Anxiety medications

Anxiety medications can be very useful for treating anxiety disorders if used in combination with other therapies such as cognitive-behavior therapy. One needs to have an honest discussion with their physicians along with an ongoing evaluation process while taking anxiety medications. Anxiety medications though extremely useful in treating a variety of symptoms including, panic attacks, worry and difficulty concentrating, they often have their limitations. Anxiety medications alone are not sufficient to resolve all these symptoms of an anxiety disorder.

Along with medication people suffering from anxiety disorders need either individual or group psychotherapy treatment. Anxiety medications are known to work only if taken in the manner instructed by your physician. You should provide your doctor all the information about any other medication that you may be taking. This could include any dietary supplement or over-the-counter medication. When your doctor prescribes a particular medication you should make sure that get all the information that you need. This includes information on you developing any possible side effects also. Find out from your doctor on whether you need to stop in case of them. The common side effects of taking anxiety medications include nausea, stomach upset, headaches, sexual side effects and dizziness. Just in case you are not sure of any symptom after having the medication you should immediately get in touch with your doctor.

When it comes to anxiety medications, Benzodiazepines are perhaps the most commonly prescribed drugs. Benzodiazepines include drugs such as Valium and Xanax. Usually these fast -acting drugs start taking effect within an hour or sometimes even less. The most common side effects of these drugs include fatigue, drowsiness and coordination problems. Often these drugs can cause tolerance and dependence issues. These drugs have the potential for abuse too. In some cases withdrawal problems are also found. Doctors often advise a structured program of gradual withdrawal for these reasons. Some of the withdrawal symptoms may include shakiness, dizziness, fever, seizures or sometimes psychosis.

Antidepressants such as MAOIs are also often used for treating anxiety disorders. These drugs can have certain serious side effects and therefore are to be used only in consulting with a physician. Yet another type of antidepressant is the SSRI which is also prescribed for anxiety disorders. The side effects of these drugs are known to be less severe.

Azapirones are another category of medication used for treating anxiety disorders. One can find them being sold under the brand name 'Buspar'. They are known to be slow actin when compared with the other drugs such as Benzodiazepines. They are also not known to cause any sedative effect as in the case with other drugs.

There are other anxiety medications such as beta-blockers that are also widely prescribed for treating anxiety disorders. For those who are taking these anxiety medications it is often reiterated that no matter what medication they are taking, it is not the complete solution for their problem. These medicines are to give temporary relief from acute symptoms. A combination of anxiety medications along with psychiatric treatment holds the key for complete recovery from anxiety disorders.

One can find a lot of valuable information on the various types of anxiety medications that are available in the market, over the internet. You can also learn a lot about the benefits and commonly occurring side-effects of these medications at online sources.

The Use Of Anti Anxiety Medication

In our busy lives it's very easy to ignore any situation that's unpleasant or even uncomfortable. However what should you do if suddenly you become anxious without any known cause? There are people who become housebound due to their fear of being in crowded places or even open places where they might become vulnerable to the terror of panic attacks. It's for situations like these, that anti Anxiety medication is prescribed by doctors.

As there's a large amount of anti anxiety meds available you might think that any one of these will be suitable to reduce your feelings of anxiety. However, even though many of these anti anxiety medications will work to a degree, certain types of medications will work best with the particular mental disorder that closely matches their chemical criteria.

For instance Benzodiazepine is an anti anxiety medication that has an almost instant reaction in the body. You can take this medication 30 to 60 minutes before going into a stressful situation. For people who have acute but infrequent anxiety attacks Benzodiazepine is the best anti anxiety medicine to take. However due to it's addictive nature it's best not to use Benzodiazepines for long term usage. The major side effect of prolonged use is that of seizures should you stop taking the medication abruptly.

Another type of anti anxiety medication used is that of SSRIs or serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors. These belong in the class of antidepressant drugs. These SSRIs are very popular due to their low addiction levels, their mild side effects and the fact that they can bring down the feelings of acute anxiety. SSRIs work by maximizing the natural levels of serotonin in the brain.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that can affect your moods. By taking an anti anxiety medication like Paxil, serotonin is inhibited from being reabsorbed by the body. Therefore more serotonin is produced to be used when it is necessary. The side effects are mild ranging from a dry mouth to sleepiness. If you desire quick results you shouldn't take any SSRIs as they need 2 to 6 weeks to infiltrate your system before you would notice any significant improvement.

There's also the anti anxiety medication dopamine agonists, which increases the levels of dopamine in the brain. Like SSRIs dopamine agonists take a few weeks to show relief from anxiety. The side effects of this class of drugs, includes insomnia and extreme excitedness amongst others. The last type of anti anxiety medication that is currently being used is that of Buspar. This drug is a mild anti anxiety medication that has little to no reporting of addiction usage. Like SSRIs and dopamine agonists discussed earlier, Buspar takes a while for its medical properties to take effect.

As with anything else these medications can help you to restore some semblance of normality to your life, but as with all drugs and treatments you should first talk with a trained medical practitioner who can help you in choosing the best anti anxiety medication for you.