The medications used for anxiety are called “atypical” or 2 nd-generation antipsychotics. More recently, they are being used to treat other conditions, including insomnia (trouble sleeping) and anxiety. These medications are called “antipsychotics” because they were originally used to treat conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. (One of the reasons alcohol is commonly used in social settings is because it reduces people’s social anxiety-but it can lead to addiction.) Generic nameįor more information, check out our full article on benzodiazepines. The way they work in the brain is similar to alcohol-for both better and worse. Some people use them as a party drug, and they can become addictive. If you take them too often, after a while you will need more and more to get the same effect. They are also used to treat seizures.Īlthough benzodiazepines are generally considered safe and effective in the short term, they can become habit-forming in the long term. īenzodiazepines are generally prescribed to treat short-term anxiety, panic attacks, or insomnia (trouble sleeping). They also leave your system quickly-the strongest effects wear off within a few hours. They take effect quickly-usually within 30 minutes to an hour. Benzodiazepinesīenzodiazepines (“benzos”) are fast-acting anti-anxiety medications. It has relatively few side effects compared to many other anxiety medications. Buspironeīuspirone (brand name Buspar) is similar to antidepressants in a few ways: it is taken daily for long-term anxiety, and it works by affecting your serotonin levels. On the other hand, if you have both anxiety and depression, anything that helps with depression will likely also help with anxiety!įor more information, check out our full article on antidepressants. Many doctors are hesitant to prescribe bupropion to a patient who experiences anxiety. *A few antidepressants, like bupropion/Wellbutrin, are stimulating and can sometimes increase your anxiety. Some of the antidepressants most commonly used to treat anxiety include: Generic name Changes in your sleep, appetite, weight, or sex drive.If one antidepressant doesn’t help you, a different kind might.Ĭommon side effects of antidepressants include: Most of them work by boosting serotonin, a substance in your brain that affects your mood. You usually need to take them every day for several weeks before you feel the full effect. Īntidepressants are taken daily for long-term anxiety. They are most commonly used to treat generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Antidepressants are often effective in treating anxiety as well. Treating your anxiety is likely to help you sleep better-and improving your sleep is also likely to help with anxiety!Īnxiety is not the same thing as depression, but they do often go together.Medications that only help with short-term anxiety tend to cause problems if you take them too often.Anything that helps with long-term anxiety is likely to also make your anxiety attacks less intense and less frequent.Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re thinking about taking medication for anxiety: On a day when you are particularly anxious, you’ll probably also have a harder time falling asleep. For example, you may feel moderately anxious every day, but every once in a while you have an anxiety attack that makes you even more anxious than usual. It’s common to experience more than one of these together. But not getting enough sleep can also make you more anxious during the day! Many people have trouble falling asleep because they can’t stop worrying at night. Insomnia is when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep.Less extreme episodes are usually called anxiety attacks. The most extreme form of acute anxiety is a panic attack, where you might hyperventilate or feel like your heart is going to explode. These episodes might last a few hours or a few days. Short-term anxiety or “acute anxiety” is when you experience brief episodes of intense anxiety.To treat chronic anxiety with medication, you usually need to take the same medication every day for several weeks before you feel the full effect. You may feel anxious for no particular reason, or you may have many things that trigger your anxiety each day. Long-term anxiety or “chronic anxiety” is when you feel anxious most days for a significant part of the day.There are three main aspects of anxiety that can be treated by medications: Many times, people take multiple anti-anxiety medications together. Each type of anxiety medication works in a different way, and they often target different symptoms or types of anxiety. Many different medications can be used to treat anxiety.
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