If you have severe anxiety that's interfering with your ability to function, medication may be helpful—especially as a short-term treatment. However, many people use anti-anxiety medication when therapy, exercise, or other self-help strategies would work just as well or better, minus the drawbacks.
They must be taken every day for several weeks before you feel the full effect. Short-term medications are helpful during brief episodes of intense anxiety, such as a panic attack.
These help treat symptoms like panic attacks, fear, or worrying. They're effective treatment options and quick to work. But they should only be used for a short period of time to lower the risk of side effects.
You may have feelings of impending doom, shortness of breath, chest pain, or a rapid, fluttering or pounding heart (heart palpitations). These panic attacks may lead to worrying about them happening again or avoiding situations in which they've occurred.
Anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders and affect nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives. But anxiety disorders are treatable and a number of effective treatments are available.
A little anxiety is fine, but long-term anxiety may cause more serious health problems, such as high blood pressure (hypertension). You may also be more likely to develop infections. If you're feeling anxious all the time, or it's affecting your day-to-day life, you may have an anxiety disorder or a panic disorder.
If you have anxiety, medication can help because the medications used for anxiety alter the chemicals in your body and brain, reducing symptoms, and often helping you calm down and focus on other things.
Side effects that you may experience with anxiety medication include: Fatigue, tiredness, or drowsiness. Restlessness or agitation. Insomnia or difficulty sleeping.
feeling light-headed or dizzy. pins and needles. feeling restless or unable to sit still. headaches, backache or other aches and pains.
Difficult experiences in childhood, adolescence or adulthood are a common trigger for anxiety problems. Going through stress and trauma when you're very young is likely to have a particularly big impact. Experiences which can trigger anxiety problems include things like: physical or emotional abuse.
Many experts will say that if you are working to achieve a positive goal then you should push through the anxiety that comes up as you step outside the comfort zone. The idea being that if you push yourself through the anxiety you will get past it and achieve what you are wanting.
Symptoms of severe anxiety are frequent and persistent and may include increased heart rate, feelings of panic and social withdrawal. These symptoms can result in loss of work and increased health care costs.
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure. People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry.
To help diagnose an anxiety disorder, your mental health provider may: Give you a psychological evaluation. This involves discussing your thoughts, feelings and behavior to help pinpoint a diagnosis and check for related complications.
Panic and anxiety attacks both cause a rapid heart rate, shallow breathing, and a sense of distress. However, they typically differ in severity and cause. Panic attacks are often more intense and can occur with or without a trigger, while anxiety attacks are a response to a perceived threat.
The most prominent of anti-anxiety drugs for the purpose of immediate relief are those known as benzodiazepines; among them are alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), diazepam (Valium), and lorazepam (Ativan).