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Medications for Anxiety-Millions Are Hooked |
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Written by Robert Allen Byrnes
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Tuesday, 29 April 2008 |
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It is almost beyond belief how many people are suffering from anxiety disorders. While statistics may vary,reports are that 40 million people of all ages are in the throes of some form of the various anxiety disorders and are frantically looking for much needed relief. That relief may come with the medications for anxiety, herbal or natural treatments or some sort of therapy such as cognitive/behavioral therapy, relaxation therapy or faith based therapy to name a few. Although this is not intended to be a scholarly analysis of these various medications, our purpose is to give you an enlightening overview of what they are, their use and their effects.
by RobertAllenByrnes
It is almost beyond belief how many people are suffering from anxiety disorders. While statistics may vary,reports are that 40 million people of all ages are in the throes of some form of the various anxiety disorders and are frantically looking for much needed relief. That relief may come with the medications for anxiety, herbal or natural treatments or some sort of therapy such as cognitive/behavioral therapy, relaxation therapy or faith based therapy to name a few. Although this is not intended to be a scholarly analysis of these various medications, our purpose is to give you an enlightening overview of what they are, their use and their effects.
Please understand that anxiety medications are not a cure - but are used most effectively with the cognitive/behavioral therapy or the other interventions we have mentioned. The medication, when introduced at the beginning of therapy, reduces the symptoms so that you may respond to the therapy more aggressively. All medications should be administered under the careful watch of your physician, and all directions should be carefully followed. And do not, by your own volition, abruptly stop taking the medication. Incidentally, all the information explaining the various anxiety medications are from the ADAA; so although it is abbreviated here, it is accurate.
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.
Tricyclics (TCA) are also antidepressants and these medications for anxiety are Sinequan (Doxeprin), Anafranil, and Vivactil, which, like the SSRIs, alter serotonin but also norepinepherine. Social anxiety is missing from the list of disorders treated by TCAs. Of all these classifications, SSRIs are the only ones federally approved; but generic equivalents are available for each of them.
Finally, the MAOI which are the first or the oldest of the antidepressants are Marplan, Nardil and Parnate, and are classified as inhibitors, because they work by blocking or inhibiting the influence of an important brain enzyme. The MAOI are generally prescribed by doctors in the treatment of panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder.
Medications may be part of the therapy process either at the beginning or introduced later if other therapy is not doing the job. And it may be a good option for you, but it's important to understand that medications are effective only if taken according to your doctor's instructions. Please don't neglect to make a list of questions for your doctor, including both long term and short term side effects.
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.
Although this has not been a scholarlyy treatise on medications for anxiety, now you should know that anxiety disorders are very treatable, and should hopefully know a litttle more about what the medications are and how they work. The good news for you anxiety sufferers is that these interventions are very effective in bringing the relief you're seeking.
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