P-2-117 Double-blind comparison of sertraline and nortriptyline in late-life depression

Abstract

Bentazepam (BTZ), 75 mg/day, and ketazolam (KZ), 30 mg/day, were compared in a parallel, randomized, non-blind study conducted with 40 outpatients diagnosed with anxiety disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, revised third edition. After a 1-week washout period to anxiolytic drugs, patients were assigned to either BTZ (n = 20) or KZ (n = 20) treatment. Both the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) and State subscale from the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory of Spielberger (STAI-S) were administered at baseline and at weeks 1, 3, and 6 of treatment. The Digit-Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) and Digit Span (DS) were performed at every evaluation. Treatment with both BTZ and KZ reduced anxiety as measured by decreases in HARS and STAI-S scores during the study. Small differences in favor of BTZ were reported at week 3 of treatment. Neither drug had a major influence on results from the cognitive tests (DSST and DS).