Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have completed a three-month study and found that the antidepressant Lexapro significantly improved symptoms in older adults with generalized anxiety disorder. Their study was published in the January 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

 

Lexapro (known generically as escitalopram) belongs to a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are believed to be safer. This kind of drugs is used to treat generalized anxiety disorder in older adults. This is one of the few studies to examine this class of drugs. Lead author of the study Eric J. Lenze, an associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University, said that a combination of an SSRI and psychotherapy may provide more advantage.

 

“Although the medicine did help, the overall benefit is modest. This is not a cure-all. It doesn’t mean older adults shouldn’t take this medicine for an anxiety disorder; it means that medication alone won’t be sufficient,” he said.

 

For the study, Lenze and his colleagues tested Lexapro in 177 adults 60 and older suffering from general anxiety disorder. The condition is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in older adults. They experience chronic worry and anxiety and other problems such as muscle tension, sleep disturbance, hot flashes, headaches, trembling and fatigue. For many years, doctors have treated anxiety in older adults with either sedatives as Roche Holding AG’s Valium (diazepam) or Pfizer Inc.’s Xanax (alprazolam) or no treatment at all. But these drugs pose serious threats on older adults, Lenze said. They might impair thinking ability or lead to falls.

 

For twelve weeks, the participants in the study were randomly assigned to Lexapro or a placebo. The researchers found that 69 percent of those taking Lexapro had lower anxiety levels compared with 51 percent of those taking a placebo. Also, those on Lexapro had greater improvement in functioning, activity and social functioning. Furthermore, there was a significant decrease in blood pressure in people with high blood pressure taking the drug, which “may suggest some additional health-related benefits of getting treatment for anxiety in this age group,” Lenze said.

 

Although the researchers tested only Lexapro, Lenze said the benefits would extend to all antidepressants known as SSRIs. Side effects of the drug included fatigue or sleepiness, sleep disturbance and urinary symptoms. Lenze is currently studying its long-term effects and is also studying the drug in combination with a type of talk therapy called cognitive behavioral therapy.

 

Lexapro is made by Forest Laboratories Inc., which supplied the drug for the study. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the John A. Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Psychiatry, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.