Medicines for anxiety and panic attacks | Medication against anxiety

Medicines for anxiety and panic attacks

Some patients suffering from anxiety disorders have panic attacks in addition. Therefore, there are several drugs that can be used for both anxiety and panic attacks. Benzodizepines are used particularly frequently because they help to relax and thus relieve anxiety and panic.

Since panic attacks always lead to additional physical symptoms, such as a faster heartbeat (tachycardia) or increased sweating, some patients are also prescribed so-called beta-blockers. These medications do not work directly against anxiety or panic attacks, but ensure that the patient’s heartbeat does not become too fast during a panic attack and that other physical symptoms, such as increased sweating or shortness of breath, are also reduced. Other antidepressants, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants, can also be used as drugs for anxiety and panic disorders. However, as these are slow-acting drugs, whose effects only begin to be felt sufficiently after about 2 weeks, they are not suitable for an acute panic attack. Emergency drugs for acute panic disorder are drugs with an active ingredient like lorazepam, which belong to the benzodiazepine class.

Side effects

Like most other medications, anxiety medications have side effects that vary in size and, most importantly, can vary greatly from patient to patient. The benzodiazepines, which are found as a group of drugs in anti-anxiety medications, sometimes have the most severe side effects. These anxiety drugs have side effects such as difficulty breathing, reduced reactivity, increased fatigue and, above all, a high potential for addiction.

The latter means that patients can become addicted to these drugs, similar to drugs, nicotine or alcohol. The group of active ingredients of the serotonin reuptake inhibitors also includes drugs against anxiety with side effects, which, however, can vary greatly depending on the drug used. The most common side effects are digestive problems, headaches (cephalgia), reduced sexual desire (reduced libido) and even the inability to achieve an erection (erectile dysfunction), nausea, sleep disorders and restlessness.

Tricyclic antidepressants are drugs for anxiety with side effects that can sometimes be so severe that they are rarely recommended today. They sometimes cause a faster heartbeat (tachycardia), dry mouth, reduced ability to urinate, reduced heart function, visual disturbances and constipation. Anti-anxiety drugs are not always associated with side effects. However, since these are very powerful psychotropic drugs, i.e. drugs that affect the human psyche, side effects are almost always to be expected when using them.However, how strong these are and how well the patient copes with them varies greatly from patient to patient.