Etizolam: A controlled study versus alprazolam in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder with minor associated depressive symptoms

Etizolam, the first member of a new chemical class of benzodiazepines (the thienotriazolodiazepines) reported to be endowed with intrinsic antidepressant activity, was compared with alprazolam in the treatment of 24 female outpatients with generalized anxiety disorder (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd ed. revised; item 300.02). The aim of the study, carried out according to a single-blind experimental design, was to compare the therapeutic efficacy (anxiolytic and antidepressant activity) and clinical tolerability of the two drugs. After a one-week placebo washout period, patients were randomly assigned to five weeks of treatment with etizolam or alprazolam. The psychometric evaluation was based on the scores recorded at various times (baseline and days 21 and 35 of treatment) on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, Covi Rating Scale for Anxiety, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Raskin Rating Scale for Depression. Etizolam was found to have a therapeutic effect comparable to that of alprazolam; however, the etizolam treatment group had a significantly more marked reduction of the symptoms amenable to somatization of anxiety (cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and neurovegetative symptoms). Both drugs were well tolerated. The etizolam treatment group had a higher percentage of positive evaluations (excellent and good ratings).