Anxiety Medication - About Benzodiazepines, Beta Blockers, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Tricyclic Antidepressants, Azapirones & Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

Research has enabled many new anxiety medications to be used and have been developed for treating anxiety disorders as well as some specific forms of psychotherapy.

These two methods of using medications as well as therapies have been found to be quite effective and the choice of which to use rests entirely on the shoulders of the patient and his or her doctor as well as on the particular type of anxiety disorder.

The Right Medication in the Right Dosage

It’s important that you talk to a medical professional before you decide which anxiety & panic attack medication that’s best for you. Often people believe that the side effects of some anxiety & panic attack medications can be worse than the actual problem so maybe you have to try a lot of different types of anxiety & panic attack medication before you find the one that’s best for you.

A physician or a psychiatrist may prescribe anxiety medications and very often, the doctor works closely with other mental health professionals who give their psychiatric evaluations and in spite of the fact that anxiety medication does not cure the anxiety disorder; it helps to keep symptoms under control and helps the patient lead a normal and fulfilling life.

There are a number of anxiety medications that have been used, in spite of their being originally used for treating depression and these work effectively on anxiety disorders, as well. Taking anti-depressants requires continuous use for several weeks before the symptoms begin to fade away.

Different Types of Anxiety Medication

There are a lot of anxiety & panic attack medication available for those who suffer from anxiety & panic attack. Some of the drug groups used to treat anxiety & panic attack are:

Benzodiazepines

The benzodiazepine drug class is the one most often prescribed to anxiety & panic attack sufferers. In the benzodiazepine drug class, the drug most commonly prescribed is “Alprazolam” and “Xanax“.

As far as the anti-anxiety medications are concerned, high potency benzodiazepines work to relieve the symptoms much faster. These anxiety medications do result in the patient developing tolerance to them and so require increased dosages to obtain the same effects.

Beta Blockers

Beta blockers are the best drug class to control physical symptoms of anxiety & panic attack and are normaly prescribed to prevent rapid heartbeat, shaking and trembling related symptoms.

The beta blockers also have fewer side effects than any other forms of medication, but they can cause insomnia and other sleep-related issues like nightmares. In the case of anxiety & panic attack, as the beta blockers does not actually cure the anxiety attack, most health care professionals do not prescribe them.

Tricyclic Antidepressants

In the tricyclic antidepressants group, “Tofranil“, “Nortriptyline“, and “Venlafaxine” are some common medications used to treat panic attack symptoms and are also used to treat obsession disorders like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and severe depression.

Like other antidepressants, the side effects include erectile dysfunction, loss of sex drive, trouble urinating and disturbed sleeping patterns.

MonoAmine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAO)

After the tricyclic antidepressants were developed by the scientists, another group of drugs were developed, the MonoAmine Oxidase (MAO) inhibitors.

The monoamine oxidase drug group affected the same neurotransmitters that the tricyclics did (norepinephrine and serotonin), but they also affected dopamine. Some MAO inhibitors types are “Marplan“, “Nardil” and “Parnate“.

Azapirones

Another anti-anxiety medication is Buspirone, which is a member of a class of drugs that are known as azipirones which is a newer anti-anxiety medication used to treat GAD. One may suffer side effects such as drowsiness, headaches and nausea.

4 Comments to “Anxiety Medication - About Benzodiazepines, Beta Blockers, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Tricyclic Antidepressants, Azapirones & Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors”

17 September 2007, 8:37 am
Lorrie Balentine Says:
I have researched and tried several different meds to include prozac and lexapro but they made me feel worse. I am at a loss for what to do about my panic attacks, anxiety and depression. I also have high blood pressure and am on medication for that. I cannot deal with the rapid heart beat, insomnia, flushing feeling of the meds but also cannot deal with the constant torment of worry, anxiety and depression. What else is there? My hope is fading.
05 November 2007, 1:30 pm
John Garza Says:
can i take a 50mg beta-blocker and 20mg prozac each day for social phobia and still be ok.
27 January 2008, 2:48 pm
Jeffrey Nonken Says:
John: only you and your doctor(s) can determine that for sure.

I’m currently taking Lexapro 20mg for depression. I recently started taking Toprol-XL 50mg for atrial fibrillation (just until I can see the cardiologist) and my wife and housemates have noticed that my behaviour changed even more — I seem more relaxed, aware, and socially active than I had before I started taking the toprol. Could be I did that on my own while actively trying to heal emotionally, but there’s a chance the toprol and lexapro are having a synergistic affect.

What’s interesting is that usually the beta blocker would be used to treat the symptoms of the anxiety (increased heart rate), but in this case it seems to be acting to supplement the affects of the lexapro. I don’t generally have fight-or-flight reactions to social anxiety, it’s more like an emotional withdrawal for me.

I’m planning to take this up with my doctor. Could be some interesting things come out of it. Meantime… talk to your own doctor, but remember that your mileage may vary.

Good luck!
12 May 2008, 11:59 am
Annie Says:
Hi my name is Annie. I have been suffering from depression, Anxiety and am constantly paranoid about things. I’ve tried every single medication you can possibly think of and nothing seems to work. Does anyone please have any suggestions? Please help with advice if you can this Mental Illness I have is really consumming my life