Rickels 2000.

Methods	Study design: Randomised controlled trial Study grouping: Parallel group Blinding: Double Duration: 11 to 13 weeks Single‐centre
Participants	Baseline characteristics No significant differences between the groups; only data for the combined participant group reported: Male, N (%): 59 (55) Age, mean (SD): 48 (14) Months of benzodiazepine use, mean (SD): 102 (92) Inclusion criteria: Participants were required to have a diagnosis of generalised anxiety disorder according to DSM‐III‐R, to be at least 21 years old, and to have been taking diazepam, lorazepam, or alprazolam in therapeutic doses continuously for the past 12 months. Exclusion criteria: Panic disorder diagnosis Pretreatment: No significant group differences
Interventions	Intervention characteristics Benzodiazepine taper schedule: 4‐week stabilisation phase, 4‐ to 6‐week taper phase: 25% reduction per week, 5‐week benzodiazepine‐free phase, the experimental drug continued for the first 3 weeks of the benzodiazepine‐free phase Benzodiazepine taper schedule + imipramine 180 mg/d(N = 23) Benzodiazepine taper schedule + buspirone 38 mg/d(N = 28) Benzodiazepine taper schedule + placebo(N = 24)
Outcomes	Benzodiazepine cessation Non‐serious adverse events Discontinuation due to adverse events Serious adverse events
Identification	Sponsorship source: Supported by NIMH grant MH‐08957. Dr Greenblatt was supported by NIMH grant MH‐34223 and grant DA‐05258 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The medications used were provided by Bristol‐Myers Squibb CNS Group, Wallingford, CT. Country: USA Setting: Outpatients Declarations of interest: Not mentioned Authors name: Karl Rickels Institution: Mood and Anxiety Disorders Section, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Email: krickels@mail.med.upenn.edu Address: University Science Center, 3600 Market St., Suite 803, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Notes	Adverse events not reported appropriately for a meta‐analysis. We selected only the imipramine versus placebo comparison for this meta‐analysis because we did not consider it relevant to combine the experimental intervention groups into a single group (cf. Cochrane Handbook 16.5.4 on how to include multiple groups from 1 study).
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Comment: Not described
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Comment: Not described
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Quote: "Medication was prepared double blind in identical capsules containing either 5 mg buspirone, 25 mg imipramine, or placebo" Comment: Sufficiently done
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Comment: Not described
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Comment: Not clearly described
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	Comment: Probably not, relevant outcome measures
Other bias	Low risk	Comment: No other sources of bias evident.