David Baxter PhD
Late Founder
ADAA: Topiramate Shows Efficacy in Social Anxiety Disorder
By Alison Palkhivala
TORONTO, ON -- April 1, 2003 -- Topiramate (TOPAMAX) may be an effective treatment option for patients with social phobia, according to a pilot study.
The findings were presented by coauthor Beth Pipe, RN, from Anxiety Disorders Clinic, McMaster University Medical Centre--HHS, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, here in a poster on March 29th at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
Seventeen patients with social phobia participated in an open-label trial in which they took topiramate for 16 weeks. The initial dose of 25 mg/day was titrated up to a maximum of 100 mg/day.
Primary efficacy measures were defined as the number of responders with a Clinical Global Impression-Improvement Scale (CGI-I) score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) at week 16, and the change from baseline to end point in the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS).
Eleven of 16 patients completed the trial. Among these patients, eight responded to topiramate therapy by the end of the study period, with a mean drop in LSAS score of 46.7%.
Based on an intent-to-treat analysis, eight of 16 patients responded according to CGI-I criteria. Also based on an intent-to-treat analysis, mean drop in LSAS was 32.9%, and the change in LSAS from baseline to end point was significant (P=0.045).
"We're not recommending [topiramate] as a first-line treatment, but more for people who have had a few treatment failures [with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors]," said Ms. Pipe. It is also a potential option for patients who cannot tolerate this class of agent.
[Study title: Topiramate in the Treatment of Generalized Social Phobia: An Open Label Trial. Abstract p132]
By Alison Palkhivala
TORONTO, ON -- April 1, 2003 -- Topiramate (TOPAMAX) may be an effective treatment option for patients with social phobia, according to a pilot study.
The findings were presented by coauthor Beth Pipe, RN, from Anxiety Disorders Clinic, McMaster University Medical Centre--HHS, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, here in a poster on March 29th at the 23rd Annual Conference of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
Seventeen patients with social phobia participated in an open-label trial in which they took topiramate for 16 weeks. The initial dose of 25 mg/day was titrated up to a maximum of 100 mg/day.
Primary efficacy measures were defined as the number of responders with a Clinical Global Impression-Improvement Scale (CGI-I) score of 1 (very much improved) or 2 (much improved) at week 16, and the change from baseline to end point in the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS).
Eleven of 16 patients completed the trial. Among these patients, eight responded to topiramate therapy by the end of the study period, with a mean drop in LSAS score of 46.7%.
Based on an intent-to-treat analysis, eight of 16 patients responded according to CGI-I criteria. Also based on an intent-to-treat analysis, mean drop in LSAS was 32.9%, and the change in LSAS from baseline to end point was significant (P=0.045).
"We're not recommending [topiramate] as a first-line treatment, but more for people who have had a few treatment failures [with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors]," said Ms. Pipe. It is also a potential option for patients who cannot tolerate this class of agent.
[Study title: Topiramate in the Treatment of Generalized Social Phobia: An Open Label Trial. Abstract p132]
