Best antidepressants for generalized anxiety disorder

Research has provided a lot of effective treatments for anxiety disorders recently. Psychotherapy (also called talk therapy) and medications for anxiety are available generally for the treatment of anxiety disorders; the choice of each type is dependent on doctor and patient’s preference and type of anxiety disorder. Medications prescribed by doctor for anxiety disorders though ineffective in curing the disorder completely can keep the symptoms under control and enable the sufferer to lead a fulfilling and normal life. Psychotherapy provided by other mental health professionals along with these medications is the best possible way to cure anxiety disorder in a person completely. This article will describe the major classes of medications effective for various anxiety disorders; some are listed below.

Various antidepressants are found effective in the treatment of anxiety disorder as well so if your doctor prescribes an antidepressant, you should take it for number of weeks to let the symptoms fade. SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the newest antidepressants acting in the brain on serotonin which is a chemical messenger. Examples of these medications are Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro and Prozac which have fewer side effects than earlier antidepressants; these medicines are started at lower dose and gradually increased till therapeutic level is reached. Some people reported to have experienced sexual dysfunction at initial intake of these medicines and some also feel slightly jittery or nauseated which disappears gradually with time. These issues are not bothersome as dosage adjustment and switch to other SSRI often corrects these effects.

Other class of antidepressants are tricyclics which are older than SSRIs and are equally effective other than in case of OCD. SSRIs are preferred to tricyclics as these medicines causes dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness and weight gain. Similarly MAOIs (Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are the oldest class of antidepressants but is not preferred much as those who take these medicines are put on restrictive diets. These medications interact with other medications as well as some food and beverage including red wine and cheese which contains a chemical called tyramine. These interactions between different substances can cause elevated blood pressure and other potentially dangerous reactions.

Among anxiety disorder medications, Benzodiazepines are the high potency medicines that are quick in relieving symptoms and have fewer side effects. Except panic disorder these medicines are prescribed for shorter periods of time and people with alcohol or drug abuse are not good candidate for these medications which can increase their dependence. Azipirones are another class of drugs which has a member called Buspirone (BuSpar) which is the latest anti anxiety medicine used for the treatment of GAD. It should be taken consistently for two weeks to reach anti anxiety effects. There are other medications like beta-blockers (propanolol) which can be prescribed by doctors to stop the development of physical symptoms like heart pounding and hand shaking.