title: Pharmacologic effect of imipramine, paroxetine, and sertraline on 35% carbon dioxide hypersensitivity in panic patients: a double-blind, random, placebo-controlled study.
abstract: The effects of short treatment (7 days) with the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine and the two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors paroxetine and sertraline on the reactivity to inhalation of 35% CO2/65% O2 were compared in 70 panic patients who had positive responses to 35% CO2 inhalations. A double-blind, random, placebo-controlled design was applied. Each patient was given the 35% CO2 challenge on days 0 (before starting the treatment), 3, and 7. In the placebo group, there were no significant changes in the reactivity to 35% CO2 in the three sessions whereas there were significant similar reductions of reactivity to 35% CO2 in all three drug-treated groups. These results confirm the good reproducibility of 35% CO2 reactivity and the negligible effects of placebo on reactivity to CO2 and suggest that short treatments with imipramine, paroxetine, and sertraline decrease reactivity to 35% CO2, possibly as an expression of their antipanic properties.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychiatric Sciences, University of Milan, Istituto Scientifico H. S. Raffaele, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perna
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arancio
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Caldirola
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bellodi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000009:adverse effects; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010919:Placebos; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020280:Sertraline / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D007099:Imipramine; D017374:Paroxetine; D010919:Placebos; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors; D020280:Sertraline