Another important study compared mindfulness meditation to a regimen of Lexapro (a popular anti-anxiety medication).
276 adults with a diagnosed anxiety disorder from 3 urban academic medical centers in the US were recruited for the study, and 208 of them completed it.

All participants suffered from anxiety in some form. They all had a current primary diagnosis of either generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, or agoraphobia, as determined by diagnostic interviews performed by trained clinicians. Some participants were given a course of meditation, and some participated in a structured 8-week mindfulness class.

The results showed that mindfulness meditation practice was as effective as medication in reducing anxiety. Although reductions in anxiety were not significantly different in either group, there were far fewer side effects from mindfulness meditation, as you can see on the slide.