WEDNESDAY, Feb. 12, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- For the second time in 24 hours, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an existing anti-depressant to treat social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia.
The latest approval is for Wyeth's Effexor XR (venlafaxine HCl), which is already approved to treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder. Effexor helps restore proper levels of two key brain chemicals -- serotonin and norepinephrine -- which are thought to be deficient in people with depression and/or anxiety disorders. (Pfizer's Zoloft was approved Feb. 10 for similar use.)
People with social anxiety disorder often have an overwhelming fear of scrutiny, embarrassment or humiliation in social situations. They also have up to a 50 percent chance of developing a major depressive disorder during their lifetimes, Wyeth says.
Effexor XR was proven effective in two 12-week studies, involving a total of more than 500 people. Primary side effects included nausea, insomnia, anorexia, dry mouth, and sweating. Effexor was first approved as a treatment for depression and anxiety in 1993; the extended-release (XR) version was approved by the FDA in 1997.
Here is Wyeth's press release announcing the latest approval. For more about social anxiety disorder, visit the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.
