Aripiprazole: A clinical review of its use for the treatment of anxiety disorders and anxiety as a comorbidity in mental illness

Abstract

Background Although anxiety disorders are common, optimal treatment is elusive. More than half of anxiety patients treated with an adequate course of antidepressants fail to fully improve: treatment resistance, residual symptoms, and recurrence/relapse remain a challenge. Recently, atypical antipsychotics have been considered for treatment-resistant anxiety disorders. This review will explore the available data for the role of aripiprazole in the treatment of anxiety. Methods PubMed and conference abstracts were searched for randomized, double-blind studies that investigated the efficacy of aripiprazole in anxiety; its efficacy in bipolar disorder and depression was also explored for comparison. Results A number of studies have shown atypical antipsychotics to be effective in anxiety, and currently available data suggest that aripiprazole augmentation in patients with anxiety disorders is likely as effective as other atypical antipsychotic drugs. Although there have been no randomized, controlled trials, aripiprazole has been found to be effective in treating anxiety disorders in two open-label trials. This combined with the larger data base demonstrating its utility in bipolar disorder and depression, its safety profile and its unique mechanism of action, make aripiprazole for anxiety an intriguing avenue of exploration. Limitations Data from large randomized, controlled trials on the use of atypical antipsychotics for anxiety in general, and aripiprazole in particular, are currently lacking. Conclusion The results of open-label trials of aripiprazole in anxiety provide enough support to warrant its further study. This, combined with a larger data base demonstrating its utility in bipolar disorder and depression, its safety profile and its unique mechanism of action, make aripiprazole for anxiety an intriguing avenue of exploration.