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      • Bipolar Disorder Symptoms | Causes | Diagnosis
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    • Addiction Guide
      • Adderall Guide | Side Effects
      • Alcohol Addiction
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      • How a Substance Abuse Counselor Helps
      • Spirituality in Addiction Treatment  
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      • How can counseling help depression?
      • Treatments for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
    • Bipolar Disorder
      • Bipolar Disorder: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment
      • Is bipolar disorder genetic and triggered later on?
      • Is cognitive therapy effective for bipolar disorder?
    • Children & Adolescents Guide
      • 10 Warning Signs of Teenage Mental Illness
      • Munchausen Syndrome
      • How Does Social Media Affect Teenagers’ Mental Health?
      • Oppositional Defiant Disorder
      • Spotting Types of Depression in Children
      • Teen Suicide
      • Top Tips For Parents
      • Video Game Therapy for ADHD
      • What is a Residential Mental Health Facility for Teenagers Like
      • Why Is Mental Health on the Rise Amongst Teenagers?
    • Is Social Media Ruining Our Self-Esteem? 
    • Mental Health Guide
      • COVID Counseling to Battle Mental Health Issues
      • Guide to Anxiety Medication
      • Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder
      • High Functioning Depression | Signs | Symptoms
      • How Can We Prevent Mental Illness in Youth?
      • How Do You Help Someone with Avoidant Personality?
      • How Does Online Counseling Work for Mental Health?
      • How Can a Mental Health Counselor Help
      • Mental Breakdown
      • Schizoid Personality Disorder
      • Postpartum Depression
      • Types of Mood Disorders
      • The Toll of Grief and How to Cope with It
      • What are The Major Affective Disorders?
      • What Cognitive Psychology Teaches Us About How We Think
      • What Is Clinical Mental Health Counseling
      • What are mental health symptoms you should never ignore?
      • What is Bipolar II Disorder? Symptoms and Treatment
      • What is the Difference Between Manic and Hypomanic?
      • What is schizoaffective disorder?
      • Is seasonal affective disorder (SAD) a mental illness?
      • What is substance induced mood disorder?
      • Is Depression a Permanent Mental Disorder?
      • What is the prognosis for Major Depressive Disorder?
    • Marriage Counseling | Benefits
    • Pandemic Related Issues
      • COVID Counseling to Battle Mental Health Issues
      • Work Stress Post-Pandemic
      • Shocking Growth of Anxiety During the Pandemic
    • Relationship Issues
      • How to deal with toxic relationship?
      • How does a toxic relationship affect your mental health?
      • What is gaslighting in a relationship?
      • What is the best way to help a partner who has trust issues?
      • What’s the best way to work out relationship problems?
      • 10 ways to improve communication in relationships
    • Spirituality in Addiction Treatment  
    • Therapy
      • Can I See a Psychiatrist Without a Referral?
      • DBT Therapy for Adolescents
      • DCBT- Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
      • Deep Brain Stimulation to Treat OCD
      • Do I Need a Referral to See a Therapist?
      • Family Therapy: Definition, Types, Techniques, and Efficacy
      • How Can Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) Help Mental Disorders?
      • EMDR Therapy for Mental Health Conditions
      • Psychiatrist vs. Psychologist
      • Is Therapy Covered by Health Insurance?
      • Psychodynamic Therapy vs CBT
      • Psychotherapy
      • SMART Recovery
      • What Can Psychologists Treat
      • What is Group Therapy
      • What is Internal Family Systems Therapy
      • What Is the Role of the Counselor in Family Therapy
      • What Is Psychoanalysis
    • Trauma Bonding With Intimate Partner Violence
    • Teen Mental Health
      • Can a Minor Go to Therapy Without Parents Permission?
      • Teen Co-Occurring Disorders
      • What are the signs of depression in adolescents?
      • warning signs of suicide in adolescents
      • Mental Health Benefits of Exercise in Teens
      • How is the pandemic affecting mental health in teenagers?
    • Types of Disorder
      • Anti-Social Personality Disorder
      • Autism Spectrum Disorder
      • Avoidant Personality Disorder
      • Bipolar Disorder Symptoms | Causes | Diagnosis
      • Diagnosing and Treating an Adjustment Disorder
      • Histrionic Personality Disorder
      • Intermittent Explosive Disorder
      • Paranoid Personality Disorder
    • Veterans Guide
      • Functional Medicine for Military
      • Service Dogs Help Veterans with PTSD
    • Process Addiction
      • Gambling addiction
      • How do you know if you have an addictive personality?
      • What is Impulse-Control Disorder?
      • Process Addiction

Anxiety Medication GUIDE

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in the world. Do medications or natural treatments offer better risk vs reward?

Increased social awareness and acceptance of mental health conditions have led to more people being diagnosed with conditions such as anxiety. The term anxiety covers a wide range of mental health conditions, each with its triggers and symptoms. If you believe that you may have an anxiety condition, it is important to seek a professional diagnosis so that you can be treated properly.  

Depending on the condition, medication may not be the best choice for anxiety. In many situations, anxiety can be managed through other methods, such as relaxation techniques or talk therapy. Some circumstances do require medication, however. You and your doctor must decide which anxiety medication will work best for you. 

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is an umbrella term for several mental health conditions.1 Anxiety can be difficult to diagnose quickly as it often mimics other conditions and has many of the same symptoms as stress. Some indicators of a possible anxiety condition are constant feelings of tension, worry, or intrusive thoughts about everyday things.

It is common for people who have an anxiety disorder to have physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach pain or nausea, difficulty sleeping, increased heart rate, and shortness of breath. In addition, they may experience racing thoughts, feelings of doom, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of inadequacy. 

