Alprazolam in panic disorder and agoraphobia: results from a multicenter trial. I. Efficacy in short-term treatment
Alprazolam works fast for panic - what's our plan for how long I stay on it, and how would we eventually taper off?
Reasonable evidence with real limitations. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: Contemporary critiques in the same journal (e.g. PMID 2660772, 1989) disputed how durable the advantage over placebo was beyond the first weeks of this manufacturer-era trial and emphasized rebound and dependence on discontinuation.
In an 8-week placebo-controlled trial of 526 people with panic disorder or agoraphobia with panic attacks, 50% on alprazolam were free of panic attacks at week 4 versus 28% on placebo, with benefit appearing in the first week.
Worth asking
Alprazolam works fast for panic - what's our plan for how long I stay on it, and how would we eventually taper off?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Generalized anxiety disorder (acute treatment)
- Panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia
Source
Alprazolam in panic disorder and agoraphobia: results from a multicenter trial. I. Efficacy in short-term treatment — Ballenger JC, et al. (1988)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1988.01800290027004
DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1988.01800290027004
How this was scored
- Study design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 526
- Preregistered
- No
- Conflicts disclosed
- No
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "moderate evidence". Reasonable evidence with real limitations. It scores 64 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: Contemporary critiques in the same journal (e.g. PMID 2660772, 1989) disputed how durable the advantage over placebo was beyond the first weeks of this manufacturer-era trial and emphasized rebound and dependence on discontinuation. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Alprazolam in panic disorder and agoraphobia: results from a multicenter trial. I. Efficacy in short-term treatment — Ballenger JC, et al. (1988). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1988.01800290027004. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Randomised controlled trial. Funding: Funding not disclosed. Independence from the proponent is not recorded. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is alprazolam (Xanax), xanax FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Generalized anxiety disorder (acute treatment), Panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia. Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.