The role of SSRIs in panic disorder.

This article reviews all available studies reported in the literature or presented at national or international meetings on the efficacy of serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors and less selective serotonin uptake inhibitors in panic disorder. The research data lags behind-rather than leads-experience in everyday clinical practice. The emerging data suggest that serotonin uptake inhibitors are superior to placebo and better tolerated than most of the older alternatives. As a result they are now becoming first-choice treatments in panic disorder.