Anxiety Attack

These feelings may cause an anxiety attack if nothing is done about them. They typically come on after a long period of stress or anxiety and can cause intense feelings of fear, distress, and worry. If you have never experienced an anxiety attack, it can be difficult to isolate the stressor that is causing the reaction.

Anxiety attacks and panic attacks are different. Whereas an anxiety attack happens gradually and usually has a trigger or stressor, a panic attack happens suddenly and often without reason.

Both conditions have similar symptoms which include:

  • Heart palpitations
  • Shortness of breath
  • Tight chest/chest pain
  • Headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Change in appetite
  • Shaking/Trembling      

Beck Anxiety Index

The Beck Anxiety Index is a self-conducted anxiety test given by a medical practitioner that helps diagnose anxiety conditions. This anxiety test asks a series of questions related to the symptoms of anxiety and can be used in conjunction with a physical examination, psychological evaluation, and other medical tests to accurately provide an anxiety diagnosis.2    

Most Common Types of Anxiety

There are five main types of anxiety disorders.3 These include:

  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
  • Panic Disorder
  • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • Social Anxiety Disorder

Of these types, the two most common are social anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder which can both present as high-functioning anxiety and can therefore be difficult to diagnose.   

High Functioning Anxiety

Those with high-functioning anxiety can hide their symptoms and feelings of anxiety, and these individuals can complete most day-to-day tasks without their anxiety hindering them. For some, the anxious feelings cause them to overachieve and outperform their peers which makes it harder to diagnose.     

Risk Factors for Anxiety

There are several risk factors associated with an increased risk of anxiety including:

  • Gender (females are diagnosed nearly twice as often)
  • Family history of anxiety
  • Substance abuse
  • Chronic Illness
  • A traumatic event in the past
  • Cumulative stress buildup     

Anxiety Medication

There are many different types of anti-anxiety medication, but not all medication for anxiety is appropriate for everyone or every disorder. The right anxiety medication will balance the chemicals in a person’s brain which to reduce their symptoms. Some also act as sedatives which help to calm a person’s mind.

Benzodiazepine for Anxiety

One of the most common types of anxiety medications is known as benzodiazepine which includes Xanax, Valium, and Librium. These medications are all sedatives and should only be taken for very severe cases of anxiety, such as panic disorder. They are generally only prescribed for short-term use as they can be very addicting.4    

Benzodiazepine Side Effects

Benzodiazepine has more severe side effects than some other anxiety medications. These effects include drowsiness, balance problems, blurred vision, memory loss, and if use is stopped suddenly seizures.

It is critical to only take this type of medication if you have a severe anxiety condition that other medication has not helped, and only if your doctor recommends it. These types of medications can be very addicting, and their use must be weaned off rather than stopping all at once. Be sure to let your doctor know if you are taking any other medications as they could potentially interact negatively.        

SSRI Antidepressants for Anxiety

SSRIs are one of the most common medications prescribed for anxiety even though they were originally made for depression. Many people with anxiety also have depression, so this medication helps with both symptoms.5

This medication is typically started at a low dose and gradually increased over time until the appropriate dosage is reached. SSRIs increase the levels of serotonin in a person’s brain which affects mood, sleep, memory, and more.

SSRIs are generally preferred for mild to moderate anxiety due to the minimal side effects they cause. Most people do not experience them, but some side effects may include nausea, headaches, dry mouth, drowsiness, and sexual dysfunction. As with other anxiety medications, it is important to not abruptly stop taking SSRIs, but rather to wean off of them slowly.     

Other Anti-Anxiety Medication

  • Buspirone – Is believed to affect the chemicals in a person’s brain that regulate mood. It can take a few weeks to take effect and some people report having strange dreams, difficulty sleeping, headaches, and nausea.
  • Beta-Blockers – Most commonly used to help treat the physical symptoms of anxiety and are typically given to those with social anxiety disorder. They generally do not cause side effects, but some people have reported drowsiness.
  • MAOIs – Generally used to treat panic disorders, they work by increasing neurotransmitters that regulate mood. MAOIs tend to have a much higher amount of side effects associated with them and can interact negatively with some foods and other medications.    

Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Medication may not always be necessary for treating and preventing anxiety.6 In many situations, particularly with high-functioning anxiety or generalized anxiety disorder, there are natural remedies for anxiety that a person can attempt before taking medications.   

Therapies

Talk therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are particularly effective in treating the symptoms of anxiety disorders. Through these types of therapy, a person learns how to recognize their stressors and triggers and may learn how to avoid or prevent them.

In cases where the triggers cannot be avoided, the person will learn how to manage and cope with their anxiety through relaxation and grounding techniques.   

Exercise

Regular low-impact activity can be a very effective form of anxiety relief. Check with your doctor before you begin any exercise regimen. For most people, a daily 30-minute walk is beneficial.  

Yoga and Tai Chi

Calming, relaxing, and engaging, yoga and tai chi are perfect for helping people manage anxiety symptoms. They help develop an awareness and control of one’s body and, in turn, teach people relaxation techniques and deep breathing exercises that help with anxiety.  

Mindfulness and Meditation

Meditation grounds a person and promotes thoughtfulness, breathing, and relaxation, which are beneficial to those with anxiety.  

Resources

  1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961
  2. https://res.cloudinary.com/dpmykpsih/image/upload/great-plains-health-site-358/media/1087/anxiety.pdf
  3. https://www.hhs.gov/answers/mental-health-and-substance-abuse/what-are-the-five-major-types-of-anxiety-disorders/index.html
  4. https://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0401/p2121.html
  5. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/ssris/art-20044825
  6. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/treating-anxiety-without-medication   

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