Medications and drugs to treat anxiety may be especially helpful for people whose anxiety is greatly interfering with their daily lives. Medications including Benzodiazepines, Anti-depressants, Tricyclics and Beta-blockers are used to control and relive some of the physical and mental symptoms associated with anxiety.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines are a class of medications that are often used to treat anxiety disorders such as general anxiety disorder (GAD). They are commonly referred to as “tranquilizers” due to the calming effect they produce on the brain. Benzodiazepines work by affecting the way in which neurotransmitters transmit messages to the certain parts of the brain. Benzodiazepine drugs are most commonly prescribed to ease the symptoms of anxiety and insomnia. They are only prescribed for a short period of time, usually 2 to 4 weeks, due to their addictive nature. Benzodiazepines gradually loose their effect as the body and brain develop a tolerance to the drug.

Examples of Benzodiazepines include:

• Diazepam (Valium)
• Lorazepam (Ativan)
• Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
• Oxazepam
• Temazepam
• Nitrazepam
• Flurazepam
• Loprazolam
• Lormetazepam
• Clobazam
• Clonazepam

How effective are Benzodiazepines?
Initially Benzodiazepines can be very effective at easing the symptoms of anxiety. Benzodiazepines do very little to remove any underlying cause of anxiety, however, if your symptoms are eased, you may be able to cope better with any problems.

Benzodiazepines are most effective in situations where anxiety or sleeping difficulty is expected to last only a short while. Benzodiazepines cannot be taken on a long term basis so do not provide a suitable longer term solution for treating anxiety. They also produce side effects including drowsiness.

Anti-depressants | SSRI

Antidepressant medicines are commonly prescribed to treat depression and anxiety. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are a class of anti depressants which are commonly used to treat conditions such as social phobia, social anxiety disorder and general anxiety disorder. Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) are also another form of antidepressant’s which can be used to help calm the symptoms of anxiety.
Examples of Anti-depressants used to treat anxiety include:

• Citalopram (Celexa)
• Escitalopram (Lexapro, Lexipro)
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Venlafaxine (Effexor)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac)

How effective are Anti-depressants | SSRI ‘s?
Antidepressants do not work straight away; in fact it can take between two to four weeks before their effect builds up. A common problem is that some people stop the medicine after a week or so as they feel that it is doing no good. Unlike Benzodiazepines, SSRI’s and other antidepressants are not usually addictive so can be safely taken for a longer period of time.

Tricyclics

Tricyclics are a class of drugs that are older than SSRIs and have been shown to work well for most anxiety disorders other than obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These drugs can cause typical side effects including drowsiness, dry mouth, light headedness and a gain in weight.
Tricyclics commonly used to treat anxiety include:

• Imipramine (Tofranil)
• Clomipramine (Anafranil)

Beta blockers

Beta blockers such as Propranolol (Inderal) are used to ease the physical symptoms of anxiety. Like other medications these help control the short term physical effects anxiety can cause but do not cure the underlying causes of the anxiety disorder or phobia. Fortunately, Betablockers are not addictive, and do not cause the side effects which are commonly associated with other treatments such as drowsiness. For this reason Beta blockers can be taken as required and are often the favoured treatment for anxiety disorders.

Other medications to treat anxiety

Buspirone
Is used to ease the symptoms of conditions such as GAD. Buspirone usually takes up to 2 weeks to begin to work. Common side effects of Buspirone include nausea, headache and dizziness. The dosage is usually built up over a period of 2 to 3 weeks to help prevent the patient from experiencing these side effects.

Pregabalin
Pregabalin is primarily used to treat epilepsy but is also occasionally used to treat conditions such as General Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

Hydroxyzine
An antihistamine which is sometimes used to help treat the symptoms associated with anxiety. Hydroxyzine can cause feelings of tiredness and drowsiness.

Non-prescription Alternatives for Anxiety

There are many non prescription medications which can be used to help ease the physical effects of anxiety. Some alternative herbal remedies for anxiety include:

• Kava Kava
• 5-HTP
• Valieran Root
• SAM-E

Supplemental vitamins and minerals and herbal remedies for anxiety will not completely treat anxiety but some of shown significant clinical success in helping to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and are clearly worth some consideration.