Growth-hormone response to clonidine in panic disorder patients in comparison to patients with major depression and healthy controls.

Growth-hormone (GH) responses to the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine were measured in 9 panic disorder patients, in 9 patients fulfilling DSM-III-R criteria for major depressive episode, and in 9 age- and sex-matched controls. GH responses to clonidine were not significantly different between the groups. The data do not agree with the assumption that blunted GH responses to clonidine represent a general feature of panic disorder or major depression.