Anxiety Treatment: Exploring Anxiety Medication and Effective Alternative Solutions

Anxiety can be difficult to live with, from sleepless nights to distressing physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweaty palms, or light-headedness. It can be so overwhelming that people will do anything to avoid the feeling.  

Struggling with anxiety can keep you from enjoying events or increase your substance use to manage symptoms. Although you might be getting by, you might also be missing out on things you would like to enjoy.  

The main question with anxiety is whether you need medication or if you can manage it without. Many people can learn to manage anxiety without medication. Medications may be helpful while you develop these skills, but they are not suitable for everyone. There are different types for both acute and ongoing symptoms. This post will cover both medication options and alternatives for anxiety treatment, helping you decide what fits best for your situation.  

How do you know you have anxiety that is more than normal?

It’s pretty likely that if you have anxiety, you are well aware that you do, but not always.  Especially in situations that are high stress, you would anticipate feeling some anxiety.  If you haven’t always had anxiety, or if it increases, you might not be sure about what you are experiencing.  

Anxiety often feels like constant worry about what might happen rather than what is happening. Catastrophic thinking and waiting for the next bad event are common. These thoughts can disrupt your relaxation and sleep, making anxiety worse the next day if you don’t get enough rest.  

Physically, anxiety produces symptoms such as shakiness, lightheadedness, feeling flushed, jittery, or a racing heart. Panic, an intense type of anxiety, can feel like a heart attack and is sometimes hard to control, as the panic itself can create more anxiety.  

Anxiety can make you jumpy, irritable, and easily overwhelmed by unexpected events or small demands.  

Anxiety is part of our biology and sometimes indicates something isn’t right. It shouldn’t be ignored. If you have anxiety, stay present and aware to see if there’s a good reason for it.  

How do you know that you might need to take some action regarding your anxiety?  Simply put, it is when you notice that it is taking up too much of your time and energy.  It is keeping you from living or functioning fully in your life, or others who are close to you are pointing out that you aren’t fully present, that you aren't doing things you normally do, or that you are irritable and easily overreact.  

Can you just medicate it?  

Medications can be helpful, especially if you are having difficulty focusing and functioning in your life, at work, or in your family.  However, just medicating the issue doesn’t help you learn skills to manage it, nor does it help you understand why you are experiencing it, so that it can be addressed.  Additionally, some medications that are for more acute anxiety won’t continue to work over time.  They are meant to be a short-term medication to address an acute situation with the expectation that it won’t continue.  We will cover a basic overview here, but for more information, you should always consult a medical provider who can not only explain medications in more detail but can help you determine what is right for you and why.  

Medications in the class of benzodiazepines are short-acting and meant to be used for the short term. These include medications like Ativan, Xanax, Valium, or clonazepam. Taking them regularly over time, not just as needed or for a short period,can cause your body to need higher doses, a process known as tolerance. Eventually, they may become less effective. These medications carry a risk of dependence, meaning it can be difficult to stop using them. They are very effective for acute anxiety or panic, but shouldn’t be considered a long-term solution due to these risks.

Benzodiazepines bind to GABA receptors in the brain, calming the nervous system, resulting in fast-acting relaxation and reduced electrical activity that can decrease worry and anxiety, relax muscles, and help you slow down. The risk is that, over time, your body adjusts, requiring more medication to achieve the same effect. This not only lowers effectiveness but also increases the chance of dependence and potential withdrawal symptoms if stopped suddenly.  

Other short-acting medications include Hydroxyzine (Vistaril), which blocks H1 receptors and helps reduce central nervous system activity.  These are also antihistamines and have a sedative or relaxing effect.  Although not as sedating as benzodiazepines, they can help with quick relief without the risk of increased tolerance.  

Buspar, or buspirone, is a short-acting, non-addictive option that increases serotonin and reduces anxiety without sedating you. It can help control anxiety in the short term.  

Other medications in the class of blood pressure medications are used to decrease the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as sweating, racing heart, or shaky feelings.  These medications, such as propranolol, can be used as needed to reduce distress during situations such as public speaking.  

All the medications discussed above manage symptoms, but do not address the causes of anxiety or teach skills to manage it without medications. Therapy and specific interventions can be effective in those areas.  

A final class of medication for anxiety is geared more toward general anxiety and worry, rather than acute symptoms. These medications include Fluoxetine, Escitalopram, Citalopram, and others, and can be used for both anxiety and depression, building up in the user's system for long-term decrease of anxiety symptoms. While most have minimal side effects and no risk of abuse, some may cause side effects such as changes in sleep, appetite, or mood, and should be discussed with a prescriber.  

Medications can help control anxiety symptoms, but they work best alongside therapy for understanding and addressing the underlying causes of anxiety.  

You can manage anxiety without medication. It may take effort and time, but this process helps you learn about yourself and build confidence. Medication can be an additional support, but deciding the best method is a personal choice and depends on what makes you feel most able to function while learning coping skills.  

Therapeutic interventions

If your anxiety is serious enough for medication, it needs further attention. Even without medication, counseling is a valuable investment if your anxiety is a concern.  

The length and type of therapeutic intervention vary for each individual and depend on their needs.  Sometimes anxiety develops due to a past, unresolved trauma.  In that case, the intervention may include immediate practices to decrease anxiety, such as mindfulness and relaxation techniques, as well as reprocessing of traumatic events, which might include EMDR or other more in-depth processing of the trauma.  

In other cases, you may just need to be aware of your anxiety and reframe, or learn to refocus your attention using techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy or mindfulness, such as progressive relaxation, grounding exercises, and meditation.  

A final thought about anxiety

Anxiety isn’t an abnormal experience for anyone, especially not in today's busy world.  Internal and external factors can affect it and cause it to increase unexpectedly.  Like many mood experiences, our hormones have an impact on anxiety.  Sleep can affect it, as can conditions such as sleep apnea.  If it is becoming concerning to you, you should address it sooner rather than later.  The adage of ignore it until it goes away rarely works with anxiety; when you don’t manage it, it can get worse.  However, despite how intense it might feel, it isn’t life-threatening.  If you can recognize that you are experiencing anxiety, you can help calm yourself down by reminding yourself that it’s just a feeling, it won’t last forever, and it isn’t life-threatening.  The more you get to know it, the less power it has over you.  

This blog, in particular, is not meant to be a medical plan for anyone, and the topics and medications covered are presented in very basic, layman's terms at best.  If you are interested in more information, you can start with your medical provider, someone who is specifically trained in the use of these medications.  Additionally, if you are curious if counseling can help you, you should reach out and talk to someone.  It can be an investment in your mental wellness and a journey of learning more about yourself - in a good way!