How Does Medication Treat Anxiety Disorders?

When a person suffers from an anxiety disorder, it is far beyond the regular anxiety that everyone suffers from day to day. This form of anxiety can be chronic, recurring and extreme to the point of being unbearable. Therefore many doctors will recommended prescription medication to help treat the problem. Some people will not mind medication, as it is a quick fix, while others will prefer psychotherapeutic treatment instead.
Of course, no medication will "cure" anxiety disorders. However, taking the right medication can control certain undesirable symptoms of the disorder. Therapeutic medication for anxiety disorders must be prescribed by a physician, usually a psychiatrist who can then offer further assistance through psychotherapy. In some cases both medication and psychotherapy is recommended will be recommended by a psychiatrist.
Antidepressants are one form of medication used to treat anxiety disorders as well as depression. These forms of medication alter the brain chemistry immediately, though they can take as long as 6 weeks to reduce symptoms. It is vital that patients take the prescription regularly if this treatment is to work.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a certain type of antidepressant that alters the levels of neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain chemistry, thus allowing easier communication between brain cells. SSRIs like Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil and Celexa are recommended for panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social phobia and post traumatic stress disorder. Effexor is related to the other SSRIs and used to treat general anxiety. SSRI's are recommended because they are effective and cause less overall side effects than other antidepressants. However some side effects do persist.
Tricyclics are also used to treat various anxiety disorders and include brands like Tofranil and Anafranil. These start at low dosage and are gradually increased with minor symptoms like dizziness, drowsiness, and weight gain. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are another class of antidepressant medication. Prescriptions like Nardil, Parnate and Marplan are useful in treating certain types of disorders like panic and social phobia. However side effects are heavy, especially if certain foods or other medications are taken along with MAOIs.
Then there are anti-anxiety drugs, which are high-potency benzodiazepines. This class includes names like Ativan, Klonopin and Xanax. For the most part these drugs have less side effects than the others, though drowsiness is still listed. Another problem is that benzodiazepines are believed to be more addictive than other medications; sometimes patients must increase dosage as the body gets use to the initial amount. Like most addictive drugs, withdrawal symptoms can appear if the patient stops taking the medication. Benzodiazepines are usually prescribed on a short term basis.
Beta blocks sich as Inderal are another form of traditional medication used to treat heart problems. It can also help with social phobia and may be prescribed on a short term basis if a phobic event can be predicted, such as a large gathering or public speech. There is a risk in all traditional medication, but in some extreme cases it may be the only practical solution-and even requested by the patient who wishes to stop the symptoms of anxiety.
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Systematic Desensitization in Anxiety Treatment

Systematic desensitization refers to a form of psychotherapy used to treat anxiety disorders and phobias in patients. It was pioneered by a South African psychiatrist named Joseph Wolpe. This type of therapy sees a doctor cautiously exposing a patient to various stimuli that the patient initially fears. The theory is that the more desensitized a patient becomes to what was initially fearsome, the more he will be able to confront the source of anxiety and learn how to cope with his or her feelings.
Because of the sensitive nature of this practice, patients must first be taught how to relax and thus better control fear and anxiety responses that will later be provoked by the appearance of the feared object or situation. Once taught these coping skills, the patient will use them to react towards stimuli and overcome challenging situations involving anxiety. This practice is also known as graduated exposure therapy.
Common phobias, which are specific forms of an anxiety disorder, include objects like spiders, dogs, snakes or situations like being in a closed space, amongst crowds or in high places. Up until this point the patient has avoided these objects and situations. However, their exaggerated fears may have been interfering with their daily routine, hence they realize the need for some form of therapy to help relieve the constant anxiety.
That's not to say that they seek distraction, or ways to further avoid the source of their anxiety. Such distractions may include drinking alcoholic beverages, smoking and other addictive behavior. Even prescribed medication can be a distraction, as some medicines work as a depressant and merely slow the mind down rather than actually confronting the source of anxiety.
This goal of this therapy is to overcome the phobia by gradually exposing patients to the phobic object until it can be reconciled, tolerated and eventually accepted. The key word here is gradual. To expose a patient quickly and incautiously to their object of intense fear would be emotionally dangerous or even traumatic. Before the encounter ever takes place the therapist teaches the patient cognitive strategies that can be used to cope with anxiety in general and specific anxiety caused by the appearance of the phobic object. This lets the patient control their fear, and much meditation as well as relaxation techniques are introduced at the outset.
Some forms of relaxation techniques may include breathing techniques, or to reinforce positive thoughts. Another technique that might be used is called cognitive reappraisal, in which the therapist asks the patient to imagine what might happen if he or she would be exposed to the phobic object. This would result in the patient giving an exaggerated vision of disaster and yet contrast the actual exposure, which would be surprisingly peaceful to the patient.
This form of therapy is professionally supervised and safe to the patient's psyche. This is not the type of "Fear Factor" theatrics where patients are thrown into their worst nightmare and manage to instantly learn how to deal with it. Systematic desensitization, when done properly, is a very effective means of coping with anxiety and confronting the source of fear-not avoiding it.
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Leading a Normal life even though you have panic attacks

