medicine
This is a particularly important chapter for anyone who experiences symptoms of anxiety. Unless you are seeing a naturopath or holistic practitioner, there is a very strong chance that your doctor or therapist will recommend that you take medication to help control your anxiety. While medications may be necessary in the short term for people who present a danger to themselves or others, however, studies show that non-pharmaceutical options can be as effective or even more effective than medication.
In this chapter, we will look at just why medication isn’t the right option for people with anxiety disorders. We will look at the chances and effects of dependency, the risks and problems associated with side effects, and how medications work to mask symptoms rather than to actually cure or alleviate them. We will also look at how medications can often make symptoms and anxiety disorders worse. The goal here is not to tell you that medication is always bad, but to help you see that it is typically not the best solution.
It Isn’t An Easy Fix
For people who experience crippling anxiety and panic, the appeal of drug therapy can be strong. Many doctors present drugs as though they will provide an instant cure for anxiety symptoms. The truth of the matter, however, is that this is certainly not the case. Many of the most common drugs for anxiety, such as benzodiazepines, can actually cause dependency. They can also cause strong withdrawal symptoms, including worsened anxiety and panic attacks, as they start to leave the body.
Even when an anxiety drug is able to provide temporary relief, it is unable to actually reduce the chance of future anxiety and panic. Medication does nothing to actually treat the condition when it comes to anxiety disorders. Instead, it acts as a Band-Aid that can temporarily cover up symptoms. The problem with this is that while the symptoms are hidden, they can actually become larger and harder to treat.
When the Treatment Is Worse Than the Disease
One big problem that people experience with medication for anxiety is that the treatment can often be worse than the initial condition. While psychiatric medications are tested and their general safety is evaluated, it is impossible to tell how any brain altering chemical will react with a person’s unique body chemistry. Because of this, there is always a risk of mild to severe side effects.
For some patients, medication side effects can simply be bothersome, such as dry mouth, blurred vision, or drowsiness. For others, however, they can be absolutely intolerable. Some patients experience traumatic side effects from the use of anti-anxiety medications, including greater panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts, and even increased risk of stroke or heart attack.
In fact, many medications designed to treat anxiety can actually have side effects that mimic anxiety. Many medications used to treat anxiety can cause heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, and insomnia as well as other symptoms of anxiety. While medications such as benzodiazepines can produce lessened anxiety within a short period of time after they are taken, they can actually create a worsening cycle of anxiety in the long run, leading to dependence and in many cases, actually serving to make anxiety and panic disorders more severe than they were before the patient started taking the medication.
Every medication affects different people in different ways, and it is important to realize that when it comes to psychiatric medication, the drugs you take are created to alter your brain chemistry. While it is hoped that the drugs will change your chemistry in a way that is beneficial to you, there are certainly high chances that the changes will be negative. Few people find success from the first medication that they try, and many require multiple changes over the course of their lifetimes. When therapy, exercise, and behavioral changes are proven to be more effective while offering less risk, the idea of taking medication becomes one that should be considered only as a last resort.
Hiding Symptoms Is Not Treating Them
Of course, the biggest problem with anti-anxiety medications is that they do not treat anxiety. Instead, they simply work to mask or cover up the symptoms. This is like turning up the radio to drown out the sound of engine trouble. It makes the problem less visible, but it does nothing to resolve it and can lead to bigger trouble down the line.
Masking the symptoms of anxiety can provide short-term relief, but often at great cost. With most medications, you must stay on them in order to keep seeing benefit. Furthermore, you will find that you need to take more and more of the medication over time just to see the same level of benefit.
The bottom line regarding anti-anxiety medications is this. At best, they are a short-term treatment designed to be used until a patient is in a safe enough space for therapy and other treatments to be effective without them. Unfortunately, however, many patients end up taking these medications for years, or even for the rest of their lives. There are better and safer solutions out there, and many practitioners are finally starting to learn that medication is not the right answer for people with anxiety and panic disorders.
Summary
Medication has long been a common method of treating anxiety and panic disorders, but this does not make it the right solution. There have been hundreds of studies that show that psychotherapy, relaxation, and natural methods such as exercise can offer significantly greater benefit to patients suffering from anxiety. Medication is at best a short term solution for patients who are otherwise unable to function with their symptoms.
Even when medication is needed, therapy is a crucial part of treating anxiety and panic. Medication, combined with education and new thinking and behavioral skills, can help reduce symptoms enough for patients to be able to see great improvement in their disorder without the need for continued pharmaceutical treatment. Speak with your practitioner about natural treatments and about the risks of anti-anxiety medications. Voice any concerns that you may have and never hesitate to ask questions. If your doctor seems unwilling to try treatments that do not require drugs, consider seeing a new practitioner, such as one who practices holistic or natural psychiatry whenever possible.