighty-nine percent (N = 24) experienced a concomitant reduction in IBS severity. For the majority, these dual benefits were still evident at the conclusion of a 4-week drug taper (p = .05) and achieved a trend (p = .07) at a 4-week postdrug discontinuation visit. CONCLUSION:Alprazolam was safe, effective, and well tolerated during the acute treatment of comorbid GAD and IBS; only a limited posttreatment rebound was observed.