Medications for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
The most common type of anti-anxiety medication are benzodiazepines though buspiron and certain antidepressants can also be used to treat anxiety.
Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are often noted for their "tranquilizing" effect. These medicines ease the symptoms of anxiety and can also be used to treat muscle-spasms, seizures amongst other things. A nice part of taking these medications is that they work in a very short time. This class of drugs can also be addictive and the user can develop a tolerance to them over time, therefore these medications are often prescribed on an as-needed or shorter term basis. Benzodiazepines should only be taken upon prescription from a doctor. Common Benzodiazepines are Xanax® (alprazolam), Librium®, Valium® (diazepam), Klonopin® (clonazepam) and Ativan® (lorazepam).
Xanax® and Klonopin® are the two medication approved to specifically treat panic attacks.
Click here for info on Benzodiazepines side-effects
Buspirone
Buspirone is an anti-anxiety medication which functions quite differently than benzodiazepines. Buspirone has no potential for addiction and doesn't have any cross-tolerance issues with barbiturates and alcohol. Buspirone takes a bit of time to build to an effective level (a few weeks time) and doesn't have the same tranquilizing effect due to it's non-sedative nature. Buspirone can be very effective for mild to moderate cases of anxiety, though not quite as effective as the benzodiazepines, particularly in more sever cases. Buspirone medications include the BuSpar® brand.
Click here for info on Buspirone side-effects
Antidepressants
In the past few decades it has been discovered that antidepressants can be used to treat anxiety and anxiety disorders. SSRIs and SNRIs commonly used to treat Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) include Luvox, Faverin, Zoloft, Paxil, Seroxat, Celexa, Lexapro, Cipralex and Efexor. For more information on these medications view the Depression Medications section.
| Anxiety Symptoms | Anxiety Medications | Treatments for Anxiety | How to Get Help | Listen to Others Stories