Escitalopram for older adults with generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled trial
For older adults this trial saw real but modest benefit and frequent drowsiness - does my age change the dose or the timing of when I take escitalopram?
Well-supported by good-quality research. how we score evidence
Caveat on this rating: NIH-funded, but Forest Laboratories (escitalopram's patent holder) supplied the study drug and placebo, and several authors disclosed industry relationships.
In 177 adults aged 60 and over with generalized anxiety disorder, 69% responded to escitalopram within 12 weeks versus 51% on placebo in the primary analysis, with fatigue and sleepiness the most common side effect (about 41%).
Worth asking
For older adults this trial saw real but modest benefit and frequent drowsiness - does my age change the dose or the timing of when I take escitalopram?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Major depressive disorder (adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older)
- Generalized anxiety disorder (adults and pediatric patients 7 years and older)
Source
Escitalopram for older adults with generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled trial — Lenze EJ, et al. (2009)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2008.977
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2008.977
How this was scored
- Study design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Funding
- Mixed public and industry funding
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 177
- Preregistered
- Yes
- Conflicts disclosed
- Yes
- Independent of proponent
- not recorded
- Retracted
- No
Read the full scoring rubric, including what it can't tell you.
Published August 19, 2026.
Questions
How strong is the evidence behind this?
Resolv rates this source "strong evidence". Well-supported by good-quality research. It scores 74 out of 100 on our published rubric. One caveat travels with that badge: NIH-funded, but Forest Laboratories (escitalopram's patent holder) supplied the study drug and placebo, and several authors disclosed industry relationships. The score is calculated from recorded facts about the source — study design, funding, publication venue, sample size, preregistration — not typed in by an editor.
What is the source for this?
Escitalopram for older adults with generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled trial — Lenze EJ, et al. (2009). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1001/jama.2008.977. The full source is linked on this page so you can read it yourself.
Who paid for this research, and does that matter?
Study design: Randomised controlled trial. Funding: Mixed public and industry funding. Independence from the proponent is not recorded. Industry sponsorship is one of the most reliably measured biases in medicine, which is why funding carries real weight in the score rather than sitting in a footnote.
Is escitalopram (Lexapro, Cipralex), lexapro, cipralex FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Major depressive disorder (adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older), Generalized anxiety disorder (adults and pediatric patients 7 years and older). Approval is for a specific indication, not for everything the drug is prescribed for.
Is this medical advice?
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
This is information to bring to your prescriber, not medical advice and not a reason to change anything on your own. Nothing here is an instruction to stop or reduce a medication. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.