Control study of citalopram and alprazolam in treatment of generalized anxiety disorder

Objective: To investigate the clinical effects of citalopram in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.Methods: 66 patients with generalized anxiety disorder were randomly divided into two groups,with 34 patients for the citalopram group and 32 patients for the alprazolam group.The therapeutic dose was 40-60 mg/d for the citalopram group and 2.4-3.6 mg/d for the alprazolam group.The observation time was 6 weeks for both groups.The clinical effects and side effects before and 1,2,4,6 weeks after treatment were assessed using HAMA,SAS and TESS.Results: Clinical effects of the two groups were similar,with no significant difference(P0.05).The alprazolam group had faster action but much worse long-term effects than the citalopram group.The citalopram group had significantly less side effects than the alprazolam group(P0.05).Conclusion: Citalopram has good clinical effects and compliance in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.