Researchers at University Medical Center's Department of Psychiatry are looking for volunteers to participate in study of a new anxiety medication.

The medication being studied is a new, extended release formula of a drug currently on the market for the treatment of depression, but one not yet approved for the treatment of anxiety, said Cindi Laukes, senior research specialist and study coordinator.

"We have just started the screening process," Laukes said. "We will probably be looking for patients for the next several months."

It will not be easy to find volunteers who qualify for the study, since the generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is relatively rare, Laukes said. She said a lot of people have anxiety, but it is not common to have anxiety of this severity (that would actually meet the criterion of GAD).

The root cause of GAD is not well understood, Laukes said. She said it is different from panic attacks and different from normal anxiety by duration. In order to qualify for the study, the anxiety must last at least six months and not be accompanied by any other symptoms.

There are also other criteria patients must meet, Laukes said. GAD and depression often happen together, and the study needs people who only experience anxiety, she said.

"A lot of our study patients tell us the motivation for being in our studies is how well we treat them," Laukes said. She said the patients see doctors every week, and that comforts patients because they would not see their doctor that much.

"Once in the study, patients will take medication for seven months," Laukes said. She said the program also provides two or three months of stabilization after the study is over, so the patient can be eased off the drug.

"In this study, some patients will not receive the actual medication," Laukes said. She said some will receive a fake pill. By administering a fake pill, researchers can determine if any changes are in fact from the medication.

Laukes said it may still be beneficial for patients who receive the fake pill because they will receive full physicals and a complete blood analysis for free.

"The risk with most of these studies is fairly minimal," Laukes said. She said by the time the study involves human subjects, it is in the final research stages.

A human subjects committee reviews all research to make sure it is safe for people, Laukes said.

"It is a real benefit for people who have never been treated or people who want to come off of anxiety medication that is addicting," she said. She said it is not an addicting drug, like the old anxiety medications such as Valium.

For an initial screening, potential volunteers should call 626-6751 and leave a message. A phone screener will call interested people and interview them to determine if they may qualify.

The study is funded by a pharmaceutical company that could not be named until the study is completed.