title: Anticonvulsants in anxiety disorders.
abstract: Anticonvulsant drugs have shown promising results in the treatment of mood disorders, leading to the investigation of their potential efficacy in other psychiatric disorders. Numerous case reports, open-label trials, and placebo- controlled trials investigating the use of anticonvulsants in the treatment of anxiety disorders have yielded broad and varying results. Generally, these studies have indicated a potential role for anticonvulsants in the treatment of anxiety as monotherapy or augmentation therapy; however, these early findings must be supported by additional investigation in large-scale, placebo-controlled studies. This article reviews past and current research being done in this novel area of psychopharmacology.
authors.affiliation: Anxiety Disorders Research Program, Cambridge Health Alliance-Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. gkinrys@challiance.org
authors.forename: Gustavo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kinrys
authors.forename: Lisa E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Wygant
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants