The effects of clobazam and lorazepam on patient's psychomotor performance and anxiety

Psychomotor performance, drowsiness and anxiety were measured in 70 anxious outpatients in a randomized double-blind, placebo- controlled trial comparing the 1,5 benzodiazepine clobazam (10 mg (two times a day) to lorazepam (1 mg two times a day). Carefully selected tests were administered pre-treatment and at 2 and 9 days after treatment. Compliance was checked by blood assays. There was a significant improvement in anxiety in the clobazam, lorazepam and placebo groups at 2 days and a further improvement at 9 days but only in the clobazam and lorazepam groups. The lorazepam patients had a significantly higher overall drowsiness rating than the clobazam and placebo groups. Both the clobazam and placebo groups showed an improvement over time in choice reaction time, the Digit Symbol Substitution Test, Purdue Pegboard tests and the Inglis paired-associate learning test. There was no change in critical flicker fusion threshold. The lorazepam-treated patients demonstrated exactly the same pattern on psychomotor performance tests except that there was an impairment in two of the Purdue pegboard tests on day 2. On the basis of previous volunteer studies with lorazepam, a far more general and consistent impairment of psychomotor performance was expected with that drug. This indicates that the finding derived from normal volunteers cannot necessarily be extrapolated to anxious patients. The possible reasons for the different responses in volunteers and patients are discussed. The practical implications of the various findings and the recommendations for future research are also considered.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Psychology

Year dc:date.issued

1982

Author dc:creator

• Oblowitz, Howard Keith

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Oxtoby, Richard

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9967

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/9967