A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gabapentin in relieving the symptoms of social phobia. Sixty-nine patients were randomly assigned to receive double-blind treatment with either gabapentin (dosed flexibly between 900 and 3,600 mg daily in three divided doses) or placebo for 14 weeks. A significant reduction (p < 0.05) in the symptoms of social phobia was observed among patients on gabapentin compared with those on placebo as evaluated by clinician- and patient-rated scales. Results were similar for the intent-to-treat and week-2 completer populations. Adverse events were consistent with the known side effect profile of gabapentin. Dizziness (p = 0.05), dry mouth (p = 0.05), somnolence, nausea, flatulence, and decreased libido occurred at a higher frequency among patients receiving gabapentin than among those receiving placebo. No serious adverse events or deaths were reported. On the basis of these limited data, it seems that gabapentin offers a favorable risk-benefit ratio for the treatment of patients with social phobia. Further studies are required to confirm this effect and to determine whether a dose-response relationship exists.

Fluoxetine was superior for measures of PTSD severity, disability, stress vulnerability, and high end-state function. The placebo-group response was low when viewed as a broad outcome based on a portfolio of ratings, but was higher with a traditional global rating criterion.

No abstract

Because the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine may be efficacious in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, we conducted a 10-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation in which 15 patients were randomized 2:1 to either olanzapine or placebo. The initial dosage was 5 mg/day and was titrated to a maximum of 20 mg/day. Eleven patients completed the study. Patients in both groups showed improvement in PTSD symptoms, but no between-group differences in treatment response were observed and a high placebo response rate was found. Both treatments were tolerated well, although the olanzapine treatment group had more weight gain. Olanzapine fared no better than placebo in this preliminary study in the treatment of PTSD. The lack of difference between olanzapine and placebo may in part be due to olanzapine's not being effective in PTSD or, alternatively, a small sample size, a high placebo response in certain forms of PTSD and the chronicity of PTSD symptoms in some patients.