Medications for Anxiety: Types That Help and Potential Risks

Antidepressants reduce anxiety by increasing the concentration of chemicals (neurotransmitters) that the brain uses to communicate. These neurotransmitters include serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Tricylcic antipressants (TCAs) work as well as SSRIs do for treating most anxiety disorders, though most aren’t as effective for treating similar conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). These drugs can be taken to treat anxiety symptoms, but they usually take 4 to 6 weeks to produce noticeable effects.

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Each type of medication has a slightly different action, so impact varying symptoms and produce different side effects 1. Patients that take such combinations may develop confusion, high blood pressure, tremor, hyperactivity, coma, and death. Patients may develop similar reactions if they combine SSRIs or SNRIs with other drugs that increase serotonin in the brain. A doctor may prescribe a beta-blocker such as propranolol (Inderal) to help reduce your anxiety symptoms in stressful situations, such as when attending a party or giving a speech. If you take a benzodiazepine regularly for more than 2 weeks, do not stop taking the pills suddenly.

They enhance the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, providing quick relief but for a short duration. They are effective in reducing physiological symptoms like tension and insomnia. While generally well-tolerated, prolonged use can lead to dependence. They’re not recommended for individuals with a history of addiction or severe suicidal tendencies.

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In addition to her private practice, Dr. Young serves as an affiliate professor of psychiatry at Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. She previously taught and mentored medical trainees at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She speaks at national conferences and has published scientific articles on a variety of mental health topics, most notably on the use of evidence-based lifestyle interventions in mental health care. Within each of these categories, there are subgroups of drugs that work differently and have their own benefits, risks, and possible side effects. Even short exercise sessions (about 5 minutes at a time) can be effective in lifting your mood. Benzodiazepines are sedatives that can help relax your muscles and calm your mind.

• As with many antidepressants, they can increase the risk of suicidal ideation (thinking about or planning suicide), particularly in children, teenagers, and young adults.
• Some anxiety medications can be taken as needed when a person is feeling anxious.
• FDA-approved medications to treat anxiety include SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone, benzodiazepines, and hydroxyzine.
• Further, some medications listed above do not have an FDA indication for anxiety disorder but are included here because they are frequently used off-label for this purpose.

Antidepressants can help by increasing the levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, like serotonin. The following products are considered to be alternative treatments or natural remedies for Anxiety. Their efficacy may not have been scientifically tested to the same Benzo Free degree as the drugs listed in the table above. However, there may be historical, cultural or anecdotal evidence linking their use to the treatment of Anxiety. Antipsychotic medications influence the flow of information between brain cells. They block certain types of neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that allow neurons to communicate throughout the body.

SSRIs are one of the most commonly used types of medication for anxiety and are often a psychiatrist’s first choice for this purpose. SSRIs have been proven to be very effective for anxiety, are non-addictive, don’t cause memory impairment or interfere with psychotherapy, and have minimal side effects. When SSRIs do cause side effects, they usually subside within the first week.