Treating Anxiety
Cognitive behavioral therapy or psychotherapy (CBT) are common ways of treating anxiety. CBT helps people identify harmful thought patterns that lead to anxious and troubling feelings.
Medicines can ease physical symptoms of anxiety, including shaking and heartbeats that are rapid. Patients must consult with their health care provider to find the right dosage and medication for their needs.
Medicines
Anxiety is a natural response to stress. It can prevent us from sleeping, but there are treatments to aid. Medicine can help ease anxiety symptoms and make life easier by dealing with the root causes. Combining therapy and medication can have a bigger impact on mood and the quality of life.
Antidepressants reduce anxiety by increasing levels of chemicals that help you calm down in your brain. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most frequently used antidepressants. They prevent nerve cells from absorbing serotonin in the brain and increase the availability of serotonin. This helps you feel calmer. SSRIs are medicines like Celexa Lexapro Paxil and Zoloft. Antidepressants, such as serotonin-norepinephrine inhibitors (SNRIs), tricyclic antidepressants and others are also used to combat anxiety.
Benzodiazepines such as Xanax, Klonopin, and Valium are effective in relieving anxiety symptoms. They do this by affecting brain receptors, which cause a calming affect. They are effective in managing anxiety, but they can become addictive if used for longer than 4 weeks and do not work as well over time, and therefore are not recommended for long-term use.
Other antianxiety drugs like quetiapine, buspirone, and clonidine lower the level of stress hormone cortisol that is present in your body by blocking receptors within the brain. The most frequently reported adverse result is the feeling of drowsiness. Antidepressants and SSRIs can cause nausea, diarrhea, constipation and sexual dysfunction in a few people.
Other antianxiety medications like phenytoin or melatonin function as sedatives, reducing the activity of certain brain neurons, which can reduce anxiety. Antihistamines can also be used to treat anxiety. They help reduce the itching caused by allergies, and help you feel more comfortable.
Other types of medication that are used to reduce anxiety are monoamine oxidase inhibitors, such as moclobemide and tetracycline. These are usually used when other treatments fail. Certain doctors may prescribe off-label prescription medications that have shown to reduce anxiety during clinical trials, but are not licensed.
Psychotherapy
Talk therapy or psychotherapy with mental health professionals can help ease anxiety disorders. This can be a psychiatrist, a psychologist or a licensed clinical social worker. In addition to addressing the root cause of anxiety, the therapist will offer support and encouragement. The therapist's physical presence is crucial for those suffering from anxiety. It stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which provides them with a sense of security.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is usually the best choice for treating anxiety. This method teaches you specific techniques to manage your worries and gradually allow you to return to things you've stayed away from due to anxiety. This includes exposure therapy in which you gradually encounter the situation or object that triggers anxiety to overcome your anxiety.
Psychotherapy can help you gain a better understanding of the reason you're so worried, including how your imagination can make you believe that dangers are not real. The therapist also educates you on the physiology behind the body's natural "flight-or-fight" response and why it is inappropriately triggered by things that are typically harmless.
Therapy is usually conducted in a series of sessions lasting approximately an hour each, with patients often receiving assignments to complete between sessions. It can take time to find the ideal therapy for you, and you might have to try a few before finding someone you feel comfortable with.
Self-help techniques can be helpful as an adjunct to psychotherapy, such as meditation, relaxation exercises and breathing techniques. You can lessen the effects of anxiety by getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and avoiding nicotine and caffeine. Humor is an excellent stress relieving factor. You can try to include more laughter into your life. If you are experiencing an acute anxiety attack that threatens your safety or that of others' safety, talk to your physician for an urgent anxiety medication, which is usually an benzodiazepine. This treatment is not often needed, but can be very beneficial. The use of medications is not a substitute for psychotherapy, but it can be beneficial in certain situations.
Lifestyle changes
In addition to psychotherapy and medications There are a myriad of lifestyle changes that can significantly help people with anxiety disorders. Regular exercise, a nutritious diet, avoiding tobacco, alcohol and caffeine and getting enough sleep and practicing relaxation techniques can all help.
Regular exercise can be a great stress reliever and has been proven to improve mood and self-reported anxiety symptoms. Making a workout routine that is safe for every individual can be a challenge However, even a small amount of physical activity can be beneficial.
Regular, moderately graded exercise has also been proven to be effective in treating depression. It has also been associated with a higher rates of remission from anxiety disorders. Although herbal treatment for anxiety is unclear, it's believed that exercise alters brain chemical by altering the neurotransmitters 5-HT in the dorsal Raphe Nucleus, and decreasing levels of cortisol.
The use of acupuncture, massage therapy and other CAM treatments has been proven to be beneficial in treating anxiety disorders. However, evidence is scarce and often hampered by poor methodology. While a few studies show some promising results, the majority of these treatments don't have the clinical evidence needed for doctors to recommend them as an alternative.
Furthermore, the connection between food and anxiety is complex. In fact, certain foods can actually increase anxiety symptoms. The highly palatable, fatty food can promote the production in the brain of reactive oxygen species which can worsen or cause anxiety symptoms. Dietary improvement, specifically the cutting down on nicotine, alcohol and caffeine, has been shown to help reduce anxiety, although further research is needed, including programs to help with withdrawal from substances and controlled prospective studies.
It has been proven that other supplements to the diet such as omega-3 fish oils can reduce anxiety. The reason is unclear, but researchers believe that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines, and increase the effectiveness of antidepressants in lowering anxiety symptoms. Other dietary changes that can help with anxiety include increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables, adding whole grains and avoiding processed food.
Herbal and nutritional supplements
Clinical trials have only been conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of natural supplements that have been used in some regions of the world for centuries to relieve anxiety symptoms. The dietary supplement ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is an herb that comes that comes from the Ayurvedic tradition of Indian medicine, has been found to be particularly effective in managing anxiety and stress. The amino acid precursors l -tryptophan, and l -lysine can also help reduce anxiety symptoms due to their effects on neurotransmitters which are involved in the stress response.
People who suffer from anxiety report a wide range of symptoms, from the temporary feeling of nervousness or anxiety that can occur prior to surgery or menstruation to the constant anxiety and feelings of tension that characterize more serious forms of anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder panic disorder and social phobias. The symptoms of anxiety can be debilitating, and may include trembling, headaches, sweating, muscle tightness, and difficulty sleeping.
Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy is a highly effective treatment for anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a kind of psychotherapy which teaches patients to recognize and respond to the thoughts and behaviors that trigger anxiety in a different manner. This approach, in combination with medication, can assist to treat anxiety and reduce the symptoms associated with it, such as fatigue and depression.
Omega-3 fatty acids, that are found in fish like mackerel, salmon and herring, can also reduce anxiety symptoms. These fatty acid found in fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring, have been identified to improve the health of the heart as well as improve the brain. Flaxseeds are also a good source of omega-3 fats.
It is important to keep in mind that herbal and dietary products are not controlled by the FDA the same way as pharmaceutical drugs. This means that there is the possibility that some products could be contaminated or cause harmful side effects. If you're considering using herbs or dietary supplements to reduce anxiety, speak with your physician before beginning any treatment plan so that they can provide advice on possible interactions with other medications you could be taking, and offer recommendations for dosages.
