Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of trazodone versus alprazolam on adults’ generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Methods Such databases as PubMed (1980 to May 2012), CBM (1990 to May 2012), VIP (1989 to May 2012), CNKI (1990 to May 2012) and WanFang Data (1990 to May 2012) were searched to collect the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about trazodone vs. alprazolam for adults’ GAD. According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two reivewers screened literature, extracted data and assessed the quality of the included studies, then meta-analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.0 software. Results A total of 5 RCTs involving 403 patients were included. The results of meta-analysis showed that: a) After four-week treatment, there were no significant differences between the two groups in the HAMA scores (RR=1.04, 95%CI 0.95 to 1.13, P=0.38) and cure rate (RR=1.05, 95%CI 0.75 to 1.48, P=0.76); and b) The somnolence rate of the trazodone group was lower than that of the alprazolam group (RR=0.42, 95%CI 0.25 to 0.72, P=0.001). But there were no significant differences between the two groups in dizziness (RR=0.52, 95%CI 0.27 to 1.01, P=0.05), fatigue (RR=0.10, 95%CI 0.01 to 1.41, P=0.09), and poor appetite (RR=2.82, 95%CI 0.28 to 28.23, P=0.38). Conclusion There is no significant difference between razodone and alprazolam in the effectiveness when treating GAD, but razodone has lower side effects while alprazolam tends easily to cause somnolence. For the quantity limitation and low methodological quality of the included studies, this conclusion still needs to be further proved by more high quality RCTs.
Objective To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of trazodone versus alprazolam for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Methods After the third day of a three-day screening period, 60 patients with generalized anxiety disorder were randomly assigned to the trazodone group (30 patients, 50-150 mg/d), and alprazolam group (30 patients 1.2-4 mg/d) for 4 weeks. Patients and their doctors were blind. Data were analyzed by SPSS 10.0 and intention-to-treat analysis. Results The total effective rate of trazodone was 77% (23/30), while alprazolam was 70% (21/30) (Pgt;0.05) .No difference was seen for adverse events. None was lost to follow in the two groups. Conclusions Trazodone appears to be as effective as alprazolam in treating generalized anxiety disorder. Adverse events may include confusion and loss of appetite, but patients are able to tolerate these.