Patients with frequent sleep panic: clinical findings and response to medication treatment.

The authors present 12 cases of panic disorder patients whose sleep panic attacks represented their primary complaint at the time of admission. The patients averaged 18 sleep panic attacks per month before admission. Seven patients were treated with tricyclic antidepressants and demonstrated marked global clinical improvement and a reduction in the frequency of sleep panic attacks. The clinical and theoretical implications of these preliminary findings are discussed within the context of current theories regarding the spontaneous nature of panic attacks.