Is It Worth The Anxiety Medication Side Effects?

Many people put off seeing their doctor about anxiety, worried about anxiety medication side effects. Indeed, there are many side effects of anti anxiety medications. Drugs are drugs – anxiety drugs are no different.

However, you need to look at your current quality of life, without anti anxiety drugs, and evaluate if anti anxiety meds might be a good option for you.

People who suffer from anxiety constantly worry and panic. They tend to go in the ‘hyper worry mode' and often the lure of prescription drugs can be too much to resist as an easy way to relieve panic attack symptoms.

There are several drugs that are prescribed to tackle the disorder. Usually a psychiatrist will evaluate the person's mental and physical condition before prescribing a certain category of drugs. However, anti anxiety medication side effects are well documented so here is a look at the pros and cons of these drugs.

The chemical and the medical principle behind the manufacture of anti anxiety drugs is that certain compounds are known to change the secretion level of brain chemicals, called ‘neurotransmitters’. Since neurotransmitters are responsible for our emotions and also often our responses, with the help of these compounds, a relaxing and calming effect can be produced.

Traditionally, anxiolytics were the only options to treat the disorder; however, with the growing importance of cognitive behavioral therapy and other psychological interventions there are several other options available for patients who suffer from anxiety. However, even today, people who suffer from more chronic and acute forms of the disorder choose to take the simpler way out in the form of anti anxiety medications which are known to impart quick relief but short term relief.

Some of the more popular drugs used to control the symptoms of the disorder include Benzodiazepines which are widely prescribed by psychiatrists across the world. These drugs are known to have several side effects such as rapid mood swings, growing addicted to the drug and developing immunity to the drug.

Another category of drugs used to treat the condition are known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors; also commonly known as SSRI's. These drugs are known to produce milder side effects than the usual anxiolytics. However, the primary problem with drugs of this family is that they need to be taken continuously for at least three to five weeks before symptoms are significantly alleviated.

Drugs like Benzodiazepines have to be taken an hour before a person suffering from the disorder anticipates an exposure to a stressful situation while Buspirones will need to be taken for at least a few weeks for a significant improvement is noticed.Anti anxiety medication side effects can be particularly pronounced in patients who suffer from certain physical and/or mental conditions, pregnant women and people who suffer from allergies to certain drugs.

However, the primary issue with anti anxiety medication is that they are not a permanent fix. These drugs only help to control the symptoms temporarily; however, the underlying cause is not treated at all. Although these drugs can come in handy when handling a particularly stressful period when the symptoms are acute, anxiety patients should consider more permanent forms of treatment.

One of the most detrimental anti anxiety medication side effects is addiction, where patients grow more dependent on the drug which leads to increased dosages. This in turn causes massive mood swings and distinct high and low periods.

Among the other anti anxiety medication side effects is a condition where the patient develops an immunity to the drugs; this again leads to increased dosages to control the symptoms and acute depression is experienced when the person reduces the amount of drug intake or tries to go off them.

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