The Truth About Anxiety Medication Side Effects
If you are suffering from any anxiety disorder such as generalized disorder, panic attacks, insomnia, obsessive compulsive disorder and other psychiatric disorders, your doctor has most likely prescribed anxiety medication for you. The most common medication for anxiety disorders are Benzodiazepines such as Valium, Xanax, Librium, Librax, Klonopin, Tranxene, Ativan and Serax. Other drugs that are prescribed for specific anxiety disorders are Neurontin, Busbar, Beta-blockers, Tricyclic Antidepressants, MAOI and SSRIs.
Indeed, anxiety medication could help treat anxiety disorders, especially when combined with cognitive-behavioral therapy. However, although the benefits of taking such medication are promising, your doctor might likely have not explained to you the other side of the coin, that is, the possibility of anxiety medication side effects.
Although some people under anxiety medication claim that they have not experienced any side effects from taking such medication, such observation does not apply to all because people react differently when exposed to a variety of medications. So, when someone tells you that there are no side effects, do not believe that person for in fact, you might be one of those people who have an adverse reaction to it and is likely to experience these so-called anxiety medication side effects.
Just like taking any other drug, side effects in taking anxiety medication is not ruled out. Because it only takes more or less an hour for these medicines to take effect, the common side effects associated with taking them are stomach upset, nausea, light headedness, headache, dizziness, fatigue, sweating and change in sexual appetite. Other side effects though uncommon are irritability, confusion, restlessness, nervousness, rapid heart rate, trembling, shaky hands, clammy hands, shortness of breath, difficulty in breathing, palpitations, faintness, sweating and phobic reaction. Although these medications could also trigger dependence and tolerance, they do not cause addiction. However, it is safer for you to take your anxiety medication with strict observance of the dosage the physician has prescribed. It is also wise if you would inform your physician of any history of substance abuse upon consultation.
The question is, should you just tolerate such side effects or not? If the side effects are temporary as mostly they are, it is alright to tolerate them because they are only short-term. It is another thing, however, when the side effects are persistent since they could largely influence your social and mental behavior in a negative way. In such a case, it is better to seek your physician advice so that he may either adjust the dosage or change the anxiety medication.
Another side effect that you may experience is when you withdraw from taking anxiety medication. Among the adverse reactions during the withdrawal stage are generally tolerable, which includes most of the mentioned side effects above. However, in some instances, the withdrawal symptoms could be severe such as loss of appetite, anxiety, seizures and even psychosis. To prevent or if not, at least minimize these withdrawal side effects, discontinuance of anxiety medication must be with the supervision of your physician.