How Does Medication Help with Anxiety Disorders?

Anxiety disorders are mental health disorders characterised by excessive worry and fear that don’t easily go away and may worsen over time. While everyone experiences anxiety from time to time, an anxiety disorder can severely disrupt your daily functioning and is fairly constant.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Some types of anxiety disorder include

• Agoraphobia
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Panic Disorder
• Selective Mutism
• Social Anxiety Disorder

Everyone experiences anxiety differently and has different treatment and coping options working for them. Two common treatment options for anxiety include psychotherapy and medication. You may get the best results from both treatments working in tandem, too. 

Before understanding how medications are used for anxiety disorders, let’s understand the common symptoms of anxiety disorders.

Also read: Anxiety 101: What You Need to Know About Anxiety Disorder

Common Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

Most people experience anxiety now and then but look out for these symptoms of anxiety disorders, especially if you have been experiencing them persistently for a while.

• Unable to be at peace or relax
• Feeling nervous, scared, or uneasy
• Breathing rapidly or irregularly
• Difficulty sleeping or disturbed sleep at night 
• Feeling nauseous 
• Unable to loosen body muscles 
• Unable to express yourself calmly
• Talking too fast 

If you’re looking to understand your anxiety symptoms better, talk to our mental health coach over a free 30-minute call. 

Related: Can Anxiety Disorders Be Cured?

How Does Medications For Anxiety Disorders Help

Many types of medications such as the traditional antianxiety medication benzodiazepines and newer options like SSRI antidepressants are used to treat anxiety today. Remember that these medications provide temporary relief and have side effects and safety concerns. Hence, it helps to discuss them with your psychiatrist. 

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) medications like Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro are considered antidepressants which are often used as a first-line treatment for anxiety disorders. They increase the amount of serotonin in your brain, which helps improve your mood.

It can take up to 4 to 6 weeks for you to experience the effects of antidepressants. They are mainly used to treat chronic anxiety disorders that require long-term treatment. They are mostly used to treat GAD, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. Side effects can look like headaches, drowsiness, lowered sex drive, dry mouth, and weight gain. 

Also read: Managing Panic Disorder With Medication

Another common antianxiety medication called benzodiazepines is a group of medications that not only helps reduce anxiety but also relax physically. They are also referred to as minor tranquilizers, sedatives, or hypnotics. Medications such as Xanax, Klonopin, Valium, and Atvin are in this category.

Used for short-term treatments, you can see their effects within 30 minutes to an hour. Hence, they are effective when taken during a panic attack or an overwhelming and especially difficult anxiety episode when there is a lack of external support.

However, if the usage of these medications is not regulated, the side effects can take a toll on different domains of your life. You may have trouble concentrating at work and feel sleepy throughout the day.

Another type of medication called beta-blockers like propranolol and atenolol can help in treating the physical symptoms of anxiety like high blood pressure, rapid breathing, trembling voice, sweating, and shaking hands. They are often used for social anxiety disorder and performance anxiety.

Also read: Which Anxiety Medication Is Right for Me?

Bottom Line

If you’re trying to decide whether or not treating your anxiety with medication is the option for you, talk to your mental health practitioner about it. You may also want to consider talking to your therapist, about what other alternatives can work best for you. 

Remember that educating yourself about your mental health condition and the treatment plan is key, along with being patient and open about figuring out what works best for you in the journey.

Related: How Are Anxiety Disorders Treated?