Dropout rates did not differ between antidepressants .
The latter study showed very promising results of  sertraline  in children and adolescents with GAD , which warrants its replication in larger sample s. REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS The available evidence suggests that antidepressants are superior to placebo in treating GAD .
There is also evidence from placebo-controlled trials suggesting that these drugs are well tolerated by GAD patients .
Further trials of antidepressants for GAD will help to demonstrate which antidepressants should be used for which patients
BACKGROUND Pharmacological treatments have been successfully used to treat  Generalized Anxiety Disorder ( GAD ) .
The mainstay for the pharmacological treatment of GAD in past decades has been the use of benzodiazepine and non benzodiazepine anxiolytics .
Data emerging over the last two decades have shown that antidepressants may be equally effective to anxiolytics for treating GAD .
The use of antidepressants for treating GAD may be advantageous , due to the fact that GAD presents a high co morbidity ratio with major depressive disorder ( 62 % ) and dysthymia ( 37 % ) .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and acceptability of antidepressants for treating generalized anxiety disorder .
Paroxetine in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder: results of a placebo-controlled, flexible-dosage trial.
BACKGROUND The objective of this r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of paroxetine in out patients with generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) .  METHOD Male and female out patients 18 years and older who met DSM-IV criteria for GAD and had baseline scores of at least 20 on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety ( HAM-A ) were r and omly assigned to treatment with paroxetine ( 20 - 50 mg/day ) or placebo for 8 weeks . The primary efficacy variable was the mean change from baseline in the total score of the HAM-A. Additional key efficacy variables were the change from baseline in the scores of the HAM-A items anxious mood and tension , the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale , and the Sheehan Disability Scale ( SDS ) . The proportions of patients fulfilling response and remission criteria at week 8 were also determined . RESULTS The intent-to-treat population included 324 patients . At week 8 , compared with the placebo group ( N = 163 ) , the paroxetine group ( N = 161 ) had a significantly greater reduction of GAD symptoms on all of the above-mentioned efficacy variables . On the HAM-A anxious mood item , which encompasses the cardinal symptoms of GAD , significantly greater efficacy was observed from week 1 and on the SDS significantly greater improvement was documented in the domain " social life " as early as week 4 for paroxetine compared with placebo . In both the last-observation-carried-forward and completer data sets , significantly greater proportions of paroxetine-treated patients achieved response or remission by week 8 . Treatment with paroxetine was well tolerated , and the number and type of adverse events recorded in the paroxetine group correspond to the known safety profile of this medication . CONCLUSION Paroxetine in doses of 20 to 50 mg once daily is effective in the treatment of patients with GAD . Improvement of core symptoms of GAD occurs early and is associated with significant reduction in disability after only 8 weeks of treatment
Dropout rates did not differ between antidepressants .
The latter study showed very promising results of  sertraline  in children and adolescents with GAD , which warrants its replication in larger sample s. REVIEW ER 'S CONCLUSIONS The available evidence suggests that antidepressants are superior to placebo in treating GAD .
There is also evidence from placebo-controlled trials suggesting that these drugs are well tolerated by GAD patients .
Further trials of antidepressants for GAD will help to demonstrate which antidepressants should be used for which patients
BACKGROUND Pharmacological treatments have been successfully used to treat  Generalized Anxiety Disorder ( GAD ) .
The mainstay for the pharmacological treatment of GAD in past decades has been the use of benzodiazepine and non benzodiazepine anxiolytics .
Data emerging over the last two decades have shown that antidepressants may be equally effective to anxiolytics for treating GAD .
The use of antidepressants for treating GAD may be advantageous , due to the fact that GAD presents a high co morbidity ratio with major depressive disorder ( 62 % ) and dysthymia ( 37 % ) .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy and acceptability of antidepressants for treating generalized anxiety disorder .