Anxiety medicine (A guide)

In this brief guide, we will be discussing anxiety medicine, treatments for anxiety, the best anxiety medicine, the process of therapy for anxiety, and more information about anxiety medicine.

What is the psychological treatment of anxiety medicines?

Anxiety medicine is a form of psychological where prescribed medications are used to help treat and minimize anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety has been a pandemic around the world recently. 

During this pandemic, wearing masks is crucial for our safety. Masks made out of breathable fabrics offer a viable solution to this problem. That’s why, we’ve made a list of the Best Breathable Face Mask for Anxiety.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders that most people in the world are suffering.

Anxiety medicines can be used to reduce anxiety symptoms and this kind of medication has been used along with psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy is a talking therapy that has been helping people with anxiety to have better-coping skills when faced with distressing situations. This kind of psychological intervention has been effective when used alone without the companion of other psychological interventions such as anxiety medicines. 

Anxiety medicines have been used to minimize and stabilize chronic anxiety symptoms before the person starts psychotherapy.

These kinds of medications are the first line of treatment that affected people should take after their psychological assessment form the therapist.

Also, there are some of these anxiety medicines that may not show any effects on the person who is suffering from chronic anxiety symptoms.

The doctor can make up for this missing piece by finding other anti-anxiety medications that can be good for you.

What are the different types of anxiety medicines?

There are different types of anxiety medicines have been used as treatments for anxiety.

The ADAA has certified the following types of these medicines:

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as anxiety medicines

The doctor may prescribe anxiety medicines to reduce constant anxiety.

Even though selective-serotonin reuptake inhibitors are antidepressant medications, they have been used to treat and are effective against the anxiety symptoms in OCD.

In cases, the doctor sees anxiety medicines as the first line of treatment for people with anxiety as mentioned before.

These kinds of medications work by increasing the flow of serotonin which regulates mood which is lacking in anxiety

Here are some of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for anxiety:

• citalopram or Celexa
• escitalopram or Lexapro
• fluoxetine or Prozac
• fluvoxamine or Luvox
• paroxetine or Paxil
• sertraline or Zoloft
• Buspirone

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors don’t show their effects on anxiety until the end of 2 to 6 weeks but not everyone will get their effects.

This anxiety medicine will be used for a year and not of these medications work best for every patient prescribed with this medication. 

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors cannot make you addictive to them since they are often reported to not create alcohol dependence.

You should always ask permission from your doctor if you are minimizing or stopping your anxiety medicine.

You can learn more about selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors by buying this book on this website.

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors as anxiety medicines

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are another anxiety medicines that are also used to treat depressive symptoms.

These kinds of medications have also been used to treat chronic pain in some affected people.

These anxiety medicines work by increasing the flow of both neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine.

The following medications are in the class of serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors:

• duloxetine or Cymbalta
• venlafaxine or Effexor XR

Like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors take a few weeks to see their effects against anxiety.

Tricyclic antidepressants

Tricyclic antidepressants are the older antidepressant medications and have also been considered as anxiety medicines.

These medications are not usually prescribed due to their appearance side effects aside from selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Tricyclic antidepressants can be effective for some people which doesn’t make them out of the treatment game yet.

Here are some of the medications in this class:

• amitriptyline or Elavil
• imipramine or Tofranil
• nortriptyline or Pamelor

You can learn more about the effects of tricyclic antidepressants as anxiety medicines by buying this book on this website.

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines are sedative medications and anxiety medicines that are effective in reducing anxiety symptoms.

These medications can induce calmness in the person who takes these medications.

Here are the following benzodiazepines:

• alprazolam or Xanax
• chlordiazepoxide or Librium
• diazepam
• lorazepam or Ativan

Benzodiazepines may be effective for short-term anxiety relief but doctors are not prescribing these anxiety medicines due to the risk of addiction.

Also, these medications may cause adverse side effects than other psychotropic medications which is why these medications are only used for 1 month.

Some people still take benzodiazepines to control their anxiety symptoms in the short term.

For instance, some people will take these anxiety medicines to control their fear of flying before departing in an aeroplane.

Sometimes, people will take benzodiazepines together with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors to act as anxiety medicines.

Other anxiety medicines

There are other anxiety medicines aside from those mentioned above but these kinds of medications are only prescribed for affected people when selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are showing no effects.

Here are the following medications that can be prescribed for people with anxiety:

Beta-blockers

Beta-blockers are used to treat people who have high blood sugar and hypertension.

But these are also anxiety medicines which are considered over-the-counter medicines.

Beta-blockers affect norepinephrine and reduce the occurrence of physical symptoms of anxiety.

Some of these anxiety medicines are atenolol or Tenormin and propranolol or Inderal.

You can also minimize your anxiety physical symptoms by getting some tips on this book that can be bought on this website.

Buspirone

Buspirone is an anxiety medicine that can treat short-term and long-term anxiety.

This anti-anxiety medication is slow-acting compared to benzodiazepines but it has been recorded to not have any adverse side effects and addiction.

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors as anxiety medicines

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are the oldest forms of antidepressant medications.

These medications have been used as anxiety medicines for people who have panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. 

