Anti-Anxiety Medication

If you’ve been suffering from anxiety for some time you may have wondered if there are any medications that might be of help to you.

While medication for anxiety can relieve some of the symptoms, it doesn’t solve the problem long term because it doesn’t tackle the REAL problem (learned responses, etc.). So you may feel better in the short term but once you stop taking the medication your symptoms are likely to return with a vengeance.

As with all medication, there may be side effects, some even dangerous, and there may also be the risk of addiction. So don’t go this route lightly without fully understanding all alternatives available.

The one time when drugs may be helpful is if your anxiety is at such a high level that it is interfering with any therapy that you are having or wanting to have. In this instance, short term medication may be helpful to make your anxiety more manageable so that you can then proceed successfully with your therapy.

Tranquilizers and Benzodiazepines

These two types of drugs work by slowing down the central nervous system. Because they make you feel relaxed and calm they have become very popular as anti anxiety drugs. They are also sometimes prescribed as muscle relaxants or sleeping pills.

Benzodiazepines are fast acting and so they have become very popular for use by panic attack sufferers. When taken during a panic attack they work quickly to bring relief from the crippling symptoms. But sometimes the side effects can be just as crippling.

Because these types of drugs work by reducing the brain activity, patients can become very sleepy and uncoordinated when taking them. Some have complained of feeling as if they’re “in a fog”. Others have described it as “having the edge knocked off” their personalities. Driving may also be out of the question because of the drowsiness and so this can have a knock on effect on work, etc.

The drugs can also build up in the body so that, after a time, you may experience the drug equivalent of a hangover, where you are quite literally over sedated.

Other side effects can include nausea, double vision, memory problems, impaired judgement, confusion and depression  -  in fact, many sufferers say they found it easier to live with their anxiety rather than suffer these various symptoms.

Benzodiazepines can also cause emotional numbness and block feelings of pain or pleasure. Obviously, this particular side effect can lead to a somewhat depressive state long term.

One thing that a lot of people don’t realize is that these drugs can sometimes work in the opposite way and patients may suffer mania, aggression and hallucinations. So taking medication for your anxiety is not something that you should rush into without checking out all the other options available to you first.

Short Term versus Long Term Use

The tranquilizing anti-anxiety drugs are fairly safe when taken in small doses or not very often. However, when taken over longer periods of time or when combined with other substances, there can be serious problems. There is also the risk of some people having an adverse reaction to them. 

Combining anti-anxiety drugs with sleeping pills, alcohol, or prescription painkillers can be fatal. Even combining them with antihistamines or anti-depressants can be very dangerous indeed. There is also the obvious additional risk for elderly people, pregnant women and people who have a history of solvent abuse.

Anti-anxiety drugs are intended for short term use and, if you are considering taking them, you should bear this in mind. It’s quite possible to get addicted to them within only a couple of months of use and for some people this can be as short as within a few weeks!

There is also the matter of needing increasingly larger doses just to achieve the same effect. This can happen with Benzodiazepines after four to six months of regular use.  

Although I have perhaps painted a fairly bleak picture of anti-anxiety medication there is no doubt that they do have their place in medicine for helping some people with really bad anxiety. As with all drugs, my advice to you is to discuss the matter fully with your doctor and to always find out if there are alternatives that would be more suited to you, whether other drugs or different therapies.

* * * * DISCLAIMER * * * *

Reasonable care has been taken to ensure that the information given here is accurate. However, you should understand that this information does not constitute legal, medical or professional advice of any kind.

Please do not ignore any advice given to you by the medical profession in preference to the information contained on this website. If you feel you have a medical condition please seek advice from your doctor as soon as possible.