Clin Psychopharmacol Neurosci.  2016 May;14(2):177-183. 10.9758/cpn.2016.14.2.177.

The Efficacy and Safety of Clonazepam in Patients with Anxiety Disorder Taking Newer Antidepressants: A Multicenter Naturalistic Study

Affiliations
  • 1International Health Care Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
  • 2Department of Psychiatry, Keimyung University School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
  • 3Department of Psychiatry, Dongguk University College of Medicine, Gyeongju, Korea.
  • 4Department of Psychiatry, CHA University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 5Department of Psychiatry, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 6Department of Psychiatry, Inje University Seoul Paik Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
  • 7Mental Health Clinic Yoo and Kim, Seoul, Korea.
  • 8Yonsei Feel Mental Health Clinic, Seoul, Korea.
  • 9Department of Psychiatry, Wonkwang University Hospital, Iksan, Korea.
  • 10Department of Psychiatry, Gachon University Gil Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
  • 11Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Brain Research, Chungnam National University School of Medicine, Daejeon, Korea.
  • 12Deparment of Psychiatry, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
  • 13Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
  • 14Department of Psychiatry, Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu, Korea. mindcure@catholic.ac.kr

Abstract


OBJECTIVE
This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of clonazepam with other benzodiazepines in patients with anxiety disorders.
METHODS
Inclusion criteria were as follows: age >20 years, diagnosis of anxiety disorder according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria, taking only one type of antidepressant, and prescribed one of three oral benzodiazepines (alprazolam, clonazepam, or lorazepam). At baseline and week 6, clinical benefit was evaluated using the Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale (CGI-S), Clinical Global Impression-Anxiety Scale (CGI-anxiety), and Clinical Global Impression-Sleep Scale (CGI-sleep).
RESULTS
Among 180 patients, no differences in demographic characteristics among the three benzodiazepine groups were noted. After six weeks of treatment, all benzodiazepine groups showed significant improvements in CGI-S, CGI-anxiety, and CGI-sleep scores (p<0.001). There were no differences in mean changes in CGI-S, CGI-anxiety and CGI-sleep among the three benzodiazepine groups. The incidence of side effects was significantly lower in the clonazepam group than with the other benzodiazepines. The incidences of adverse events for the clonazepam, alprazolam, and lorazepam groups were 26.7% (n=20), 48.4% (n=31), and 43.9% (n=18), respectively.
CONCLUSION
The present study suggests that clonazepam is as efficacious as other benzodiazepines for the treatment of various anxiety disorders. Furthermore, the safety profile of clonazepam was superior to the other benzodiazepines in this study.

Keyword

Anti-anxiety agents; Alprazolam; Clonazepam; Lorazepam; Therapy; Anxiety disorders

MeSH Terms

Alprazolam
Anti-Anxiety Agents
Antidepressive Agents*
Anxiety Disorders*
Anxiety*
Benzodiazepines
Clonazepam*
Diagnosis
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Humans
Incidence
Lorazepam
Alprazolam
Anti-Anxiety Agents
Antidepressive Agents
Benzodiazepines
Clonazepam
Lorazepam
Full Text Links
  • CPN
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr