Selank as add-on therapy reduces benzodiazepine side effects in anxiety disorder treatment

Benzodiazepines like phenazepam are commonly prescribed for anxiety-spectrum disorders, including anxiety-phobic, hypochondriac, and somatoform disorders. While effective anxiolytics, their use is often limited by a significant side-effect burden. Patients frequently experience attention and memory impairment, asthenia (weakness), excessive sedation, sexual disturbances, and emotional indifference. These adverse effects can negatively impact daily functioning and quality of life, leading to poor treatment adherence. This creates a need for adjunctive therapies that can mitigate these side effects while maintaining or enhancing the primary therapeutic benefit. The peptide preparation Selank is being investigated in this context to see if it can optimize benzodiazepine treatment by reducing its undesirable effects.

This clinical study compared the efficacy and tolerability of two treatment regimens for patients with anxiety disorders (ICD-10 items F40.2-9, F41.1-9, F45.0-2). One group of 30 patients received monotherapy with the benzodiazepine phenazepam. A second group of 40 patients received a combination treatment of phenazepam plus the peptide Selank. The therapeutic effect was assessed clinically and using the HDRS (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale), CGI (Clinical Global Impression), and Spilberger scales. Tolerability was evaluated using the UKU Side Effect Rating Scale. Cognitive function was measured with the Stroop test and a verbal fluency test, while quality of life was assessed with the SF-36 questionnaire.

The positive therapeutic effect, as measured by the HDRS, was achieved earlier when Selank was added to phenazepam treatment compared to phenazepam alone. The combined treatment with Selank significantly decreased the level of undesirable side effects associated with phenazepam. Specifically, Selank reduced phenazepam-induced attention and memory impairment, asthenia, sedation, increased sleep duration, sexual disturbances, emotional indifference, and orthostatism. This reduction in side effects was observed both during the course of treatment and after the tranquilizer was withdrawn.

Taken together, the enhanced therapeutic efficacy and the marked reduction of side effects had a positive impact on the quality of life for patients who received Selank as an add-on to phenazepam.

This improved side-effect profile and earlier onset of therapeutic benefit directly translated into better quality-of-life scores on the SF-36 for the combination therapy group, demonstrating a clear advantage over benzodiazepine monotherapy.

Written by TitrateLab, separately from the study summarized above.