Geriforte in Anxiety Neurosis*

T h e clinical spectrum of anxiety ranges from a normal experience to a psychopathological state. Anxious patients usually present with symptoms that can be divided into four major groups: 1. Subjective feeling 2. Cognitive disturbances 3. Behavioural changes, and 4. Somatic complaints Patients with anxiety experience loss of confidence in their daily activities with autonomic hyperactivity and complaint of a panicky state and difficulty in sleeping. How well the patient is able to cope with anxiety will delineate its exact clinical and pathological significance. It is estimated that anywhere from 5-10% of the population is afflicted with pathological anxiety. Maintenance of normal daily activities becomes difficult for such people and they over-react to stressful stimuli (Lapierre, 1984). A number of drugs are available for use as antianxiety agents. However, the selection of a n appropriate agent will depend on the type of anxiety, its triggering event as well as the accompanying conditions. Modern drugs like benzodiazepines and propanediols are useful but must be cautiously prescribed due to their liability to cause drug dependence and sideeffects. Geriforte is an indigenous herbal preparation which has been shown to possess adaptogenic and antistress effects in experimental studies. These findings have been also confirmed in some clinical situations. An at tempt has been made to critically evaluate the antianxiety effect of Geriforte in anxiety neurosis. MATERIAL AND ME T HOD S It was an open controlled study of 30 male and female patients (mean age 43.93±1.25 years), suffering from anxiety disorders with varying degrees of severity, for durations of 2 months to 2 years. The diagnostic criteria for diagnosis was ICD-9 for anxiety neurosis and anxiety neurosis with depression (WHO, 1978). They were already receiving other drugs like imipramine, diazepam, chlordiazepoxide, amitryptiline or doxepin. The drugs and their dosages were kept stable for at least six weeks before commencing Geriforte therapy. Only those patients, in whom the symptoms were not controlled inspite of adequate dosage of the other drugs, received Geriforte in the dose of two tablets three times a day for six weeks. T h e patients were followed up every week in the O P D to check improvement, if any, by using the Hamil ton Anxiety Rat ing Scale (HARS) . They were also asked to relate their own subjective impressions about the treatment. The clinical impressions in the patients ' status were also noted at the follow-up. Sideeffects, if any, were noted.