Best medication for anxiety

Here are common medications for Anxiety Disorders:

Medications should help in at least two stages of panic, first they should ease the difficult mental state of the patient and help them face their panic and second they should cure symptoms of the panic attack. The most common medications for panic disorder are benzodiazepines such as alprazolam and clonazepam. Their function is to block a panic attack.

They should be taken before the situation that will cause panic. Some researches show that diazepam and lorazepam are also helpful. Some people use minor tranquilizers such as oxazepam, chlordiazepoxide or clorazepate to calm themselves although there are no official studies that prove their efficiency.Second group of drugs are antidepressants such as the tricyclic antidepressant drug, imipramine, desipramine, nortriptyline, amitriptyline, doxepin, clomipramine and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). These drugs can also be somewhat helpful.Third group are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, and paroxetine which can help fight panic disorders and they also have fewer side effects. Researches show that about 75% of patients made some progress with their symptoms of panic attacks (the same percentage as with some antidepressants).

If one suffers from obsessions and worries they can use medications to reduce the intensity of the worries and then use some self-help skills to control the further stress.About 20% of people also have ticks which may be controlled with these medications. Medications such as buspirone, the benzodiazepines or SSRI\'s could also help get rid of different anxieties.

If one suffers from phobias they can take a low dose of a benzodiazepine before they enter in phobic situation. However, medications are not a successful primary treatment of simple phobias. They can ease the symptoms of panic at the beginning but later on one should try learning skills of relaxation and slowly change their thoughts of fear.

Physicians also use beta blockers such as propranolol and atenolol which are helpful in mild social anxieties.

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, especially phenelzine, are also highly effective medications for treating social phobias (about 70% efficiency). However there is a risk of exaggerated response to them, that is, people start talking too much, become outgoing or socially uninhibited. In theses cases the doctor should lower the dose.

It is important to take a medication only as needed, not to take them all the time. The effects of these drugs last several hours.In more serious cases of panic disorders, or a combination of depression and anxiety or panic, patients can take their dosage daily if their physician recommended that way.