Table 2.
Use of Mirtazapine in Anxiety Disorders
| Indication | Reference | Study Population | Design | Outcome |
| Panic disorder | ||||
| Boshuisen et al, 200156 | 28 patients | 15-wk open-label trial | 63% response rate at 6 wk | |
| Ribeiro et al, 200157 | 27 patients | 9-wk, randomized, double-blind trial comparing mirtazapine and fluoxetine | Favored for phobic anxiety on the basis of global evaluation over fluoxetine | |
| Sarchiapone et al, 200358 | 48 patients | 12-wk open-label trial | 42% responders after 2 wk; 91% responders after 12 wk | |
| Posttraumatic stress disorder | ||||
| Bahk et al, 200259 | 15 patients | 8-wk pilot study | Significant improvement in posttraumatic stress disorder and depression | |
| Davidson et al, 200360 | 29 patients | 8-wk, double-blind, placebo-controlled study | Response: 78.6% vs 16.7% for placebo | |
| Chung et al, 200461 | 100 patients | 6-wk, randomized, open-label study comparing mirtazapine and sertraline | Nonsignificant higher response to mirtazapine over sertraline | |
| Seo et al, 201062 | 40 patients | 8-wk, randomized, open-label study comparing mirtazapine and paroxetine | Equally efficacious at endpoint | |
| Combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder | ||||
| Alderman et al, 200963 | 13 males | 12-wk open-label study | Significant reduction in symptoms | |
| Obsessive-compulsive disorder | ||||
| Koran et al, 200564 | 30 patients | 12-wk open-label phase followed by 8-wk placebo-controlled discontinuation phase | Significant reduction in symptoms with treatment and continuation | |
| Pallanti et al, 200465 | 49 patients | 12-wk, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial of augmentation of citalopram | Increased response rate at 4 wk but not at 8 wk | |
| Generalized anxiety disorder | ||||
| Gambi et al, 200566 | 44 patients | 12-wk open-label study | 79.5% response rate | |
| Social anxiety disorder | ||||
| Muehlbacher et al, 200567 | 66 females | 10-wk, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study | Significant reduction in social phobia symptoms | |
| Van Veen et al, 200268 | 12 patients | 12-wk pilot study | 41.7% response rate | |
| Schutters et al, 201069 | 60 patients | 12-wk, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study | No significant efficacy as compared to placebo | |
| Schutters et al, 201170 | 43 nonresponders | 12-wk placebo-controlled trial of augmentation of mirtazapine or placebo with paroxetine | No significant improvement with augmentation | |