ABSTRACT

Panic disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders with a good pharmacotherapeutic response. Benzodiazepines are one type of such efficient medications. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of alprazolam and clonazepam on blood sugar of adults with panic disorder.

This randomized controlled trial recruited 45 patients suffering from panic disorder. After filling out the initial questionnaire and measuring patients’ height and weight, fasting and 2-hour postprandial blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin (HgA1c) were measured. Then, the patients were randomly allocated into three groups of sertraline, sertraline+alprazolam, and sertraline+clonazepam. After 3 months of treatment, the lab tests were repeated, and the data were analyzed using the statistical analysis software SPSS 18.

A total of 32 women and 13 men with a mean age of 28.98±6.8 years were recruited. Demographic characteristics and history of physical and psychological diseases did not show any significant differences among the three groups (p>0.05). At the end of the 3rd treatment month, the mean of 2-hour postprandial blood sugar (p=0.032) and HgA1c (p=0.0007) were decreased in the sertraline group, while the mean level of fasting blood sugar (p=0.006) and 2-hour postprandial blood sugar (p=0.015), and HgA1c (p=0.015) revealed a significant increase in the sertraline+alprazolam group.

This study showed that the treatment with alprazolam can cause an increase in the blood glucose in non-diabetic patients suffering from panic disorder.