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Anxiety Medication

Anxiety Medication: List, Types, And Side Effects

Stop your excessive anxiety now! Begin a new life free from Anxiety.

There are many types of anxiety medication available, but it is important to know the difference between them.

Benzodiazepines and anti-depressants can both be used as anxiety medications, but they work differently and have different side effects.

It is also important not to stop taking any medication suddenly without consulting with a doctor first.

This article will go over some more information about this topic to make an informed decision on what the best course of action might be best for you!
Contents

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    Why Are Anti-depressants Prescribed For Anxiety?

    Anti-depressants are prescribed for anxiety because they increase serotonin and dopamine levels in the brain.

    Chronically high stress levels can suppress these hormones to experience depression on top of their anxiety or vice versa.

    In other words, anti-depressant medication can help release serotonin or dopamine, which help alleviate both conditions.

    It’s worth noting that anti-depressants alone work poorly to treat anxiety and are recommended only as one part of a comprehensive plan that involves dealing with the root cause.

    Does Anxiety Medication Help With Anxiety?

    Many people have often been prescribed drugs for their anxiety that only offer short-term relief.

    In many cases, these same people also experience the adverse side effects of a medication switch or a medication dosage change.

    Often this leads them to discontinue their medications which is not what’s recommended by most practitioners.

    In the long term, therapy will work better than all other treatments because it deals with both the causes of an anxiety disorder.

    Pills concept

    Will Medicine Help My Social Anxiety Disorder?

    I want you to understand that there are times where medication can be helpful as a short-term solution for individuals who need additional support.

    If you feel like you can’t cope with it anymore and haven’t had a full night’s sleep in days, there is a case to be heard.

    But sleeping pills induce lower quality sleep, and we quickly become accustomed to using them habitually.

    Instead of taking any tablets for social anxiety, it is essential to discover what triggers the feeling in the first place.

    By examining what is going on in your life and understanding its root, you can reconnect with yourself and begin to make changes.

    This is far better than taking medication, but it is much more effective because the change will be a permanent personal one.

    Cropped picture of sad young woman

    Should I Take Anti-depressants For Anxiety?

    The problem is that most people have completely unrealistic expectations about what medication can do.

    Sure it may provide a short period of stability, but they are not a long-term solution.

    There is no magic pill; there is no magic wand that can take the anxiety away.

    You CANNOT switch off your anxiety response with a tablet.

    Taking a tablet to control a primary emotion does not work.

    Tablets do not collapse triggers! Doing nothing does not collapse triggers…

    Doing the work with somebody that understands anxiety deals with triggers.

    Pills and medicine vial

    Can Anxiety Be Completely Cured Without Any Help?

    There are things you can do by yourself to help.

    I’ve put together 9 tips for anxiety and relief management (link) that you may find helpful.

    What Are The Best Anti-anxiety Medications?

    pills in hand

    The best anti-anxiety medication is the one that you use in the short term to manage crises.

    I had a very antagonistic relationship with anti-anxiety medications.

    They become a crutch and less effective over time; there’s also a risk that the side effects can become more severe.

    The best way to deal with anxiety is by addressing the root cause. I can help you with that now. (link)

    What's The Downside Of Using Anti-anxiety Drugs?

    While medication is often one of the first options your GP will turn to, they have side effects of their own that can impact you drastically.

    Personally, I’ve tried medication that saw my anxiety worsen significantly (where’s the sense in that!?).

    I’ve tried medication that made me gain weight, impacting my self-esteem.

    I’ve tried medication that made me feel numb to what was going on around me.

    Sound familiar?

    Good mental health is a vital as good physical health. So I’m here to help people. (link)

    headache caricature with pills

    Do Beta-blockers Help Relieve Anxiety?

    Not every person with anxiety responds well to beta-blockers. It’s best used for short-term anxiety and not as much for long-term treatment.

    Beta-blockers can help manage anxiety symptoms for some people, though it is not a viable long-term treatment option.

