Rebound anxiety in panic disorder patients treated with shorter-acting benzodiazepines.
Rebound--the relative worsening of symptoms on discontinuation of treatment as compared to baseline symptoms--is distinguished from withdrawal. Case reports and a clinical study are presented to illustrate the management of patients with panic disorder who are taking short- and intermediate-acting benzodiazepines and are experiencing rebound anxiety. The authors present the results of switching over to clonazepam 48 patients with panic disorder who were experiencing rebound effects with alprazolam. Eighty-two percent (39) of the patients rated clonazepam as being "better" than alprazolam due to decreased dosing frequency and lack of interdose anxiety. The authors conclude that clonazepam can be a useful alternative to alprazolam and other short-acting benzodiazepines in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Clonazepam offers the advantage of antipanic efficacy without the relative side effect problems seen with tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000525:Alprazolam / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D002998:Clonazepam / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010200:Panic; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000209:etiology*
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D002998:Clonazepam; D000525:Alprazolam