Abstract
Alprazolam, a minor tranquilizer used to treat idiopathic dizziness was studied clinically. Thirty-one patients with dizziness who had no spontaneous nystagmus were administered Alprazolam orally at 1.2mg/day, divided into three fractions for more than 4 weeks. TMI (Toho Medical Index) was examined before the treatment in 30 patients.
Clinical efficacy was excellent in 10, good in 7, fair in 9 and not useful in 5. The overall efficacy rate was 54.9%. In 12 patients who scored grade III and IV on TMI which showed the degree of autonomic imbalance, the efficacy rate was 75.0%. However, in 18 patients who scored grade I and II on TMI which showed no or minimal autonomic imbalance, the efficacy rate was 38.9%. No adverse effects were observed except for one case of sleepiness.
These results suggest that Alprazolam is a useful minor tranquilizer for the treatment of dizziness associated with autonomic imbalance.
