Fluoxetine for the treatment of childhood anxiety disorders

To assess the efficacy and tolerability of fluoxetine for the acute treatment of children and adolescents with generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and/or social phobia.

Anxious youths (7-17 years old) who had significant functional impairment were randomized to fluoxetine (20 mg/day) (n = 37) or placebo (n = 37) for 12 weeks.

Fluoxetine was effective in reducing the anxiety symptoms and improving functioning in all measures. Using intent-to-treat analysis, 61% of patients taking fluoxetine and 35% taking placebo showed much to very much improvement. Despite this improvement, a substantial group of patients remained symptomatic. Fluoxetine was well tolerated except for mild and transient headaches and gastrointestinal side effects. Youths with social phobia and generalized anxiety disorder responded better to fluoxetine than placebo, but only social phobia moderated the clinical and functional response. Severity of the anxiety at intake and positive family history for anxiety predicted poorer functioning at the end of the study.

Fluoxetine is useful and well tolerated for the acute treatment of anxious youths. Investigations regarding the optimization of treatment to obtain full anxiety remission and the length of treatment necessary to prevent recurrences are warranted.