Therapeutic options: Addressing the current dilemma

The main therapy for the symptomatic management of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is pharmacotherapy, although comprehensive management methods also include psychotherapeutic interventions. Traditionally, treatments including anxiolytics and antidepressants have been used in GAD management, but prescribing physicians have more recently moved towards using selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Indeed, newer medicines have been shown to be as effective as older treatments, but with improved safety and tolerability. Although the best way to treat GAD has yet to be established, these patients clearly need long-term supervision. Ideally, physicians should prescribe treatment with the purpose of ultimately eliminating symptoms and reestablishing normal function. To achieve this goal, physicians need a more effective, faster acting, safer, and better tolerated drug than the many existing GAD treatments. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. and ECNR All rights reserved.