What in the world can sufferers of unrelenting panic attacks, generalized anxiety attacks, social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder do to restore sanity to their lives! If you are one of the 40 million or so Americans who fit any one of those categories, stay with us to find some answers. Even in this very first paragraph we are offering you hope, information, and direction.



Please understand that anxiety medications are not a cure - but are used most effectively with the cognitive/behavioral therapy or the other interventions we have mentioned. The medication, when introduced at the beginning of therapy, reduces the symptoms so that you may respond to the therapy more aggressively. All medications should be administered under the careful watch of your physician, and all directions should be carefully followed. And do not, by your own volition, abruptly stop taking the medication. Incidentally, all the information explaining the various anxiety medications are from the ADAA; so although it is abbreviated here, it is accurate.

We'll introduce you first to the antidepressants whose function is to alter something called serotonin, a neurotransmitter. These antidepressant drugs are the....You can check that name with your doctor - we'll just call them SSRIs. The three SSRIs that you probably recognize are Zoloft, Paxil and Prozac and what they do is to treat all the disorders listed in our first paragraph. How they do it is to increase the output of serotonin level to the brain which should decrease your anxiety level.

Tricyclics (TCA) are also antidepressants and these medications for anxiety are Sinequan (Doxeprin), Anafranil, and Vivactil, which, like the SSRIs, alter serotonin but also norepinepherine. Social anxiety is missing from the list of disorders treated by TCAs. Of all these classifications, SSRIs are the only ones federally approved; but generic equivalents are available for each of them.

This last group functions to prevent a brain enzyme from destroying the norepinephrine and serotonin, so they're called blocking agents. Their name is Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors or (MAOI). The drugs in this classification are Parnate, Nardil and Marplan which are used primarily for social anxiety, posttraumatic stress and panic attacks. They have been effect but as with most medicines, the side effects must be carefully checked.

Although the SSRIs is the only group federally approved, they all have generic equivalents on the market. All antidepressants are prescribed with dosage strength based on the specific requirements of each individual. Your doctor and your pharmacist should be fully informed of the possible side effects of each drug and should inform you of that info as well. Other short term interventions are also available. Research them carefully before using.

For those of you who resisting taking medications for anxiety please understand that by following some sensible guidelines like choosing a doctor who is qualified to treat your particular type of anxiety, following his instructions, asking questions and being open about the severity of your anxiety and taking an active part in your own treatment, you should be assured that you will not be a victim of the destructive side effects.

Hopefully this insight into medications for anxiety has been helpful and perhaps has given you a brighter perspective by knowing that anxiety disorders are definitely treatable by all the newest anxiety interventions now available to all who need them. May you be renewed in your quest for good health, physically and spiritually, and may you find it.