Pharmacological treatments for generalised anxiety disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Antidepressants had a larger evidence base than buspirone in this comparison — what made buspirone the better fit for me?
Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. how we score evidence
In a network meta-analysis of 89 trials covering 25,441 patients with generalized anxiety, buspirone was more effective than placebo and well tolerated, but that finding rested on smaller samples than the evidence for antidepressants such as duloxetine, venlafaxine, and escitalopram.
Worth asking
Antidepressants had a larger evidence base than buspirone in this comparison — what made buspirone the better fit for me?
What it is FDA approved for
Read off the label. Trial duration and approval year are shown only where they were recorded — never inferred.
- Management of anxiety disorders or the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety
Source
Pharmacological treatments for generalised anxiety disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis — Slee A, et al. (2019)
Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
Read the source: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31793-8
DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31793-8
How this was scored
- Study design
- Meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Funding
- No external funding
- Published in
- Top-tier peer-reviewed journal
- Sample size
- 25,441
- 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 "gold standard". Top of the evidence hierarchy, independently funded. It scores 95 out of 100 on our published rubric. 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?
Pharmacological treatments for generalised anxiety disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis — Slee A, et al. (2019). Published in: Top-tier peer-reviewed journal. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31793-8. 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: Meta-analysis of randomised trials. Funding: No external 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 buspirone (Buspar), buspar FDA approved?
Yes — FDA approved for Management of anxiety disorders or the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety. 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.