If you have ever experienced a panic attack, even a little one, you probably understand how it can be difficult for those who frequently experience panic attacks to lead normal lives. They are characterized by moments of extreme fear or panic, usually for an unexplained reason, that can make a person sick. Symptoms of panic attacks include shortness of breath, pains in the chest area, numbness in limbs, dizziness when sitting and/or standing, and times of extreme anxiety. These symptoms are brought on for a number of reasons, individual to different cases of panic disorders and different people.
With proper medication, counseling, and even behavioral therapy it is possible to lead a perfectly normal life, even if you do suffer from panic attacks, however frequent or seldom may they be. For those who have little or no control over their disorders, or who have not yet been diagnosed with a panic disorder may find it difficult to concentrate on things, to make friends, and to function properly at work. With effective treatment and understanding of your condition, however, you can avoid being one of these cases. People who have panic attacks are normal people; the only difference between panic attack sufferers and anybody else in the world is that their bodies and their brains react in different ways to fear. The body has a natural flight reaction to fear; your natural inclination in danger is to flee, or cower. Humans are not naturally brave beings at all. Panic attacks are just an exaggeration of fears that are brought on every day, by small things. They create an unnecessary amount of stress that can be avoided with proper therapy and medication.
With effective treatment, panic attack sufferers can drastically reduce or even eliminate the number of panic attacks they suffer each year, leading to a happier, healthier, and certainly more successful lifestyle. Panic disorder affects almost 20 million Americans every year; many of the people you deal with each day suffer from panic attacks in the privacy of their own homes, but can you tell? Probably not. The environment around you is proof evident that many people in the world have panic attacks, but they have their problem under control enough to where they are able to lead perfectly normal existences. Although panic disorders are not completely curable, advances in medication and therapy, not to mention public awareness, have helped to ensure that people are still able to successfully function in society, despite their problem
If you have panic attacks or have been diagnosed with a panic disorder, just remember that you are not alone and there is help out there. Talk to someone you can trust about the feelings you are having, and you may be surprised to find out the different ways you can go about molding your thoughts to ensure that you lead a normal existence, just like you deserve. Take control of your illness, and take control of your life.
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What Does A Panic Attack Feel Like ?

