Almost everyone suffers from anxiety at some stage in their lives. But for most people, this is short-lived and goes away without any medication. But anxiety becomes troublesome and worrying if it stays for long, even after the stressful or dangerous situation has passed. This type of anxiety is called anxiety disorder and makes the person feel unwarranted psychological distress. This results in the appearance of physical symptoms, such as chest pain, headaches, and muscle tension. To relieve anxiety, anxiety medication in UK is used.  There are many medicines used to treat different kinds of anxiety symptoms. The three most common anxiety medications that doctors usually prescribe are:

  • Anxiolytics (or anti-anxiety medicines)
  • Antidepressants, and
  • Beta-blockers

How do anxiety medications work?

Anxiolytics and antidepressants affect the level of neurotransmitters, a chemical found in the brain, thus relieving mental stress. Whereas, other types of anxiety drugs including beta-blockers help relieve the physical symptoms of anxiety. First-generation antihistamines produce a sedative effect, thus helping to cope with the symptoms of anxiety.

What causes anxiety?

When certain chemicals in the brain become imbalanced, this results in anxiety disorders. These chemicals involve neurotransmitters including:

  • norepinephrine,
  • gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA, and
  • serotonin

The levels of these chemicals determine how well and relaxed a person feels.

Things to note about anxiety medications are:

  • Anxiety medicines do not actually cure an anxiety disorder, but rather, they change the balance of these chemicals in the brain. This way, anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants control the psychological symptoms of anxiety.
  • Other anxiety medicines such as beta-blockers block the receptors that feel the physiological symptoms associated with anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat.

When should one use anxiety medicines?

There are a number of disorders collectively termed “anxiety disorders” for which anxiety medicines are used, either combined with psychotherapy or used alone.

These conditions are:

  • Phobias
  • Social anxiety disorder (SAD)
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
  • Panic disorder (PD)
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

When to use which anxiety medicine?

Before choosing the right anxiety medication in UK, it is important to know for which different anxiety medicines are specifically used. It depends on the condition of the anxiety disorder to determine the right medicine. Here are the common uses of these medications:

  • TCAs or tricyclic antidepressants treat post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and general anxiety disorder. A specific tricyclic called clomipramine (Anafranil) is prescribed for the treatment of an obsessive-compulsive disorder. 
  • SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a class of antidepressants that treat social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, general anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. 
  • MAOIs, or monoamine oxidase inhibitors are antidepressants that treat post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder.
  • SNRIs, and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors are antidepressants that treat obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, general anxiety disorder, and panic disorder. 
  • BuSpar or Buspirone is an anxiety medication that is used for general anxiety disorder
  • antihistamines belonging to first-generation, including diphenhydramine, are a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder
  • Benzodiazepines are a treatment for social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and general anxiety disorder
  • Alpha-blockers, including prazosin, are a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. This particularly includes seeing nightmares. 
  • Beta-blockers, including propranolol, are used for a type of social anxiety called performance anxiety, and  sometimes doctors prescribe them for panic disorder
  • If a person is treated using first-line anxiety medications, but still their symptoms persist, then other drugs such as antipsychotics and anticonvulsants are used. They increase the body’s overall response to therapy by acting as an augmentation therapy.

What are the differences between anti-anxiety drugs?

Before you Buy anxiety medication Online in UK, it is important to know the differences between different anxiety medicines. The same drug class contains medicines that work similarly. Some of the differences and similarities are: 

  • SSRIs are considered the first-line drugs to treat many types of anxiety and they work by affecting the serotonin levels in the brain
  • Other types of antidepressants, such as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and tricyclics (TCAs) have limited use due to their drug interactions and long lists of side effects. These drugs function by changing levels of brain serotonin and norepinephrine

But, anxiolytic drugs work in different ways, as they target these disorders specifically and have particular treatment applications.

  • Buspirone (BuSpar) is an anxiolytic that increases the activity of serotonin in the brain
  • Benzodiazepines work by affecting the neurotransmitter GABA, or gamma-aminobutyric acid
  • Antihistamine hydroxyzine produces a sedative effect as it blocks some receptors in the brain. These drugs include Atarax and Vistaril

There are some other medicines too that have specific off-label uses for the treatment of panic disorders, these include medicines for treating high blood pressure.

