Monday, November 5, 2012

Effexor XR Approved for the Treatment of Panic Disorder

Wyeth announced today that on November 18, 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl) for the treatment of adults with panic disorder. This marks the first antidepressant approved for panic disorder since 2002. Panic disorder affects 2.4 million American adults annually. It is characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks; i.e., a discrete period of intense fear or discomfort in the absence of real danger, where four of 13 specific symptoms such as accelerated heart rate, shortness of breath, trembling or fear of dying develop abruptly, reach a peak within 10 minutes, and are followed by at least one month of persistent concern about having another panic attack. In one study, less than 20 percent of sufferers were diagnosed and treated to remission. Because panic disorder is under recognized and not always treated to remission, patients are likely to experience a chronic and cyclical course of symptoms. "Given the complicated, recurrent nature of panic disorder, it is imperative that physicians have new and effective treatment options, like Effexor XR, to offer patients," says Alexander Bystritsky, M.D., professor of psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and director of the UCLA Anxiety Disorders Program. The efficacy of Effexor XR as a treatment for panic disorder was established in two double-blind, 12-week, placebo-controlled studies. Adult patients received fixed doses of 75 or 150 mg/day in one study and 75 or 225 mg/day in the other study. In these studies, Effexor XR was significantly more effective than placebo at all three doses. In a long-term (26-week), double-blind study, adult patients who had responded to Effexor XR (75 to 225 mg/day) during an initial 12-week open- label phase were randomly assigned to continue the same Effexor XR dose (75, 150 or 225 mg) or switch to placebo for a six-month double-blind treatment phase. Patients who continued to receive Effexor XR experienced a significantly longer time to relapse as compared to those patients who were switched to placebo. Panic disorder may be associated with conditions such as depression or other anxiety disorders. Effexor XR, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, is indicated not only for panic disorder but also for the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or social anxiety disorder (SAD). Have dealt with GAD anxiety most my life. Started taking Effexor for a Major Depression episode. Doctor stared me slow. 33 mg for 4 weeks, then 75 mg for 3 weeks, then 108 mg for 2 weeks and finally 150 mg. Been on 150 mg about 6 months, some side effects along the way. Just basically feeling "weird" was the worst side effect. Wanted to quit many times along the way, but stuck with it. It doesn't work overnight. Sexual side effect is hard to have a orgasm, but I can deal that if I feel better. Depression is NO fun. Good Luck All. Tomorrow's always can be a better day. GOD Bless.

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