Anti-anxiety Drugs are
medicines that calm and relax people with excessive anxiety,
nervousness, or tension.
Purpose
Everyone feels nervous or anxious once in awhile. Usually, the
feeling is related to something happening in the person's life - an
upcoming job interview or a speech to a large audience and it goes
away when life is back to normal again. This type of anxiety does
not need medical treatment. But some people feel anxious almost all
the time, or they respond to slightly stressful events with feelings
that are out of proportion to the actual situation. The constant
anxiety, irrational worries, and sense of impending doom can
seriously interfere with their daily lives. For people with such
intense or prolonged anxiety, Anti-anxiety Drugs can help bring
their feelings under control and reduce bothersome symptoms such as
pounding heartbeat, breathing problems, irritability, nausea, and
faintness.
Anti-anxiety Drugs are prescribed for severe general anxiety and
for specific anxiety disorders, such as phobias, panic disorder,
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress
disorder. Physicians may sometimes prescribe these drugs for other
conditions, such as sleep disorders, epilepsy, and other seizure
disorders.
Description
There are two main types of Anti-anxiety Drugs, also known as
Anxiolytics or Minor Tranquilizers. The family of Anti-anxiety Drugs
known as Benzodiazepines includes Alprazolam (Xanax),
Chlordiazepoxide (Librium), Diazepam (Valium), and Lorazepam
(Ativan). The other widely used Anti-anxiety Drug is Buspirone
(BuSpar), which is not a Benzodiazepine.
Benzodiazepines take effect fairly quickly, starting to work within
an hour after they are taken. The effects of Buspirone are not felt
until the drug has built up to certain levels in the body. People
must take it every day for 2-3 weeks before they will notice any
effects.
These medicines are available only with a physician's prescription
and are sold in tablet, capsule, liquid, rectal, and injectable
forms.