  • Prazosin or Minipress, which is an alpha-blocker helps to get rid of nightmares caused by PTSD
  • Propranolol, or Inderal, and atenolol, or Tenormin are beta-blockers and are a treatment for stage fright, also known as performance remedy. These are also sometimes used for treating PTSD. 
  • Clonidine, Catapres, guanfacine, Tenex and other alpha-blockers are sometimes used for treating PTSD

What are some anxiety medicines commonly used?

These are some anxiety medication in UK according to the class of anxiety medicines.

SSRI or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

  • Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
  • Vortioxetine (formerly Brintellix; now named Trintellix)
  • Citalopram (Celexa)
  • Sertraline (Zoloft)
  • Vilazodone (Viibryd)
  • Escitalopram (Lexapro)
  • Paroxetine (Paxil)
  • Fluoxetine (Prozac)

Tetracyclic Antidepressants

  • Mianserin (Norval)
  • Maprotiline (Ludiomil)

Tricyclic Antidepressants

  • Clomipramine (Anafranil) 
  • Amitriptyline (Elavil)
  • Nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor)
  • Doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan)
  • Protryptiline (Vivactyl)
  • Trimipramine (Surmontil)
  • Amoxapine (Asendin)
  • Imipramine (Tofranil)
  • Despiramine (Norpramin)

MAOIs or Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

  • Tranylcypromine (Parnate)
  • Isocarboxazid (Marplan)
  • Selegiline (Emsam Patches)
  • Phenelzine (Nardil)

SNRIs or Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors

  • Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)
  • Mirtazapine (Remeron)
  • Milnacipran (Savella)
  • Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
  • Venlafaxine (Effexor)
  • Levomilnacipran (Fetizma)

Some Other Antidepressants

  • Nefazodone (Serzone)
  • Atomoxetine (Strattera)
  • Bupropion (Wellbutrin)
  • Trazodone (Desyrel)

Non-Benzodiazepines

  • Eszopiclone (Lunesta)
  • Zaleplon (Sonata)
  • Zolpidem (Ambien)
  • Zopiclone (Imovane)
  • Anxiolytics: Others
  • Buspirone (BuSpar)

Anxiolytics: Benzodiazepines

  • Alprazolam (Xanax)
  • Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
  • Clorazepate (Tranxene)
  • Midazolam (Versed)
  • Clobazepam (Onfi)
  • Diazepam (Valium)
  • Flurazepam (Dalmane)
  • Lorazepam (Ativan)
  • Temazepam (Restoril)
  • Quazepam (Doral)
  • Clonazepam (Klonopin)
  • Triazolam (Halcion)
  • Prazepam (Centrax)
  • Estazolam (ProSom)
  • Oxazepam (Serax)

Anxiolytics: Antihistamines

  • Hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril)

Anticonvulsants

  • Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
  • Leveteriacetam (Keppra)
  • Tiagabine (Gabitril)
  • Valproic Acid (Depakote)
  • Gabapentin (Neurontin)
  • Vigabatrin (Sabril)
  • Topiramate (Topamax)
  • Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
  • Pregabalin (Lyrica)

Alpha-Blockers

  • Clonidine (Catapres)
  • Prazosin (Minipress)
  • Guanfacine (Tenex)

Beta-Blockers

  • Atenolol (Tenormin)
  • Propranolol (Inderal)

Note: There is a long list of beta-blockers, but we mention here just two since they are used for treating social anxiety.

Antipsychotics

  • Ziprasidone (Geodon)
  • Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
  • Aripiprazole (Abilify)
  • Risperidone (Risperdal)
  • Quetiapine (Seroquel)

Side Effects of Anxiety medicines?

The short-term use of anxiety medicines can cause these side effects:

  • Slurred speech
  • Nightmares
  • Irregular breathing
  • Faulty judgment
  • Low heart rate
  • Nausea
  • Confusion
  • Dizziness
  • Low blood pressure
  • Memory loss
  • Depression

Prolonged use of anxiety medications results in the following symptoms:

  • Vision problems
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Sleep problems
  • Mood swings
  • Liver damage
  • Aggressive behaviour
  • Sexual problems
  • Breathing problems

Where to get Anxiety Medications online

To Buy anxiety medication Online in UK, or for more information about anxiety medication in UK, visit supermeds.to.