Medicine for Anxiety and Other Coping Strategies

Those younger than 25 should be carefully watched for signs of suicidal thinking, especially at the beginning of treatment or when dosages are changed. This includes experiencing increased depression, agitation, irritability, suicidality, and unusual changes in behavior. Benzodiazepines can help treat anxiety short-term, on an as-needed basis, but aren’t recommended for long-term use due to an increased risk of dependence.

Sectral (acebutolol), Tenormin (atenolol), Inderal LA (propranolol), are a few beta-blockers. Common side effects include weight gain, fatigue, and cold hands and feet. They help reduce your heart rate and blood pressure by blocking the effects of epinephrine, a stimulant that your body naturally produces. Beta-blockers can help control trembling, sweating, and other physical symptoms of anxiety. Several herbal remedies have been studied as a treatment for anxiety, but more research is needed to understand the risks and benefits.

Together, you and your mental health professional can work toward developing customized coping strategies. In people who experience anxiety as a result of magnesium deficiency, adding a magnesium supplement may help reduce symptoms. If you have anxiety, medication can help because the medicines used for anxiety alter the chemicals in your body and brain, reducing symptoms, and often helping you calm down and focus on other things. Other approaches to symptom relief, such as counseling and developing relaxation techniques, can also reduce your anxiety. SSRIs work by increasing the amount of signaling between neurons that use a chemical called serotonin to communicate with each other. Currently available SSRIs include Prozac (fluoxetine), Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Zoloft (sertraline), Paxil (paroxetine), and Luvox (fluvoxamine).

SNRIs

These medications must be prescribed by a doctor, and often by a psychiatrist. However, you may need to see a mental health specialist if you have severe anxiety. A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions.

Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs)

As with any condition, finding the right treatments may involve some trial and error. It’s completely natural to need to adjust your dose or switch meds to find the right ones for you. If you take these meds as prescribed by your doctor, you can minimize your chances of complications. If you have any questions, you can reach out to your doctor or pharmacist.

A healthcare professional can help you find the best course of treatment for your anxiety. Benzodiazepines are typically used for short-term treatment of anxiety. This is because they can increase drowsiness and cause problems with balance and memory. Anxiety medications are an effective way to treat your anxiety, but it’s important to take them as prescribed and keep your doctor informed of any side effects or reactions you might have. When taken as prescribed, anti-anxiety medications are generally safe. SNRIs are frequently prescribed for all kinds of anxiety disorders, and their side effects are very similar to those of SSRIs.

Buspirone (BuSpar) is typically used to treat generalized anxiety disorder. Some additional disadvantages of SSRIs are that that they take 4-to-6 weeks to reach maximum efficacy and certain SSRIs can cause uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms if stopped abruptly. For individuals with bipolar disorder, SSRIs may trigger a manic episode; for this reason, they are given to these patients with a mood stabilizer. There is also some evidence that SSRIs may increase the risk of suicide among younger patients. Research has found that among people who take benzodiazepines for longer than six months, 40% will experience moderate to severe withdrawal symptoms.

Anxiolytics (also termed anti-anxiety or anti-panic drugs) are medications that are used to treat a health condition called anxiety. The type of anxiety that requires treatment is called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This disorder causes excessive worry and anxiety, significant distress, and affects the ability for a person to function. Moreover, the symptoms of anxiety occur on most days for at least six months.

Teen Depression

Currently, trifluoperazine is the only antipsychotic medication with approval from the FDA for treating anxiety disorders. Generally, doctors only recommend antipsychotics for anxiety disorders when other treatments have been ineffective. Medications can help relieve symptoms of anxiety, but they are often most effective when used along with psychotherapy. It is less sedating than many of the other commonly used anti-anxiety medications, and it is non-addictive and has a low risk of overdose. Possible side effects include dizziness, headache, nervousness, and trouble sleeping. Medications may be prescribed on-label (meaning they are FDA approved to treat a specific condition) or off-label (meaning they have not been FDA-approved for a particular condition).

Also known as talk therapy or psychological counseling, psychotherapy involves working with a therapist to reduce your anxiety symptoms. SSRIs are considered the first-line treatment for anxiety disorders and often have fewer adverse effects than other medications. They’re also used off-label to help relieve the physical symptoms of anxiety, especially in benzofree.org social anxiety disorder. Buspirone is used to treat both short-term anxiety and chronic (long-lasting) anxiety disorders. It’s not fully understood how buspirone works, but it’s thought to affect chemicals in the brain, like serotonin, that regulate mood. Certain anti-anxiety medications — particularly antidepressants — can potentially have serious side effects when you first start them.