Does Carbamazepine Aid Alprazolam Withdrawal?

Patients who discontinue benzodiazepines after prolonged use for panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder may suffer pronounced withdrawal symptoms and a return of the initial panic and anxiety symptoms. This is particularly true for short-acting benzodiazepines such as alprazolam. This study examined whether carbamazepine improves patient outcome during alprazolam withdrawal.

Researchers randomized 36 patients with panic disorder and 35 with generalized anxiety disorder to receive carbamazepine or placebo after a two-month open trial with alprazolam (up to 10 mg/day for panic disorder and up to 4 mg/day for generalized anxiety disorder). After one week of carbamazepine treatment (400 to 800 mg/day), the alprazolam dose was reduced abo…