Double-blind clonazepam vs placebo in panic disorder treatment.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness of clonazepam, in a fixed dose (2 mg/day), compared with placebo in the treatment of panic disorder patients. METHOD 24 panic disorder patients with agoraphobia were randomly selected. The diagnosis was obtained using the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV. All twenty-four subjects were randomly assigned to either treatment with clonazepam (2 mg/day) or placebo, during 6 weeks. Efficacy assessments included: change from baseline in the number of panic attacks; CGI scores for panic disorder; Hamilton rating scale for anxiety; and panic associated symptoms scale. RESULTS At the therapeutic endpoint, only one of 9 placebo patients (11.1%) were free of panic attacks, compared with 8 of 13 (61.5%) clonazepam patients (Fisher exact test; p=0,031). CONCLUSION the results provide evidence for the efficacy of clonazepam in panic disorder patients.