Anxiety Medication - Stopping Anxiety Medication

Medicines effectively help to relieve mental anxiety and depression. Anxiety is a state of mind in which people constantly anticipate something bad. This psychological disorder requires special attention when it starts to affect the normal daily life of a person. Anxiety or depression is usually considered a psychological disorder showing certain physical symptoms. Modern research and studies find that brain biochemistry is an important factor contributing to this state of mind.

Treatment of anxiety and depression is generally based on the nature of the anxiety. Normally, there are six different types of anxieties like panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, simple phobias, posttraumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Diagnosis of the disorders is mostly based on the physical symptoms. Several assessing questionnaires have been developed for the assessment of this disease.

Anxiolytic medicines are a common and effective remedy suggested by physicians. Benzodiazepine is a common anti depressant and anti anxiety medicine. Beta blockers such as propanolol are very much effective in treating some mental disorders. To treat general anxiety disorders Lorazepam (Ativan), Diazepam (Valium) and alprazolam (Xanax) are also commonly used medicines. Azipirones like Buspirone are used to treat generalized depression and anxiety disorders (GAD). Triavil, Etrafon, and Limbitrol are the medicines used to treat panic attacks. Clomipramine is prescribed for compulsive and obsessive disorders. Inderol is recommended by the physician for symptoms of phobias.

Some common antidepressant medicines are also effective for curing anxiety disorders. Selective serotonin uptake inhibitors such as sertraline, paroxetine, fuoxetine, fluvoxamine, and citalopram are anxiolytic. Tranylcypromine and isoprocarboxazid are also some of the common monoamine oxidase inhibitors used to control anxiety disorders. Phenelzine is popularly used in cases of panic disorder and social phobias. Medication for treatment of anxiety actually helps rectify chemical imbalances. Medicines should be consumed only under the guidance of an expert physician. People should be wary of the various side effects of antidepressant medicines. Some medicines for anxiety attack develop a self-tolerance requiring a continuous increase in dosage.

Benzodiazepines of high potency are known to improve symptoms of anxiety disorder very quickly. Drowsiness is one of the few common side effects that are exhibited by this genre of drug. These medicines are only prescribed for short durations, as their continued usage is known to make the body develop a tolerance for them, necessitating use of higher doses every time. Panic or anxiety disorder is an exception where in this type of medication is used for a period from six months to a year. These genres of medicines are also found to be addictive and hence are not recommended for patients who have a history of dependence.

Azipirones are a new class of medicines that are the latest entry in treatment of anxiety. Buspirone (BuSpar) is a well known brand name of this drug in the market, though it brings a few side effects such as nausea, dizziness, and headaches, and also takes a longer time, at least two weeks, to achieve the anti-anxiety effect. Propanolol is a type of Beta-blocker used in case of heart conditions, is also found to be effective on anxiety disorders.

• John Palsson
• 26/02/2009, 2:59 AM
• 0 Comments