Abstract: Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of mirtazapine and buspirone on panic disorder.Methods 86 cases with panic disorder were divided into two groups: the mirtazapine(30～60 mg/d) group and the buspirone(15～30 mg/d) group.Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA) was adopted to evaluate the efficacy.Safety was evaluated with Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale(TESS),laboratorial and physical examination.Results The effective rate of mirtazapine group and buspirone group was 90.7% and 83.7% respectively 8 weeks after treatment(χ²=1.17,P>0.05).The scores of HAMA of the mirtazapine group decreased more than that of the buspirone group 1 or 2 weeks after treatment(tt=2.94,P<0.01 and t=2.49,P<0.05 respectively).At the end of wk,But there was not significant difference between two groups 4 or 8 weeks after treatment(P>0.05).Some mild side-effects were observed in both groups.Conclusion Mirtazapine shows a similar effect to buspirone and takes effect earlier on panic disorder.

Key words: panic disorder, mirtazapine, buspirone