    Blister packs of colorful medical pills tablets

    What Are Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's)

    Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that carries signals between nerves in the brain. This chemical has been linked to mood, sleep quality, and emotions.

    SSRIs work by blocking serotonin reuptake, which in turn leads to a more prolonged period of communication between nerve cells and therefore alleviates symptoms associated with depression or eventual anxiety disorders.

    Common side effects of SSRIs can include:

    • Blurry Vision
    • Disoriented
    • Nausea
    • Feeling increasingly anxious
    • Can lower your sex drive

    Is Medication A Good Thing For Anxiety?

    Some people in need of medical intervention for severe anxiety turn to anti-anxiety medication, but it is still often better to use therapy rather than medication where possible.

    Are There Supplements That Help With Anxiety?

    There’s a lot of speculation surrounding supplements.

    They may help your physical health if you are deficient in a particular vitamin, which has a positive knock-on effect on your anxiety.

    However, It always worth seeking professional help for your anxiety.

    Pill bottle

    What Therapy Is Good For Anxiety?

    You were not born an anxious person. We can all be floored by anxiety, but we can all learn to handle it on the flip side.

    With some help, you can quickly learn to recognize and treat the rising feelings of anxiety before it takes hold. By doing so, you quickly take back control and show your brain who’s really in control.

    Some people experience stomach problems when they are over-stressed, some people come out in rashes, you, unfortunately, experience anxiety.

    These are all just warning signals telling you to take note, reframe and get going calmly down the right road again.

    And the more you do something different in those stressful situations. The more your brain learns to expect to cope. In effect, you can learn to outwit your anxiety.

    Anxiety is a natural survival mechanism. But if it gets out of control, it means something isn’t working correctly in our lives.

    With anxiety therapy through Piece of Mind, you can work towards a day when you’re able to tell your GP you’re ready for them to help you reduce your medication down to nothing more than a teddy-bear-shaped multi-vitamin in the morning.

    How to calm my anxiety until I can see a therapist?

    The best way to calm your own anxiety is to take a deep breath in and exhale it slowly and repeat.

    Our breathing is closely connected to our thoughts because when we are anxious our brains tell the body that it needs to speed up heart rate, increase blood flow, and reduce oxygen levels.

    When you breathe deeply and calmly these processes slow down with the resulting feeling of calmness.

    Tea time

    Is hypnosis an effective treatment for panic anxiety?

    Calm man

    If you’re looking for a way to reduce your anxiety, then hypnosis may be the answer.

    But if you have a physical medical condition that is causing your symptoms, I would advise that problem is addressed first through your doctor.

    I know that the fear of being in a situation where you might have an attack is one of the most difficult things to deal with. It can be hard to go out, or even leave your home.

    Hypnosis has been shown time and time again as an effective treatment for panic anxiety because it helps change how our brains process these thoughts and feelings so that we can feel better about them.

    If you’re finding things difficult. Please don’t hesitate to reach out (link).

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    Ian Young

    Ian Young

    Training & Development

    Tagline: Grounded, real and genuinely hard to forget.

    Ian is an experienced therapist whose work spans trauma, addiction, anxiety and recovery. His approach is shaped as much by lived experience as by professional training and that combination makes him exceptionally relatable to the people he works with.

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    As a trainer, Ann knows that the best mental health training doesn’t just inform people, it changes how they see themselves and the people around them. She brings that belief into every session she delivers, whether she’s working with a room full of HR professionals or a team who’ve never talked about mental health at work before.

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    Andy is a practising therapist, clinical hypnotherapist and the founder of Piece of Mind Training. He’s spent over a decade working with clients across anxiety, trauma, panic disorder and complex mental health presentations not as a theorist, but as someone who has experienced many of these challenges himself.

    His personal journey through mental health struggles, panic disorder and years of pretending everything was fine is the reason Piece of Mind Training exists. He built what he wished had existed when he needed it most.

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