It is normal for a person to experience a state of anxiety at a certain stage in their life, especially after exposure to difficult situations and serious circumstances. What is the concern? And how can it be dealt with? And when do you need medication?
What is the concern?
Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress and a sense of fear of what is about to happen. For example, going to a job interview can make some people feel scared and stressed.
According to the National Library of Medicine in the United States of AmericaAnxiety is a feeling of fear, fear and discomfort. It can cause sweating, nervousness and a rapid heartbeat and can be a normal reaction to stress.
What is the difference between anxiety disorders and anxiety disorders?
If your feelings of anxiety are severe, last at least 6 months, and affect your life, you may have an anxiety disorder, according to Health line website. (Sanitary line).
Anxiety disorder is a condition in which sufferers experience intense, excessive and persistent worries and fears about everyday situations, often involving recurring episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety, fear or terror that peak within minutes (attacks panic), second at the Mayo Clinic (Mayo Clinic).
Feelings of anxiety and panic can interfere with daily activities and last for long, uncontrollable periods. Symptoms of anxiety disorders can begin in childhood or adolescence and continue into adulthood.
Examples of anxiety disorders include:
- generalized anxiety disorder
- social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- specific phobias (e.g. arachnophobia)
generalized anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder usually involves a persistent feeling of anxiety or fear, which can interfere with daily life. People with generalized anxiety disorder experience recurring anxiety for months, if not years.
Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Feeling upset or anxious
- get tired easily
- Difficulty concentrating
- agitation
- Having headaches, body aches, stomach pains or unexplained pains
- Difficulty controlling feelings of anxiety
- Having trouble sleeping, such as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Non-drug treatments for generalized anxiety disorder
If you have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, it is usually recommended that you try psychotherapy before prescribing medications According to the UK National Health Service.
Psychotherapy for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
1- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of treatment that helps a patient manage their problems by changing their thinking and behavior and is one of the most effective treatments for generalized anxiety disorder.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can include:
- psychotherapist review
- A group session that brings the patient together with other people with similar problems with a therapist each week to learn how to cope with anxiety
If these initial treatments don’t help, specialists usually turn to intensive cognitive-behavioral therapy, which includes weekly sessions with a therapist for 3-4 months, or another type of therapy called applied relaxation or medication.
2- Relaxation applied: Applied relaxation focuses on relaxing the muscles in a specific way during situations that normally cause anxiety.
This technique should be taught by a qualified therapist and generally includes the following:
- Learn to relax your muscles
- Practice relaxing your muscles in situations that make you anxious
- 1 hour interview with the therapist every week for 3 to 4 months
When does anxiety need drug treatment?
If the psychological treatments listed above do not help or you prefer not to try them, you will usually be offered medications. Your GP can prescribe a variety of different medications for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder.
Some medications are formulated to be taken on a short-term basis, while others are prescribed for longer periods.
Depending on the symptoms, the patient may need medication to treat physical symptoms, as well as psychological ones.
Types of anxiety medications
1- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): In most cases, it will be the first drug the doctor offers as a type of antidepressant called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. This type of drug works by increasing the level of a chemical called serotonin in the brain.
Examples of SSRIs that can be prescribed include:
- Sertraline
- Escitalopram
- Paroxetine
SSRIs can be taken on a long-term basis. But as with all antidepressants, it can take several weeks to start working.
You usually start with a low dose, which can be gradually increased as your body adjusts to the drug.
2- Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs): If SSRIs do not help relieve anxiety, a different type of antidepressant known as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) may be prescribed.
This type of medicine increases the amount of serotonin and noradrenaline in the brain.
Examples of serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors that may be prescribed include:
- Venlafaxine
- Duloxetine, Venlafaxine
3- Pregabalin: If SSRIs and SNRIs are not appropriate, the doctor may consider pregabalin. Known as an anticonvulsant, this drug is used to treat conditions such as epilepsy, but it has also been shown to be useful in treating anxiety.
4- Benzodiazepines: Benzodiazepines are a type of sedative that can sometimes be used as a short-term treatment during a period of particularly severe anxiety. This is because they help relieve symptoms within 30-90 minutes of taking the drug.
If a benzodiazepine is prescribed, it is usually diazepam.
Although benzodiazepines are very effective in treating anxiety symptoms, they cannot be used for long periods, as they can be addictive if used for more than 4 weeks and even begin to lose effectiveness after this period.
For these reasons, benzodiazepines are usually not prescribed for more than 2 to 4 weeks at a time.
Source : Al Jazeera + agencies + Web sites + Health line