Panic attacks can happen for what seems like no reason. Some people aren't even aware that they have an anxiety problem, yet they have that gut feeling that something is wrong. In order to best care for your mental health, you should understand what an anxiety attack feels like. It's usually defined as a very intense feeling of fear or distress. Sometimes it feels like everything is going to go wrong and the world is caving in. Many times panic attacks happen suddenly, confusing the people who are affected by it. The symptoms listed below usually accompany a panic attack. You may be having an anxiety attack if you're experiencing:* A feeling of impending doom* Feeling as if you're going to die* Racing heartbeat or palpitations* Shaking or trembling* Breathlessness, shortness of breath, or feeling as if you're being smothered* Sweating* Feeling as if you're choking or have a lump in your throat* Nausea or upset stomach* Chest pains* Dizziness or light-headedness* Fear of going mad or losing control of yourself* Feeling as if you're outside of yourself or not real* Numbness or tingling sensations in the face and body* Sudden body temperature change such as chills or hot flashes* Skin changing color, such as blushing or turning pale* A sudden urge to use the bathroomWhen you have a panic attack, your body is responding in the way it would if you were really in danger. However, sometimes they happen at unlikely times and for no apparent reason at all. Anxiety attacks also happen at uncomfortable and unsettling times, which is much easier to understand and apprehend.Panic attacks that happen frequently are usually due to an anxiety disorder. Anyone who has suffered from even just one panic attack may have some underlying health or mental problems that need addressing. Seeking medical help is a must if you're worried about panic attacks or anxiety disorders. Some signs of anxiety disorders are: * Excessive and unhealthy worrying* Constantly checking actions and rechecking them* Feeling fearful and anxious for what seems like no reason* Worrying about normal everyday occurrences* Having panic attacks (which was discussed above)* Feeling extremely uncomfortable in public areas* Having a constant fear of being humiliated in public* Unprovoked anger* Frequent upsetting memories of traumatic past experiences* Obsession with rituals and routines (OCD)These are all signs of an anxiety disorder being present. However, just because you have an anxiety disorder, it does not necessarily mean you'll suffer from panic attacks too. If you display any of these behaviors, please consult with your doctor so they can identify what problems you may be having and how they can be helped.

The Lesser-Known Forms of Anxiety manifestation.

The most common forms of anxiety disorders are general anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social phobia and other phobic disorder*, panic disorder and separation anxiety disorder. These disorders are all attributable to past traumatic events or genetics, as most anxiety disorders are. Very uncommon is it that anxiety problems appear for no apparent reason whatever, though some cases seem to describe it.
On the other hand, the following forms of anxiety are infrequently named as a disorder, because they're common concerns that most people face at some time or another during their lives This is not to say that a disorder cannot develop from such anxieties, because a phobia can be of practically anything object or situation.
Existential Anxiety: This type of anxiety is akin to spirituality and mortality, which is something everyone eventually faces. The father of psychotherapy, Sigmund Freud termed this type of worry as the “trauma of nonbeing.” When a person comes to the realization that they are not immortal and will die someday this can fill them with great anxiety—particularly if they have ignored such realistic thoughts for a long period. Religion, Freud believed, becomes a coping mechanism to put away this unwholesome fear of death. The person then redefines death as merely a stage in existence, with an immortal soul being the next stage—so life will continue in some way, the anxiety ceases to be so intense. Obviously, it would be easy for a person to develop obsessive-compulsive disorder along with this existential form of anxiety. This form of anxiety can be somewhat harmless and inspire creativity; but it can also be dangerous if a person begins to have strong suicidal urges due to feelings of hopelessness.
Boredom Anxiety: This form of anxiety is a good deal like it sounds—as from boredom in life, or a lack of meaning (alike to existential anxiety) a person may become bored of their present living situation. They learn to create and develop anxieties for no apparent reason other than to have something to do. The answer to treating this form of anxiety is obviously a form of tough love, which would be to separate the sufferer from the stressful distractions and try to find happier or more productive life.
Test and Math Anxiety: There appears to be a fear of tests and a fear of math that can develop in students. This is natural since so much pressure is exerted upon students to succeed in academic achievements. They may start to feel, especially at very young ages, that academic failure is associated with self worth, or that low grades will merit public embarrassment. These bouts with anxiety can also lead to physical problems such as nausea, headaches, and dizzy spells. Such an anxiety attacks over test outcomes actually hinders the ability of a student to achieve satisfactory results in the taking of an exam. When the reality is they are quite capable of passing the exam. In some circles, there is a debate as to whether test anxiety is an entity onto itself or just another form agoraphobia.
All forms of anxiety can lead to serious anxiety disorders and eventually emotional and physical problems. It is best to face up to the source of anxiety, even with the use of professional evaluation if necessary; just ignoring the symptoms will lead to greater long-term anxiety related problems.