Our review confirms the usefulness of long-term pharmacological treatments for PD and GAD and suggests that they can provide further improvement over that obtained during short-term therapy .
Paroxetine , escitalopram , and clonazepam can be effective for long-term treatment of PD .
Pregabalin and quetiapine can be effective for long-term treatment of GAD , while preliminary suggestions emerged for agomelatine and vortioxetine .
We did not find any evidence for determining the optimal length and /or dosage of medications to minimize the relapse risk .
Many aspects of long-term pharmacological treatments for  anxiety disorders ( AnxDs ) are still debated .
We undertook an up date d systematic review of long-term pharmacological studies on panic disorder ( PD ) , generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) , and social anxiety disorder ( SAD ) .
Antidepressant medication augmented with cognitive-behavioral therapy for generalized anxiety disorder in older adults.
OBJECTIVE Generalized anxiety disorder is common among older adults and leads to diminished health and cognitive functioning . Although antidepressant medications are efficacious , many elderly individuals require augmentation treatment . Furthermore , little is known about maintenance strategies for older people . The authors examined whether sequenced treatment combining pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy ( CBT ) boosts response and prevents relapse in older adults with generalized anxiety disorder . METHOD Participants were individuals at least 60 years of age with generalized anxiety disorder ( N=73 ) who were recruited from outpatient clinics at three sites . Participants received 12 weeks of open-label escitalopram and were then r and omly assigned to one of four conditions : 16 weeks of escitalopram ( 10 - 20 mg/day ) plus modular CBT , followed by 28 weeks of maintenance escitalopram ; escitalopram alone , followed by maintenance escitalopram ; escitalopram plus CBT , followed by pill placebo ; and escitalopram alone , followed by placebo . RESULTS Escitalopram augmented with CBT  increased response rates on the Penn State Worry Question naire but not on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale compared with escitalopram alone . Both escitalopram and CBT prevented relapse compared with placebo . CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates effective strategies for treatment of generalized anxiety disorder in older adults . The sequence of antidepressant medication augmented with CBT leads to worry reduction in the short-term . Continued medication prevents relapse , but for many individuals , CBT would allow sustained remission without requiring long-term pharmacotherapy
Our review confirms the usefulness of long-term pharmacological treatments for PD and GAD and suggests that they can provide further improvement over that obtained during short-term therapy .
Paroxetine , escitalopram , and clonazepam can be effective for long-term treatment of PD .
Pregabalin and quetiapine can be effective for long-term treatment of GAD , while preliminary suggestions emerged for agomelatine and vortioxetine .
We did not find any evidence for determining the optimal length and /or dosage of medications to minimize the relapse risk .
Many aspects of long-term pharmacological treatments for  anxiety disorders ( AnxDs ) are still debated .
We undertook an up date d systematic review of long-term pharmacological studies on panic disorder ( PD ) , generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) , and social anxiety disorder ( SAD ) .