Clomipramine treatment for panic attacks in patients with mitral valve prolapse

Clomipramine (25-150 mg/day) was given in a 2-month open clinical trial to patients with DSM-III defined panic disorder (N = 8) or agoraphobia with panic attacks (N = 12); 6 of these patients were found to have MVP. Substantial improvement was seen in all of the patients with MVP and 11 of 14 without MVP. Response was not affected by age, sex, or agoraphobic vs panic disorder diagnosis. Thus, clomipramine appears effective in the treatment of spontaneous panic attacks with or without mitral valve prolapse.