Drugs for Anxiety Disorders

There are many medications for anxiety attacks available these days.  These treatments definitely bring relief to many people.  If you suffer from panic attacks, you may find them helpful.

To begin  I intend to be up-front about my beliefs.  I believe these medications are best used for a limited time to help while other therapies have a chance to take effect.

Fortunately with proper therapy, the vast majority of people can free themselves from the terror of anxiety attacks.


Commonly, a therapist will usually prescribe a drug for these problems that falls into one of two classes: sedatives or antidepressants.

Most of the sedatives prescribed are derived from Valium.  The various drugs differ in onset of action and duration of action.

The choice of these drugs varies.  Everyone has a different response to a given medication.  A drug that works great for one person may not work at all for another.

These drugs have a rapid onset, so they are useful in “taking the edge off” if a person is going into a situation that they have had a panic attack before or if they feel one coming on.

The other type of drug used is an antidepressant.  The most common antidepressants are serotonin uptake inhibitors.  

Serotonin is a compound in the brain that's part of the way nerve cells communicate with each other.  

Decreased serotonin levels may be a cause of depression and anxiety.  Serotonin uptake inhibitors increase serotonin by slowing the resorption of the chemical after it has been released.

The drug in this class that most people have heard of is Prozac.  There are many others today.  They all have their own benefits and risks.

Sometimes finding the medication that works the best is a matter of trial and error.

One thing serotonin uptake inhibitors have in common is that they don't work immediately.  Usually, it takes a few weeks to start to see a benefit.

Obviously with that type of time framethese aren't medications to use only when you feel an attack coming on.

There are a few other classes of drugs used, but only rarely.  These drugs either aren’t as effective as the ones already mentioned or have way too many side effects for most people to tolerate.

Even though the classes of drugs I mentioned here usually don't cause problems, you still should find out about the side effects of antidepressants used to treat panic disorders.  That link takes you to a page with more information.

Again, I want to remind you that it is best practice to use medication as part of an over all treatment plan using other forms of therapy.   Drugs can be useful, but they shouldn’t take the place of learning other coping strategies.

Some people taking these medications develop a psychological dependence.  

As I've mentioned, a person will use other forms of psychotherapy as well as the medications.  As the therapy starts to work, they might think their improvement is due only to the drugs.

This can make them nervous about stopping the medication for fear of the attacks returning.

This is where it’s important for you to work with the prescribing physician.  

It’s a good idea to ask even before you start taking the medication what other types of treatment they recommend, how long they think you’ll need the medications and how you’ll go about stopping it.

Use drugs for anxiety attacks wisely and you can reap their benefits while avoiding their problems.

Naturally it's highly desirable if you can get to the point where you're fine drugs.

You can read a review of an excellent way to do just that at Panic Away Review.

Find out more about anxiety attacks in general and what you can do about them at Panic Attack Release.