Medications for Anxiety-You Won’t Even Believe It
What in the world can sufferers of unrelenting panic attacks, generalized anxiety attacks, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder do to restore sanity to their lives! If you are one of the 40 million or so Americans who fit any one of those categories, stay with us to find some answers. Even in this very first paragraph we are offering you hope, information, and direction.
Please understand that anxiety medications are not a cure – but are used most effectively with the cognitive/behavioral therapy or the other interventions we have mentioned. The medication, when introduced at the beginning of therapy, reduces the symptoms so that you may respond to the therapy more aggressively. All medications should be administered under the careful watch of your physician, and all directions should be carefully followed. And do not, by your own volition, abruptly stop taking the medication. Incidentally, all the information explaining the various anxiety medications are from the ADAA; so although it is abbreviated here, it is accurate.
We’ll begin our descriptions of the medications for anxiety by reminding you of beta blockers, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety drugs. Then we’ll zoom in on the newest line of antidepressants which you already know: these three SSRIs are Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. They are prescribed to treat generalized anxiety and social anxiety, panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. How do they do it? They act by altering the serotonin level in the brain, which lowers the level of anxiety.
Another class of antidepressants is called TCA or Tricylic antidepressants and these medications for anxiety are called Anafranil, Vivactil, and Doxeprin which impact the anxiety in basically the same way that the SSRIs do for the same forms of anxiety except for the social anxiety disorders.
Finally, the MAOI which are the first or the oldest of the antidepressants are Marplan, Nardil and Parnate, and are classified as inhibitors, because they work by blocking or inhibiting the influence of an important brain enzyme. The MAOI are generally prescribed by doctors in the treatment of panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder.
Again, we recommend that before beginning any treatment including medication, you consult your doctor concerning both the benefits and the side effects of each of these drugs. There are other medical interventions such as beta-blockers and anti anxiety medication that are effective in relieving the symptoms of anxiety, but are usually short term treatment, and also carry some unpleasant side effects such as dependency and withdrawal symptoms.
As with all of us under medication of any sort, a common fear is one of being over-medicated to the extent of becoming addicted. Although this fear could certainly be realized due to careless oversight of what is happening with your anxiety medications, it doesn’t have to be. Both you and your doctor are responsible for seeing that side effects of the medications used are properly monitored and that the correct medications have been prescribed.
Hopefully this insight into medications for anxiety has been helpful and perhaps has given you a brighter perspective by knowing that anxiety disorders are definitely treatable by all the newest anxiety interventions now available to all who need them. May you be renewed in your quest for good health, physically and spiritually, and may you find it.
Related Reading:
- Why Using Drug Treatments For Panic and Anxiety Disorders Is Not A Good Choice
Drug treatments are common for panic and anxiety disorders and can be very useful in managing both the often debilitating symptoms of the condition, as well as managing the stress that may... - Why Social Anxiety Disorder Treatment Is A Must
Social anxiety is a mental condition, which induces intense fear of situations or issues which might call for social interaction or performance before people. Few basic symptoms that this anxiety activities are... - Generalized Anxiety Disorder – How To Protect Yourself
Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the most common anxiety disorders people experience. The anxiety disorder is an umbrella term for several different types of abnormal, alleviating anxiety, fear, phobia and nervousness... - The Reasons Behind Anxiety Attacks
Studies show that anxiety hits the female population more than males. This article will delve into the details why this is so and how this affects the mental health of those affected...
