THE GALWAY STUDY OF PANIC DISORDER .1. CLOMIPRAMINE AND LOFEPRAMINE IN DSM-III-R PANIC DISORDER - A PLACEBO CONTROLLED TRIAL

Among 79 volunteer, unpaid, family doctor-referred psychiatric out patients with DSM III-R panic disorder, with and without agoraphobia. 66 completed a six week placebo-controlled trial of lofepramine versus clomipramine and 57 survivors were followed up for 6 months. All subjects received one hour per week concurrent behavioural counselling in the acute phase. Of 13 dropouts in the first 3 weeks, 9 (of 27) were on clomipramine, 2 (of 26) were on lofepramine and 2 (of 26) were on placebo. The high (30%) early dropout from the clomipramine group was largely due to medication intolerance. Both drugs were superior to placebo by the end of week 6 on several standard rating scales but not on panic attack frequency. No significant differences in efficacy were found between the two drugs tested to the end of 6 months. No tendency for relapse was noted in the three months following taper-off of medication from week 12 to week 24. The study provides evidence that both drugs, in the dosages used, are superior to placebo in the acute phase of panic disorder in treatment-naive subjects concurrently receiving appropriate psychotherapy.