Medications for Anxiety-Its Unbelievable
Robert Allen Byrnes
With so many people in the United States suffering with anxiety disorders, the rush is on to find more effective treatments for their discomfort. And medication is the first place they look. Medications for anxiety combined with other therapies are the foremost interventions used today. We'll be looking at the medications available for the various anxiety disorders, how to properly use them and what they can or cannot do.
Let me warn you, these tongue-twisting names may floor you, but just remember, it's what they do for you, not their difficulty in pronouncing that counts. Our purpose is not to impress you with our medical knowledge, but to help you make important decisions about your health aided by information from the ADAA. We begin with these cautionary reminders: anxiety medications do not cure, they reduce symptoms basically so that other therapies may be administered; they should be used only with your doctor's permission and care; and it is not for you to abruptly decide to stop any of the medications for anxiety, you do that at the direction of your doctor.
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.
There is still another class of antidepressants labeled the MAOI that work by blocking an important brain enzyme. You will find the drugs Nardil, Marplan and Parnate in this category of antidepressants which are prescribed generally for the disorders of panic, social anxiety, and posttraumatic stress.
Although the SSRIs is the only group federally approved, they all have generic equivalents on the market. All antidepressants are prescribed with dosage strength based on the specific requirements of each individual. Your doctor and your pharmacist should be fully informed of the possible side effects of each drug and should inform you of that info as well. Other short term interventions are also available. Research them carefully before using.
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.
I hope by reading this article, your fears have been somewhat allayed, you understand that there are treatments available just for you, both through the use of medications for anxiety and psychotherapy and that you can be on the way to peace of mind and freedom from anxiety.
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