Anxiety Medicine

The administration of any form of anxiety medicine should be done at the doctor’s recommendation and under close medical observation. The thing is that tranquilizers or anti-anxiety drugs don’t represent a treatment for the panic disorder in itself, they only alleviate or eliminate the symptoms. The side effects of various anxiety medicine types are very serious varying from mouth dryness, nausea and weight gain to depression with suicidal tendencies, hallucinations and other impairments of the central nervous system. Among the most common categories of anti-anxiety medication we ought to mention the traditional benzodiazepines, the antidepressants and the beta-blockers.

An anxiety medicine such as the well-known Valium falls in the benzodiazepine category together with drugs like Xanax or Klonopin. The problem with this kind of medication is the fact that they cause physical addiction even after a few weeks of administration. The reduction of the usage period and caution measures are the only way of staying on the safe side during administration. Antidepressants are in fact the anxiety medication with the lowest addictive potential. However, antidepressants are not free of side effects either as they can increase the panic disorder on certain occasions, causing agitation, hostility and even suicidal thoughts.

Normally administered for the treatment of hypertension, beta-blockers sometimes become a good anxiety medication. Their use for the treatment of panic disorders is explained by their reduction of the stress hormone secretion that triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response. Many of the symptoms specific to panic attacks can be kept under control by means of such an anxiety medicine, yet, the most common conditions treated like this include social phobia cases as well as performance anxiety. Do not use beta-blockers or any other form of medication lightly or without medical recommendation because of the risk of side effects.

Consequently, the choice of the anxiety medicine belongs to the doctor who is familiar with the patient’s condition and medical history as well. Plus, only a doctor can tell how much good such pills will do to one’s condition. Some specialists will not even prescribe drugs but rather go for therapy for treating the panic attacks and ending the vicious cycle of anxiety. In fact psychotherapy represents the only way of approaching this nervous health problem, since medication only alleviates symptoms without bringing good health.

Filed Under: Anxiety