The different types of monoamine oxidase inhibitors are the following:

• isocarboxazid or Marplan
• phenelzine or Nardil
• selegiline or Emsam
• tranylcypromine or Parnate

You can learn more about monoamine oxidase inhibitors by buying this book on this website.

What are the side effects of the different types of anxiety medicines?

The side effects of the different types of anxiety medicines will be discussed below with the following kinds of medications.

These side effects tend to fade away in a few weeks but if they don’t disappear then, you’re going to have to see your doctor.

Some general practitioners would suggest taking these kinds of anxiety medicines with food to reduce side effects and taking these kinds of medications before going to bed.

The different side effects may occur based on the kind of medication for anxiety the person is taking.

SSRIs

The following are the side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as anxiety medicines:

• blurry vision
• dizziness
• drowsiness or weakness
• dry mouth
• feeling agitated, startled or sleepless
• gaining weight
• headaches
• nausea
• sexual complications or erectile dysfunction
• sleep problems
• upset stomach

SNRIs

Like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors have the following similar side effects:

• constipation
• dizziness
• drowsiness or weakness
• dry mouth
• headaches
• enhanced blood pressure
• weight gain
• lack of appetite
• nausea
• sexual complications or erectile dysfunction
• sleep problems
• sweating more often than typical
• upset stomach

You can learn more about how serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are used for depression by buying this book here.

TCAs

Side effects of tricyclic antidepressants as anxiety medicines are different for each patient.

Here are some of the common side effects of this medication:

• blurry vision
• constipation
• difficulty urinating
• dry mouth
• drowsiness
• enhancement in appetite
• lightheadedness
• low blood pressure after standing up or trying to stand still
• sexual complications or erectile dysfunction
• sweating more often than typical
• tremors
• weight loss or gaining weight

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines as anxiety medicines can cause the following side effects:

• blurry vision
• confusion
• dizziness
• drowsiness or weakness
• headaches
• Minimal function of memory or concentration
• complications with balance, speech or coordination
• upset stomach

Additionally, benzodiazepines can trigger specific risks.

For instance, these anxiety medicines can make a person dependent on the medication and may show distressing symptoms. 

Withdrawing from benzodiazepines can create the following side effects:

• Anxiety, nervousness, and restlessness
• depression
• sleep problems
• sweating
• seizures

There are also other chronic risks of benzodiazepines which are the following:

• addiction
• cognitive decline
• hip fractures
• motor vehicle accidents or incidents as they can affect a person’s capability to drive
• overdose, especially in combination with opioid medications or alcohol

Beta-blockers

The common side effects of beta-blockers as anxiety medicines are the following:

• cold hands and feet
• depression
• extreme tiredness
• low blood pressure
• shortness of breath
• sleep problems
• weight gain

Patients who have asthma are not allowed to take beta-blockers.

Patients with diabetes should practice caution in taking these anxiety medicines.

Buspirone

Here are the side effects of buspirone as anxiety medicines:

• blurry vision
• diarrhoea
• dizziness
• drowsiness
• dry mouth
• fatigue
• headaches
• muscle pains
• nausea
• poor concentration
• sleeplessness or nervousness
• sleep problems
• sweating
• weakness

MAOIs

Possible side effects of monoamine oxidase inhibitors as anxiety medicines are the following:

• constipation
• diarrhoea
• difficulty urinating
• dizziness
• drowsiness
• dry mouth
• headaches
• low blood pressure
• nausea
• sexual dysfunction
• sleep problems
• sweating
• weight gain

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors have the tendency to interact with foods and other psychotropic medications which may cause dangerous side effects.

You should ask your doctor about the foods, drinks, and psychotropic medications that you should prevent in taking these anxiety medicines.

Side Note: I have tried and tested various products and services to help with my anxiety and depression. See my top recommendations here, as well as a full list of all products and services our team has tested for various mental health conditions and general wellness.

Conclusion 

In this brief guide, we will have discussed anxiety medicine, treatments for anxiety, the best anxiety medicine, the process of therapy for anxiety, and more information about anxiety medicine.

If you’ve enjoyed the ”Anxiety medicine” mentioned above, I would recommend you to take a look at ”Can Clomid Cause Anxiety?” too.

If you have any questions about anxiety medicine, please let us know and the team will gladly answer your questions.

What we recommend for curbing Anxiety

Below are some of the services and products we recommend for anxiety

Online Therapy

• Online therapy is another thing we should all try. We highly recommend Online therapy with a provider who not only provides therapy but a complete mental health toolbox to help your wellness.

Anxiety Weighted Blankets

• Anxiety Weighted Blankets are by far the number 1 thing every person who suffers from anxiety should at least try. Anxiety Blankets may improve your sleep, allow you to fall asleep faster and you can even carry them around when chilling at home.

Light Therapy

• Amber light therapy from Amber lights could increase the melatonin production in your body and help you sleep better at night.  An Amber light lamp helps reduce the amount of time it takes you to fall asleep and increases overall sleep quality.

FAQs: Anxiety medicine

Citations

Healthline. List of Anxiety Drugs.

HelpGuide. Anxiety Medication.

MedicalNewsToday. Anxiety medication: List, types, and side effects.

Mind. Anxiety Treatments.