Most often, drugs used for short-term relief of anxiety are members of the benzodiazepine class of drugs, which includes diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), and lorazepam (Ativan).

Beta-Blockers for Anxiety Relief?

Another class of anxiety medication, known as beta-blockers, block our instinctive “fight or flight” response. Beta-blockers can be useful in the short-term to treat performance anxiety or manage the intense anxious response people with social anxiety disorder have when they must face public situations. Propranolol (Inderal) and atenolol (Tenormin) are among the beta-blockers used for anxiety sufferers.

Because of their direct impact on the cardiovascular system, beta-blockers are not for everyone. They are not recommended for people with low blood pressure (as they may lower blood pressure further and make you faint) or for people with asthma or diabetes.

SSRIs, TCAs, and Other Anxiety Medications

A variety of anxiety medications beyond those in the benzodiazepine and beta-blocker classes can be helpful when the condition is a chronic, ongoing problem. The following can produce changes in brain chemistry that make anxiety reactions less likely:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants: These include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft). These common antidepressant drugs are often first-line options for anxiety sufferers as well.
• Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs): These are an older class of antidepressant that are not used as often today because most people respond better or have fewer side effects with newer drugs. Still, for some, TCAs seem to work best to relieve anxiety. Examples of TCAs used for anxiety include amitriptyline (Elavil), imipramine (Tofranil), and nortriptyline (Pamelor).
• Other antidepressants: Some newer antidepressants have an effect not just on serotonin, like the SSRIs, but also on norepinephrine and sometimes dopamine. Many of these can be effective for treating anxiety. They include venlafaxine (Effexor), bupropion (Wellbutrin), and duloxetine (Cymbalta).

It’s important to remember that antidepressant drugs are designed for long-term use. They will not work unless you take them daily, as prescribed. You won’t feel better if you pop one of these pills whenever you feel your anxiety ramping up.

In fact, such use of these drugs may make you feel considerably worse. That’s because you need to reach a steady blood level in order to feel better, and the increase or decrease in blood levels that accompany starting or stopping these medications may make you temporarily feel worse. That’s why doctors sometimes temporarily prescribe a benzodiazepine to take for a few days or weeks when you’re starting a new medication for anxiety.

For further reading on anxiety medications, see these University Health News posts:

• “Anxiety Test: Does It Help?”
• “8 Serotonin Deficiency Symptoms That You Can Identify Yourself”
• “4 Dopamine Boosters to Improve Depression Symptoms, Mood, and Motivation”

Originally published in May 2016 and updated.

The post Anxiety Medication and Antidepressants: Do They Make a Difference? appeared first on University Health News.

Probably one of the most straightforward ways to find out whether anxiety is playing a role in how you’re feeling is to take one of many anxiety tests or questionnaires. In fact, if you go to your doctor complaining of symptoms that relate to anxiety, he may give you one of these tests. There are several to choose from, including the following:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) Scale
• Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A)
• Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS)
• Primary Care PTSD Screen (PC-PTSD)
• Life Event Checklist (LEC)
• Patient Stress Questionnaire
• State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)
• Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI)
• Hospital Anxiety And Depression Scale-Anxiety (HADS-A)

Some of these tests are ones you take by yourself, and some you take with the supervision or help of a medical professional. After you complete an anxiety test, a professional will need to score the results to see whether you suffer from an anxiety condition.

It’s important to understand that these anxiety tests are not 100 percent accurate. They simply provide an indication of whether or not your symptoms are likely related to an anxiety disorder and, in some cases, help identify which specific anxiety disorder might be troubling you. From there, your doctor can decide if more testing is warranted or if it makes sense to start looking into specific treatments.

Other Tests

Another role that tests play in patients with anxiety symptoms is to rule out other causes of distress. There are many medical conditions that can produce anxiety as a symptom. The following tests can be used to help identify or rule out these conditions:

• Thyroid function test
• Blood levels of iron and sugar
• Glucose tolerance test
• Lung function test
• Electrocardiogram (ECG) to evaluate the electrical activity of your heart
• Echocardiogram to look at the structure of your heart
• Endoscopy to look for stomach issues

Your healthcare provider may order several tests or no tests at all. It all depends on the symptoms you have, your medical history, and your risk factors for other illnesses. Don’t hesitate to ask your doctor why he or she chose to order certain tests and not others.

Originally posted in May 2016 and updated.

The post Anxiety Test: Does It Help? appeared first on University Health News.