Treatment Drugs
For many sufferers from anxiety, anxiety treatment drugs are sometimes the only available option. However, most medical professionals would like it if anxiety patients would seek out psychoanalysis or counseling before turning to treatment drugs. In other words, drugs should not be considered the first option in treating anxiety.
Why shouldn’t treatment drugs be used as a first option? Well, first of all, treatment drugs have side effects. Depending on the drug being used, a patient can suffer weight loss, weight gain, sleep disorders, stomach disorders, headaches and dizziness, and even sexual dysfunction. By turning to drugs first, you may be exchanging one form of sickness for another.
However, for some people, both psychoanalysis and counseling simply does not work. The physical aspect of their anxiety has to be alleviated somewhat. To affect the brain, which is the center of anxiety and emotion, chemicals are needed. These chemicals are, of course, stored in anxiety treatment drugs, ready to be used up when the situation calls for it.
Antidepressants
As the name implies, antidepressants combat depression. However, they also function against anxiety, because it works on the neurotransmitters that are responsible for both. An example of such a neurotransmitter is serotonin, a chemical that causes feelings of happiness and well-being.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are mainly drugs prescribed on a case-to-case basis to relieve anxiety. While commonly prescribed by doctors, they usually come with an important caveat. They must not be used continuously for more than a month. Benzodiazepines are habit forming and addictive; they have the capacity to make its users dependent upon it. They also have significant side effects such as drowsiness, lack of energy, and blurring of vision. Because benzodiazepines can cause sleep rather quickly, they must not be taken before driving a vehicle or any other piece of heavy machinery.
Disclaimer: Cliff Schaffer does not personally endorse or support any of the comments made within the writings of this article.
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