Table 1.

Pharmacotherapies used in the off-label treatment of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), except where otherwise stated

Class	Abbreviation	Important example(s)	Approved for use in GAD (market(s)) [38]	Efficacy/tolerability
Anticonvulsants	–	Pregabalin	Yes (EU, ROW)a	Pregabalin considered a second-line option [1]
		Tiagabine	No
Azapirones	–	Buspirone	No	May be less effective than BZD despite good tolerability profile
Benzodiazepines	BZD	Alprazolam	Yes (USA)	Efficacious; significant adverse events
		Lorazepam	No
Melatonin receptor agonists	MRA	Agomelatine	No	Efficacy data available; good tolerability profile
Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressants	NaSSA	Mirtazapine	No	Limited data available
Norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitors	NDRI	Bupropion	No	Limited data available
First-generation antipsychotics	FGA	Trifluoperazine	No	Withdrawn from US market
Second-generation antipsychotics	SGA	Quetiapine	No	Not approved for use in GAD because of adverse events
Serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors	SNRI	Desvenlafaxine	No	SSRIs and SNRIs considered first-line agents for GAD; each agent has specific adverse event profile
		Duloxetine	Yes (USA, ROW)b
		Venlafaxine	Yes (China, Europe, UK, USA, ROW)c
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors	SSRI	Escitalopram	Yes (USA, EU)
		Fluoxetine	No
		Sertraline	No
		Vortioxetine	No
Tricyclic antidepressants	TCA	Amitriptyline	No	Efficacious, but disadvantageous adverse event profiles
		Imipramine	No
		Nortriptyline	No

EU European Union, GAD generalised anxiety disorder, ROW rest of world, UK United Kingdom, USA United States

^aArgentina, Brazil, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine

^bArgentina, Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand

^cCanada, Ireland, various South American countries