Fluoxetine for vestibular dysfunction and anxiety: a prospective pilot study.
Anxiety states and disorders amplify the symptoms and impairment associated with vestibular dysfunction. Five patients with inner ear vestibular dysfunction and anxiety were prospectively treated with fluoxetine, 20-60 mg/day, and received an extensive battery of assessments at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. Fluoxetine led to significant or near significant reductions in anxiety measures and in impairment due to dizziness; improvements in clinical balance function and vestibular function were less clear. The data add to the literature suggesting a role for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the treatment of dizziness and anxiety.
Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Related Disorders, Massachusetts General Hospital, WACC 815, Boston, MA 02114, USA. nsimon@partners.org
Naomi M
NM
Simon
Stephen W
SW
Parker
Mara
M
Wernick-Robinson
Julia E
JE
Oppenheimer
Elizabeth A
EA
Hoge
John J
JJ
Worthington
Nicole B
NB
Korbly
Mark H
MH
Pollack
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004244:Dizziness / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005473:Fluoxetine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015837:Vestibular Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*
D005473:Fluoxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors