Anti-anxiety Medication

If you take anti-anxiety medication, does that make all the anxiety disappear?

While anxiety medication does work… it only provides a short-term solution.Anxiety medications are actual mind altering drugs that affect your GABA receptors in your brain.By mimicking these receptors, they elevate your mood and in a way make you “forget” about your anxiety and worries. That’s why if you take too much Xanax, or any other benzo, you can forget your entire day.There are many drawbacks to these medications as they do not come from natural sources. They are made in a lab and they are made for the purpose of manipulation brain receptors.I believe the only time they are good is when you need relief prior to panic attack or something of that nature. If you just use them daily to combat regular anxiety, they can be harmful. You can easily become addicted, take too much and forget days at a time, even worse you could OD and suffer horrible withdrawals.Being formerly on anxiety medication, I have had prior experience with these effects, and do not recommend you take them unless you have to.I would recommend you find an alternative solution. There are many all natural supplements for stress on the market that provide better and safer solutions.I recommend finding a supplement that kicks in fast. So that you may get similar relief to medication, all while consuming only natural ingredients that are good for you.Also, if the type of anxiety you are facing is more in social situations, then I recommend this Free eBook by Nino Kilotones.

Are anti-anxiety medications safe?

Depends on the medication type.Benzodiazepenes (aka “momma's little helper" - Valium, Xanax, etc) used to be very commonly used anxiolytics and are very effective at helping people manage their anxiety. Unfortunately they're also highly habit forming and very difficult to come off of, so their use has declined quite a bit.These days, most psychiatrists will prescribe combinations of SSRIs and SNRIs until they find a mix that works. These drugs (Prozac, Wellbutrin, Effexor, etc) appear to be much easier to take long-term than benzodiazepenes. Some people do experience withdrawal when stopping SSRIs though typically not as much as with benzodiazepenes. There does appear to be an increased risk of suicide in children with these drugs, however, so like all medications it’s worth discussing the risks and benefits before beginning treatment..[1]Two older classes of psychiatric medication, tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) still get used a bit for patients who don't tolerate or respond well to newer medications, but their tolerability tends to be worse. TCAs don't have long-term safety issues that I'm aware of but the dry mouth, sexual side effects, and weight gain often associated with them makes them less desirable for a lot of people. Similarly, MAOIs are tough for a lot of people to tolerate, they can cause dizziness and nausea and are very likely to interact with other medications. Again, I'm not aware of long-term safety concerns but that doesn't mean they don't exist.Another popular class of drugs for anxiety is beta-blockers, which physically reduce heart rate. These are better for acute panic attacks and many people with less serious forms of anxiety disorders will take them intermittently, but unfortunately they can increase the risk of diabetes if taken long term so not really recommended for extended use.Footnotes[1] Newer antidepressants for depression in children and adolescents

What are the best anti-anxiety medications that are not SSRIs?

Actually, this is one of the few areas of psychopharmacology where there is clear data that some antidepressants are more effective than others. While SSRI’s such as Prozac and Zoloft are the most commonly prescribed, and sometimes help with panic disorder, there are other options that, IMHO are not used enough. If you are going to try another SSRI, the evidence is probably strongest for fluvoxamine (Luvox).The evidence is clear from a number of double blind, controlled studies that MAOI’s such as Nardil and Parnate are the most effective in the treatment of panic disorder. If your condition is genuinely severe and markedly impairs your life, these medications should definitely be considered They are rarely prescribed because they require some dietary restrictions, ( not that troublesome, only a few foods cause problems) and some interactions with other medications ( certainly a concern, but with a simple solution, check with a physician or pharmacist before taking a new medication) . In comparison to uncontrolled, severe, panic attacks, the nusience of avoiding certain foods and medications is trivial. MAOI’s that are selective, and do not require a special diet, are not as well proven but may be worth considering, these are medications such as Azilect or transdermal Eldapryl. For less severe panic disorder, CBT is a proven modality of treatment, B- blockers may be somewhat helpful and Tricyclic antidepressants are at least as effective as SSRI’s. There is less data on other non-SSRI antidepressants such as Mirtazapine, Viibryd and Trintillex, but some evidence of efficacy. Effexor and other SNRI’s have evidence being helpful, but the mechanism of action is similar to SSRi’s . There is little evidence that benzodiazepines are useful in genuine panic disorder, as opposed to anxiety. Once a panic attack strikes, it is likely to be winding down by the time a medication like Xanax is even being absorbed and crossing the blood/brain barrier . Further, there is a clear risk of addiction. If the panic disorder is genuinely severe and impairing your ability to lead a full life, try to find a physician who will work with you and use modalities that go past the first try”meat and potatoes” approach of the perhaps over-relied upon SSRi’s