Comparison of Aerobic Exercise, Clomipramine, and Placebo in the Treatment of Panic Disorder

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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the therapeutic effect of exercise for patients with panic disorder to a drug treatment of proven efficacy and to placebo. METHOD: Forty-six outpatients suffering from moderate to severe panic disorder with or without agoraphobia (DSM-III-R criteria) were randomly assigned to a 10-week treatment protocol of regular aerobic exercise (running), clomipramine (112.5 mg/day), or placebo pills. RESULTS: The dropout rate was 31% for the exercise group, 27% for the placebo group, and 0% for the clomipramine group. In comparison with placebo, both exercise and clomipramine led to a significant decrease in symptoms according to all main efficacy measures (analysis of variance, last-observation-carried-forward method and completer analysis). A direct comparison of exercise and clomipramine revealed that the drug treatment improved anxiety symptoms significantly earlier and more effectively. Depressive symptoms were also significantly improved by exercise and clomip...

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