Compositions and methods for treatment of fear of medical procedures

[0089]A subject with dental phobia, who had not been to a dentist in many years, agreed to undergo a routine dental checkup visit (cleaning and examination), and to take proglumide prior to the dental visit. A capsule containing 100 mg proglumide and inactive ingredients was administered to the subject ninety minutes prior to the dental appointment. Subject-reported pain during the never-pleasant calculus removal process was substantially reduced relative to previous dental visits in which proglumide had not been taken beforehand, in spite of the extended duration of the cleaning process since there were many years worth of calculus to remove. Total discomfort was low enough that the subject would be willing to return to a regular dental checkup schedule provided proglumide was taken beforehand each dental checkup, at least at the outset. Furthermore, the subject was willing to return for a follow-up visit within one week in order to replace an aged filling, a procedure that was not de

[0091]The same subject as in Example 1 returned to the dentist five days after the dental checkup of Example 1 in order to replace an aged metal filling. Again, proglumide was administered to the subject in advance of the appointment. A capsule containing 200 mg proglumide and inactive ingredients was administered to the subject 90 minutes prior to the dental appointment. The dentist administered a local anesthetic (e.g., lidocaine) painkiller as part of the procedure for replacing the filling. The residual discomfort following the procedure, including after the numbness wore off, was mild.