avorable response. Despite some sedation early in the trial, both drugs were tolerated well.
Similarly, in a study of 30 patients and panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, Van Vliet, Den Boer, Westenberg and Slaap (1996) found both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) to be effective in terms of reducing the number of panic attacks and agoraphobic avoidance.
Pharmacological Treatment and Non-Diagnostic
Clinical Features Affecting Choice of Medication
As is suggested in the just reviewed studies, most of the drugs currently available for the treatment of panic disorder and agoraphobia have relatively good rates of success (Bandelow, Sievert, Rothemeyer, Hajak, Broocks & Ruther, 1995). This does not, however, mean that any patient can be given any one of these drugs. There are a number of medical and other considerations that must be addressed in medication selection.
The foregoing point has been addressed by Uhlenhuth, Balter, Ban and Yang (1995). Specifically, the authors addressed the clinical features apart from diagnosis that may affect choice of strategy in the pharmacotherapy of anxiety disorders using survey data collected from a panel of experts in the field.
Findings of the study showed that in the presence of higher levels of functional impairment, the experts more often recommended medication for agoraphobia, social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Their therapeutic recommendations were not materially affected by chronicity in the case of panic disorder.
Under the condition of heavy use of alcohol in the case of generalized anxiety disorder, the experts avoided benzodiazepines in favor of various other medications. In the presence of a serious cardiac conduction defect, they less often recommended medication. Those who did recommend medication changed their preference from tricyclic antidepressants (clomipramine) to select...