For the very first time, the scientists have revealed that the antidepressant medication Effexor XR provides patients with a long-term relief from the disabling symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. This is promising news to the millions of people in the United States alone who are experiencing this condition.
Effexor XR had just been granted governmental approval in March as a treatment for generalized anxiety, however that approval was based on research that lasted only eight weeks. The new conclusions come from a six-month analysis comparing three different doses of the medication to placebo. The research results, published in this week’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, reveal that patients achieved a long-lasting profit from Effexor XR. In general, 69 per cent of patients on the medication had less anxiety, in comparison with 42 per cent receiving placebo.
According to estimates, generalized anxiety has an effect on about 5 per cent of the American population, and about two-thirds of the patients are women. Symptoms can remain for six months or even longer, and they include: constant worry and anxiety about every-day problems and frequently masquerade as physical problems, which is why a lot of patients suffering from generalized anxiety wind up getting treated by primary care healthcare providers.
"[Generalized anxiety] is in fact a permanent disorder, and so in real life I suspect … patients are going to be indefinitely on antidepressant treatment, much as there are people with chronic and recurring depression who stay on it forever," said lead study scientist Alan Gelenberg, MD, of the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center.
Gelenberg points out that using tranquilizers to control anxiety symptoms can result in abuse. Moreover, some other antidepressant medications have not been accurately tested or have limitations. Effexor XR increases the activity of two chemical messengers in the brain, norepinephrine and serotonin. That may account for the drug’s ability to fight anxiety as well as depression.
"Despite the chronic nature of generalized anxiety, there are to date no published … studies demonstrating that … therapy provides long-term … efficacy," write Gelenberg and colleagues. To prove this point, the investigators set up a six-month study in 14 medical facilities around the country. They divided approximately 250 patients into two groups — one getting Effexor XR, the other dummy pills.
Participants were allowed to increase or decrease their dose as needed, depending on their reaction to the drug. About 20% of the patients in the trial suffered nausea, the most common side effect, and patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors for depression should avoid Effexor XR because of the danger of drug interaction.
At the end of study, which was sponsored by Wyeth-Ayerst, the drug’s manufacturer, tests to measure anxiety showed that those taking Effexor XR were much improved over the six-month period. Although some patients had improvement in anxiety symptoms shortly after beginning to take the drug, the majority of patients experienced improvements after taking the drug for two months.
Stephen Stahl, MD, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego, says that the study findings should send a clear message to generalized anxiety sufferers who may be tempted to give up early in treatment: "You can get much better from [generalized anxiety] … if you wait."
Very important Information:
* Scientists are revealing that the antidepressant drug Effexor XR provides long-term relief from generalized anxiety disorder, a mental health condition that makes people feel constantly worried over everyday problems. It touches about 5 people of American citizens nowadays, and two in three patients are women.
* Test subjects being given the medication did much better after six months than those not receiving it, leading an observer to conclusion that patients ought to be willing to stick with this therapy so as to enjoy good long-term results.
* Patients usually have generalized anxiety for all their lives but they have a chance for a two-month benefit after taking Effexor XR. Some patients can not use this medication due to the fact that it can bring about such side effects as nausea and may have bad interactions with other medications.
