The first thing you should know is that anxiety attack medications are not a cure for anxiety, but a useful tool that can contribute to a successful treatment.
However, just as anxiety attack medications can reduce your symptoms during a panic attack, it can also intensify them if misused or abused.
This is why it is important to educate yourself as much as possible about the medications you are taking or planning to take.
In order to make a decision whether to take the anxiety medication or not, you should know a few facts about this type of medication:
• Side effects: Anxiolytics (anxiety medication) often causes sedation, difficulty maintaining balance, confusion and drowsiness. This is why individuals that are taking this medication for the first time should not drive or expose themselves in any other situations that require a clear mind and good reflexes, until they find out how the drugs will affect them.
Fainting may also occur as well as blurred vision and other side effects. If anxiety attack medications are used with other drugs that are depressants, such as barbiturates or alcohol, a person can stop breathing and die due to oxygen deprivation. This is why it is very important not to take any medications on your own or consume alcohol.
If you stop taking anxiolytics suddenly, withdrawal symptoms will occur and they can cause discomfort and hardships. Therefore, you should never discontinue using anxiety medication without professional advice and guidance.
• How to take anxiety medication: Anxiolytics need to be taken in the exact way as your physician or psychiatrist prescribes. This means that you need to be disciplined and consistent without exception. Taking anxiety medication off and on is one of the worst things you can do to yourself.
Another thing you should know is that medications for anxiety need to be taken for at least six months. However, it is very common for them to be taken for longer periods of time.
• Interactions: Mixing anxiety attack medication with alcohol or other substances is very dangerous and can be fatal.
• Purpose: Anxiety medication is used as a part of the treatment for anxiety disorders. The main purpose of the anxiolytics is to reduce the frequency, severity and duration of the symptoms of anxiety disorders. By doing so, an individual that is suffering from anxiety can get involved and participate in psychotherapy where the real healing takes place.
• Anxiety medication (Anxiolytics) and psychotherapy: If you are taking anxiety attack medication, you should be in psychotherapy and under the consistent supervision of a professional. because the reason is that only a health professional can see whether you need larger dosages, another medication or you are positively responding to the given medication.
Another reason why you need to be in psychotherapy aside from the fact that anxiolytics are not the only answer to anxiety is that the appropriate and professional support and guidance is essential during the period of time when you are taking the medication. With the support and guidance, is it thought that you will take your medication on regular basis and benefit from taking them.
In other words, anxiety medication and psychotherapy are inseparable and together they are a cure for anxiety. Psychotherapy alone can cure the anxiety disorder, but anxiolytics cannot. The only thing they can do is to reduce your symptoms of anxiety. However, the cause of your disorder will stay untouched.
• Alternative to anxiety medication: Natural supplements are an alternative to anxiety medication and they can be very successful in reducing the severity, frequency and duration of symptoms of anxiety. However, because they are natural does not mean that they are harmless and that you should not consult your physician, psychiatrist or psychologist.