It is normal for a person to experience a state of anxiety at a certain stage of his life, especially after exposure to difficult situations and severe circumstances. What is the concern? And how can it be dealt with? And when does he need medication?
What's the worry?
Anxiety is the body's natural response to stress and a sense of fear about what is going 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 America , anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It may cause sweating, tension, and a rapid heartbeat, and it can be a normal reaction to stress.
What is the difference between anxiety and anxiety disorders?
If your feelings of anxiety are severe, last for at least 6 months, and affect your life, you may have an anxiety disorder, according to the Health Line website .
Anxiety disorder is a condition in which sufferers experience intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations, often involving recurring episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety, fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks), according to 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 may begin in childhood or the teenage years and continue into adulthood.
Examples of anxiety disorders include:
Generalized anxiety disorder
Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
Specific phobias (eg arachnophobia)
Generalized anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder usually involves a persistent feeling of anxiety or dread, 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, muscle aches, stomach aches, or unexplained pains
Difficulty controlling feelings of anxiety
Having trouble sleeping, such as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
Non-pharmacological treatments for generalized anxiety disorder
If you've been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, it's usually advised to try psychotherapy before prescribing the medication, according to the UK's National Health Service .
Psychotherapy for generalized anxiety disorder
1- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of treatment that helps the patient manage his problems by changing his pattern of thinking and behavior, and it is one of the most effective treatments for generalized anxiety disorder.
Cognitive behavioral therapy may include:
Psychotherapist review
A group session that brings the patient together with other people with similar problems with a therapist every week to learn ways to deal 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 to 4 months, or another type of therapy called applied relaxation or medication.
2- Applied relaxation Applied relaxation focuses on relaxing your muscles in a specific way during situations that normally cause anxiety.
This technique should be taught by a trained therapist and generally includes the following:
Learn how to relax your muscles
Practice relaxing your muscles in situations that make you anxious
One hour therapist interview every week for 3 to 4 months
When does anxiety need drug treatment?
If the psychological treatments listed above don't help or you'd rather not try them, you will usually be offered medication. Your GP can prescribe a variety of different medications to treat generalized anxiety disorder.
Some medicines 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 symptoms.
Types of anxiety medications
1- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): In most cases, it will be the first drug your doctor will offer as a type of antidepressant called a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. This type of medication works by increasing the level of a chemical called serotonin in the brain.
Examples of SSRIs that may be prescribed to you include:
Sertraline
Escitalopram
Paroxetine
SSRIs can be taken long-term. But as with all antidepressants, it can take several weeks to start working.
You will usually start at a low dose, which can be increased gradually as your body adjusts to the medication.
2. Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs): If SSRIs do not help relieve anxiety, a different type of antidepressant known as a serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) may be prescribed.
This type of medicine increases the amount of serotonin and norepinephrine 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 suitable, your doctor may turn to pregabalin. Known as an anticonvulsant, this drug is used to treat conditions such as epilepsy, but it has also been found 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 particularly severe period of anxiety. This is because they help relieve symptoms within 30 to 90 minutes of taking the medication.
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, because they can become addictive if used for longer than 4 weeks, and also begin to lose effectiveness after this time.
For these reasons, benzodiazepines will usually not be prescribed for longer than 2 to 4 weeks at a time.
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