Anti Depressants for Anxiety

How Can Antidepressants Help Your Anxiety

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Anxiety is a very common mental health disorder. it can cause excessive worry, panic, and fear in people’s everyday lives.

According to the NAMI, “Over 40 million adults in the U.S. (19.1%) have an anxiety disorder. Meanwhile, approximately 7% of children aged 3-17 experience issues with anxiety each year. Most people develop symptoms before age 21.”

Anxiety can be genetic, caused due to life experiences, brain structure, and even personality traits. Feeling anxious is a part of life, but for some people, their anxiety debilitates their lives every day. They are unable to live normal lives due to the confines their anxiety sets on them.

People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) spend a lot of time worrying about what could happen and often avoid situations in which they feel anxious or could feel triggered. It can keep them from social interactions, keep them on edge and make concentrating a difficulty.

Some anxiety symptoms can include:

  • Tense muscles
  • A racing heartbeat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Feeling tense or jumpy

Do I Have Anxiety?

People with GAD can find that they struggle to enjoy things they once did and are unable to participate in daily activities like they once did. If you have symptoms of anxiety, take our quiz and begin to understand your symptoms. Your doctor can look at your symptoms, the duration of them and begin to assess the severity, they can determine the right medication for you and come up with a treatment plan that can get you on the road to recovery.

Types of Antidepressants

There are two different types of antidepressant medications. SSRIs and SNRIs are both used as a way to treat anxiety disorders, panic disorders with intense fear, and more. “Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are some of the most commonly prescribed antidepressants available. They include citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), Prozac, and sertraline (Zoloft).

Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are among the newer types of antidepressants. As the name implies, they block the reuptake of both serotonin and norepinephrine. They include duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor), desvenlafaxine ER (Khedezla), levomilnacipran (Fetzima), and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq).”

How Antidepressants Work

SSRIs and SNRIs work by targeting neurotransmitters in your brain such as serotonin, which affect your sleep, anxiety, mood, and general feelings of comfort. Since taking an SSRI or SNRI increases the serotonin in the brain, it could help with anxiety.

Most medications that are prescribed for depression are also prescribed for anxiety. Compared to benzodiazepines, the risk of addiction or abuse with antidepressants is much lower and thus safer.

Common side-effects of SSRIs:

  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Agitation
  • Drowsiness
  • Weight gain
  • Diarrhea
  • Insomnia
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Nervousness
  • Headaches
  • Dry mouth
  • Increased sweating

Psychiatrists vs Other Doctors

There are many reasons why psychiatrists are better for mental health medication management than other doctors. Psychiatrists are medical doctors and have more training in diagnosing and treating mental illness, they have access to a wider range of medications to treat mental illness, and they are better at helping patients stick to their treatment plans. This makes them the best option for people who are struggling with mental illness.

Mental illness can be a very difficult thing to deal with. It can cause a person to feel sad, anxious, or angry all the time. It can also make it hard to think clearly or interact with other people. If you are struggling with mental illness, it is important to seek help.

Seeing a psychiatrist is one of the best ways to get treatment for mental illness. Psychiatrists have more training in diagnosing and treating mental illness than other doctors.

How Long Do Antidepressants Take to Work?

Antidepressants can take about a month to start having any sort of effect. From there, your doctor may advise you to continue taking it over a period of 6 months to a year. “The use of antidepressants increased nearly 400 percent between 1988 and 2008. SSRIs are the most common class of antidepressants in the U.S. and are believed to be safer and generally cause fewer side effects than other antidepressants.” Most side effects from the antidepressants will go away after a few weeks of taking the medication. Ensuring a healthy lifestyle is beneficial for those wanting to improve their anxiety symptoms.

Some ways to do so include:

  • Exercising often
  • Getting enough sleep
  • Drinking less alcohol
  • Having a balanced diet
  • Practicing mindfulness
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
  • Exposure therapy

Practicing healthy lifestyle habits can significantly improve your life, while dealing with anxiety. If you are not feeling better on a certain medication, your doctor may suggest trying a different medication.

If you are currently taking antidepressants and decide to stop, it is important to reduce the original dose gradually over time. Quitting abruptly can lead to symptoms such as headaches or dizziness and even increase your chances of symptoms returning. Always discuss quitting a medication or changing medications with your healthcare provider first.

Antidepressants, especially SSRIs, treat and prevent a variety of anxiety disorders. Dealing with anxiety can be cumbersome and feel hopeless. With a range of treatment options, antidepressants are just one route you can take to find something that works for you. By talking to your mental health care provider you can begin to form a treatment plan that works for you.