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Abstract
Agoraphobic and panic disorder patients underwent 1-mg Dexamethasone Suppression Tests
(DST) before, during, and after an 8-week trial of diazepam, alprazolam, or placebo.
Previously described, never-ill controls underwent similar testing. At baseline, 21
of 82 (25.6%)panic disorder and 5 of 38 (13.2%) controls were nonsuppressors. This
difference grew more marked with multiple testing over a 2-month period; 18 of 44
(40.9%) panic disorder patients were nonsuppressors on at least 1 of 3 tests compared
with only 5 of 35 (14.3%) controls (p = 0.006). DST results were related to severity, but not to the presence or absence, of depressive
syndromes. Control for plasma dexamethasone levels left highly significant differences
in postdexamethasone cortisol across diagnostic groups. Neither DST results nor plasma
dexamethasone levels changed in concert with clinical change, and type of treatment
had little differential effect on these measures. Nor did DST results predict subsequent
course when active treatment was extended by 6 months. However, DST results during
the initial 8 weeks of treatment were strongly related to relapse when medications
were tapered, even though this occurred 6 months after the last DST.
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Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
September 17,
1988
Received:
July 1,
1988
Footnotes
☆Supported in part by Grant RR59 from the General Clinical Research Center Branch, National Institutes of Health and by a grant from the Upjohn Company.
Identification
Copyright
© 1989 Published by Elsevier Inc.
