Source: Rev Assoc Med Bras  |  Posted 6 years ago

New Effexor XR indication provides important option for almost one million Canadians

TORONTO, ON -- November 24, 2005 -- Wyeth Canada has announced that its serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), Effexor XR, has been approved for the symptomatic relief of panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia. Previously indicated for the treatment of anxiety and depression, Effexor XR is distinguished from all other antidepressants as the only available "dual-action" treatment that affects the levels of two naturally occurring neurotransmitters in the brain known to affect mood, serotonin and norepinephrine.

"Panic disorder can have long-lasting personal, social and economic consequences," says Dr. Martin Katzman BSc MD FRCPC, Clinic Director of Start Clinic for Mood and Anxiety Disorders. "Evidence supporting the role of Effexor XR in treating Panic Disorder provides hope to those who have been unsuccessfully treated with other treatments."

The symptoms of panic disorder usually begin appearing in early adulthood, during prime years for completing education, entering the job market and forming relationships.[^]1[] According to the most recent Canadian Community Health Survey on Mental Health and Well-being (CCHS), 3.7 per cent of Canadians aged 15 years and older, or almost one million people, have suffered from panic disorder.[^]2[]

Panic disorder is present when a person has one or more distinct periods of intense fear that suddenly occur in the absence of any real danger. This fear is accompanied by physical symptoms such as chest pain, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath and heart palpitations, often mistaken for a heart attack by patients. These attacks are followed by at least one month of fearful anticipation of experiencing more such attacks.[^]3[]

"Misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment are some of these patients' greatest enemies," says Dr. Katzman In fact, 90 percent of panic disorder patients believe they are suffering from a serious physical disorder and seek help from the general medical system.[^]4[] For this reason, the emergency room is a primary entry portal to medical treatment for panic disorder, where patients frequently present with chest pain in the mistaken belief that they are having a heart attack.

In a recent Canadian ER sample of patients who presented with chest pain, 108 of the 441 met the diagnostic criteria for panic disorder, yet the diagnosis was missed by the attending ER cardiologist in 98 per cent of the cases.[^]5[]

The presence of other mental disorders is fairly common among people who have experienced panic disorder.[^]6[] A patient suffering from panic disorder may develop agoraphobia. This type of anxiety disorder causes a person to avoid many places (including places with many people) and may lead them to become housebound.[^]7[] Almost half of those with current panic disorder have also had agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, or a major depressive episode in the preceding twelve months.[^]8[]

REFERENCES:
1. Panic disorder and coping, Supplement to Health Reports, Volume 15, 2004 Statistics Canada, Catalogue 82-003, page 37.

2. Panic disorder and coping, Supplement to Health Reports, Volume 15, 2004 Statistics Canada, Catalogue 82-003, page 35.

3. www.mentalhealth.com, "Treatment of Panic Disorder" from National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference Statement, September 25-27, 1991.

4. Panic in the Emergency Room, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Volume 48, Number 6, July 2003, page 362.

5. Panic in the Emergency Room, The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, Volume 48, Number 6, July 2003, page 362.

6. Panic disorder and coping, Supplement to Health Reports, Volume 15, 2005 Statistics Canada, Catalogue 82-003, page 38.

7. Panic Disorder on MediResource. Available at: http://mediresource.sympatico.ca/channel_disease_detail.asp?channel_id=1...

8. Panic disorder and coping, Supplement to Health Reports, Volume 15, 2004 Statistics Canada, Catalogue 82-003, page 38.

SOURCE: Wyeth Canada