SynthesisExpert opinion on pharmacotherapy2018
Comparing the efficacy of benzodiazepines and serotonergic anti-depressants for adults with generalized anxiety disorder: a meta-analytic review.
Synthesis in Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 50 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
50 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- Antianxiety effects of dexmedetomidine: systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2026Pooled it
- Flavonoids as Anxiolytics in Animal Tests: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Bibliometrical Analysis.Phytotherapy research : PTR · 2026Pooled it
- Antidepressants versus placebo for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of acupuncture versus sham acupuncture on generalized anxiety disorder: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- The Impact of Development on Antidepressant and Placebo Response in Anxiety Disorders: A Bayesian Hierarchical Meta-Analytic Examination of Randomized Controlled Trials in Children, Adolescents, and Adults.Journal of child and adolescent psychopharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- Genome-wide meta-analysis, functional genomics and integrative analyses implicate new risk genes and therapeutic targets for anxiety disorders.Nature human behaviour · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy of Silexan in patients with anxiety disorders: a meta-analysis of randomized, placebo-controlled trials.European archives of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy of Agomelatine 25-50 mg for the Treatment of Anxious Symptoms and Functional Impairment in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Three Placebo-Controlled Studies.Advances in therapy · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of Tai Chi and Qigong intervention on anxiety and stress in diabetic and hypertensive Brazilian patients: a randomized controlled trial.Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2025Trial
- Efficacy of Yoga vs Cognitive Behavioral Therapy vs Stress Education for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA psychiatry · 2021Trial
- Article
- Risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality, and suicide attempt in people with anxiety and stress-related disorders: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression analysis of 165 studies.World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) · 2026Article
- Web of Potentials: Neuroactive Components of Spider Venom and Their Emerging Pharmacologic Applications in Neurologic Diseases.BioDrugs : clinical immunotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy · 2026Review
- Benzodiazepine Dependence: Clinical and Molecular Aspects, Preventive Strategies and Therapeutic Approaches.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Anxiolytic Medication Use in Low- Middle- and High-Income Countries: A World Mental Health Surveys Report.Human psychopharmacology · 2026Article
- Benefits and Liabilities of Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs: What We Know and What We Don't Know.Drugs · 2026Review
- Multi-target Mechanisms of Si-Ni-San on Anxious Insomnia: An Example of Network-pharmacology and Molecular Docking Analysis.Current medicinal chemistry · 2025Article
- Article
- Assessment of beliefs and attitudes towards benzodiazepines using machine learning based on social media posts: an observational study.BMC psychiatry · 2024Observational
- Causal relationships between gut microbiota and depression/anxiety disorders: A 2-sample Mendelian randomization study.Medicine · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionGeneralized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a common form of anxiety disorder. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and benzodiazepines (BZs) are the most commonly prescribed medications for GAD, but little is known about the relative efficacy of these pharmacological treatments. Areas covered: This study provides a meta-analytic review of the efficacy of these medications in the treatment of adults with GAD. A comprehensive literature search yielded 54 articles reporting 56 unique studies with 12,655 participants treated with either pill placebo (6,191 participants), SSRIs (16 trials, 2,712 participants), SNRIs (17 trials, 2,603 participants), or BZs (23 trials, 1,149 participants). The overall combined effect size was modest to moderate (Hedges' g = 0.37, p < 0.0001). Effect sizes decreased significantly over time. SSRIs (Hedges' g = 0.33) and SNRIs (Hedges' g = 0.36) demonstrated significantly lower effect sizes than BZs (Hedges' g = 0.50). These findings were not due to differences in treatment length or publication year. Expert opinion: The results of this study suggest that the most common forms of pharmacotherapy for adult GAD are moderately effective, with BZs being the most effective drug.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.