For the pharmacological treatment of panic disorder, the WFSBP guidelines recommended an SSRI or venlafaxine as first-line treatment options, with clomipramine and imipramine as second-line options.1 A number of other psychotropic agents may also be considered.1
References:
1. Bandelow B, Allgulander C, Baldwin DS, et al. World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) guidelines for treatment of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and posttraumatic stress disorders – Version 3. Part I: Anxiety disorders. World J Biol Psychiatry 2023; 24 (2): 79–117.
2. Chawla N, Anothaisintawee T, Charoenrungrueangchai K, et al. Drug treatment for panic disorder with or without agoraphobia: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ 2022; 376: e066084.
3. Batelaan NM, Bosman RC, Muntingh A, et al. Risk of relapse after antidepressant discontinuation in anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis of relapse prevention trials. BMJ 2017; 358: j3927.
