Venlafaxine for panic disorder: results from a double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Venlafaxine has demonstrated efficacy for depression, and recent reports and clinical experience suggest that it may be effective for the treatment of anxiety disorders as well. We present what we believe are the first data from a controlled study designed to test the efficacy of venlafaxine for the treatment of panic disorder. There were 25 patients enrolled at one site of a five-center study; 13 received venlafaxine and 12 received placebo. There were more dropouts for placebo than for venlafaxine (8/12 vs. 2/13) in this 8-week acute trial. Patients treated with venlafaxine experienced significantly greater global improvement than those on placebo and exhibited trends toward greater improvement on anxiety and depression symptoms as assessed by the Hamilton rating scales. These data encourage further evaluation of venlafaxine for the treatment of panic disorder.