Anxiety Disorder Medications
This article defines and lists pharmological drugs that are used to treat anxiety. Also this article
guides you with questions you should ask your doctor before you take any drugs, you're
prescribed for social phobia.
Questions for your Mental Health Professional
It is important to know about the medication prescribed to you so you know of any potential side
effects, any drug interactions, and if the medication will properly treat your anxiety. With all the
aforementioned being said, the following are questions you should ask your doctor before taking
any medication for anxiety:
- What is the function of the medication?
- What are the side effects of taking this medication?
- When do I take this medication?
- Is it safe to drive or operate heavy machinery while taking this medication?
- Are there any drug interactions that I should know about?
- How long will I be taking this medication?
Knowing Your Anti-Anxiety Medications
All medications used to treatment are not the same, but there are six different drug anti anxiety
drug classes. The six anti anxiety drug classes are
beta-blockers, tricylic antid-depressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), selective
serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI),anticonvulsant, and benzodiazepines tranquilizers.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
A popular class of drugs used to treat social phobia are the SSRI's, better known as selective
Serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This class of drugs is an antidepressant that affects one type of
neurotransmitter called serotonin. Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, and Zoloft are household names in this
drug class.
Tricylic AntiDepressants
In the late 1990s the world was introduced to another class of drugs called tricyclics.
The late 1990s ushered in new medications that, like the tricyclics, affect both norepinephrine
and serotonin but have fewer side effects. These new medications include venlafaxine (Effexor)
and nefazadone (Serzone).
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