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 .
Efficacy, safety, and tolerability of venlafaxine extended release and buspirone in outpatients with generalized anxiety disorder.
BACKGROUND The objective of this r and omized , double-blind study was to compare the efficacy and safety of venlafaxine extended release ( XR ) and buspirone in out patients with generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD ) but without concomitant major depressive disorder . METHOD Male and female out patients at least 18 years old who met the DSM-IV criteria for GAD and had scores of 18 or higher on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety ( HAM-A ) were r and omly assigned to treatment with either venlafaxine XR ( 75 or 150 mg/day ) , buspirone ( 30 mg/day in 3 divided doses ) , or placebo for 8 weeks . The primary efficacy variables were changes in anxiety as determined by final on-therapy HAM-A total and psychic anxiety scores and Clinical Global Impressions scale ( CGI ) scores . Other key efficacy variables were HAM-A anxious mood and tension scores and the anxiety subscale scores of the patient-rated Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale ( HAD ) . RESULTS The efficacy analysis included 365 patients and the safety analysis , 405 . At week 8 , adjusted mean HAM-A psychic anxiety , anxious mood , and tension scores were significantly lower for venlafaxine XR-treated patients than for placebo-treated patients . On the HAD anxiety subscale , venlafaxine XR , 75 or 150 mg/day , was significantly more efficacious than placebo at all time points except weeks 1 ( both dosages ) and 2 ( 150-mg/day dosage only ) and significantly more efficacious than buspirone at all time points except week 1 . On the CGI-Improvement scale , scores for venlafaxine XR ( both dosages ) and buspirone were numerically superior to those for placebo at all time points , and statistical significance was observed at weeks 3 , 4 , 6 , and 8 for venlafaxine XR and at weeks 6 and 8 for buspirone . The adverse events were not essentially different between treatment groups . CONCLUSION Venlafaxine XR is an effective , safe , and well-tolerated once-daily anxiolytic agent in patients with GAD without comorbid major depressive disorder . This agent was significantly superior to buspirone on the HAD anxiety subscale . Buspirone demonstrated statistical significance versus placebo on a measure of anxiolytic response
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 .