Anti-anxiety medications help reduce symptoms of anxiety, such as panic attacks and extreme fear and worry.
Many medications commonly used to treat depression—including SSRIs and SNRIs—may also be used to treat anxiety. In the case of panic disorder or social anxiety disorder, health care providers typically start with SSRIs or other antidepressants as the first treatment because they have fewer side effects than other medications.
Another common type of anti-anxiety medication is benzodiazepines. These medications are sometimes used to treat generalized anxiety disorder.
Short half-life (or short-acting) benzodiazepines are used to treat the short-term symptoms of anxiety. Health care providers may also prescribe beta-blockers off-label to treat short-term symptoms. People with phobias—an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of an object or situation, such as public speaking—often experience intense physical symptoms. Beta-blockers can help manage these symptoms, such as rapid heart rate, sweating, and tremors.
As short-term treatments, benzodiazepines and beta-blockers can be used as needed to reduce severe anxiety. Taking benzodiazepines over long periods may lead to drug tolerance or even dependence. To avoid these problems, health care providers usually prescribe benzodiazepines for short periods and taper them slowly to reduce the likelihood that a person will experience withdrawal symptoms or renewed anxiety symptoms. Beta-blockers generally are not recommended for people with asthma or diabetes because they may worsen symptoms related to both conditions.
Buspirone is a different type of medication that is sometimes used to treat anxiety over longer periods. In contrast to benzodiazepines, buspirone must be taken every day for 3 to 4 weeks to reach its full effect and is not effective for treating anxiety on an “as-needed” basis.
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