Health & Medical Anxiety

Anxiety Attack Medication Factsheet 101

The medications used for treating anxiety attack have undergone a drastic change in the last few years.
A variety of treatments that were used lead to a number of difficulties such as psychological dependence, which is the emergence of withdrawal symptoms like irritability, anxiety, anorexia, nausea and confusion.
In fact, these are the symptoms of anxiety attack which the medications are supposed to relieve.
At present, the anxiety attack medications include either modern anti-depressant medicines or anti-anxiety medications known as Anxiolytics.
Since anxiety and depression as closely linked disorders, there medications are also the same.
To treat anxiety attack correctly, it is very important to have an accurate diagnosis of your anxiety disorder as different groups of medications have different effects.
SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRI's are one of the new varieties of anti-depressants.
These have much lesser side-effects and have successfully replaced the older generation of anti-depressants.
This group of anxiety attack medications includes Paroxetine (Aropax), Sertraline (Zoloft), Fluvoxamine (Luvox), and Fluoxetine (Prozac).
These medications are usually prescribed in low doses, which are increase gradually till the correct dosage is discovered in order to avoid side-effects.
These drugs also do not lead to weight gain.
Possible side effects include insomnia, drowsiness, weight loss, loss of appetite, light headedness, dizziness, sweating, tremor, anxiety, nervousness, nausea, and dry mouth.
Tricyclic Antidepressants The use of this drug has been reduced to a great extent lately.
These drugs can sometimes take as many as 30 days to bring out any apparent results.
Some of the examples of this drug include Amitrypilene (Tryptonol), Imiprimine (Tofranil), Dothiapin (Prothiaden), Nortriptyline (Nortab), Tetracyclic Mianserin (Tolvon), and Doxepin (Sinequin).
Possible side effects include sedations, impaired reaction time, blurred vision, dry mouth, faintness, dizziness, impaired concentrations, and weight gain.
Benzodiazepines Examples in this category include Diazepam (Valium), Alprazolan (Xanax, Kalma), and Oxazepam (Serepax).
Treatment using this medication does not last for more than few days.
Possible adverse effects include sedation, drowsiness, impaired memory, and decreased coordination.
They can also be addictive.
Beta blockers Medications in this category include propanolol (Inderal).
They are used most often for treating cardiovascular symptoms of the disorder such as palpitations, tremor, and rapid heart rate.
Possible side effects include nightmares, and low blood pressure.
Always remember to avoid the use of marijuana and alcohol while taking these as it can result in various adverse effects such as impaired judgment, inability to drive and risk of injury due to falling.

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