Taking anti anxiety medication, is just one way to treat anxiety. Educating yourself about all types of treatment options and speaking with your healthcare practitioner is important and necessary if you want to relive your symptoms and understand them. Dictionary.com defines anxiety as “distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune; Psychiatry. a state of apprehension and psychic tension occurring in some forms of mental disorder. Synonyms for Anxiety are fear, foreboding; worry, and disquiet, the and the antonyms are certainty, serenity, and tranquillity. Feelings of distress, apprehension, and worry because of fears is normal and healthy. Fear is a naturally occurring emotion which is needed when you are faced with a dangerous situations. When fear is the brain sends a 'flight or fight' response, which releases adrenaline within the body and causes us to either want to fight or run away. Fear can also be a paralyzing force in life and cause us to resist making choices and moving forward in life. For ancient man, this flight or fight response had a life or death purpose and was much needed. Although we all face the possibility of scary or harmful situations coming into our live, we also have much safer lives than our ancestors. Whoever heard of a web cam security system one-hundred years ago! The fact is we are probably safer than ever, yet as a society we continue to suffer from fear and we are fascinated by horror movies and dramas. Because fear is a natural emotion we cannot completely eliminate it from our experience. What we can do is learn to recognize what thoughts bring up a feeling of fear and work towards rationalizing the feeling away. If fear is allowed to continue and your thoughts follow a negative path, the tendency is that the fear will begin to create other feelings and symptoms such as anxiety. As stated before, fear and anxiety are natural emotions, so if they are experienced infrequently, it is perfectly normal. Having fear and anxiety on a regular basis may be a cause of concern or a more serious issue. Most healthcare practitioners conclude that chronic anxiety is due to a chemical imbalance in the brain for which they often prescribe anti anxiety medication as a treatment for the symptoms.

Anti anxiety medication is usually a temporary solution to relieve feelings of anxiety. Your healthcare practitioner will usually listen to a description of your symptoms, ask a few questions and the prescribe a particular type of medication used to treat anxiety. Therapy is the key to long-term success in getting rid of anxiety and medication is generally given for short term relief. There are three types of anti anxiety medication that are prescribed for anxiety. The first is Burpirone also know as Buspar, it is considered to be the safest because it isn't sedating or addictive. Buspirone can help slightly alleviate symptoms, it will not eliminate anxiety. The second type of drug called Benzodiazepines provides rapid relief of anxiety symptoms but has side effects. The side effects of Benzodiazepines is that it commonly causes physical and psychological dependence within a few weeks of using it. Although Benzodiazepines are effective they are usually only recommended for sever or paralyzing episodes of anxiety. Antidepressants are the third type of prescription used for the treatment of anxiety. The down side of using antidepressants for symptoms is that the full effects of the drug may not felt for up to six weeks. They can also cause a feeling of nausea and sleep problems.

While anti anxiety medication may provide relief for anxiety symptoms, therapy is a long term solution that has no side effects. Cognitive behavioral therapy is used to treat anxiety and the therapist will help to identify negative thought patterns that are causing the anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy helps us identify how we look at the world and ourselves to identify negative beliefs and thoughts that cause your anxiety. Hypnotherapy also helps to identify the beliefs and emotions connected with anxiety and changes those beliefs through the power of positive suggestion.

It is often best to consult with your healthcare practitioner as well as educate yourself on all the available treatment options to make an informed, intelligent decision for your care. Making lifestyle changes, such as eating healthy, exercise, therapy, massage, and other alternative treatments can all get you on the road to recovery. Whether you decide to try natural remedies first and then look into therapy and anti anxiety medication, it is important to treat the symptoms as soon as possible.