Is Xanax the Best Medication for Anxiety?
Updated: Jul 1
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. For example, you may feel worried and anxious about sitting an exam or having a medical test or job interview. During times like these, feeling anxious can be perfectly normal. But some people find it hard to control their worries. Their feelings of anxiety are more constant and can often affect their daily lives.
Anxiety is the main symptom of several conditions, including:
panic disorder
phobias, such as agoraphobia or claustrophobia
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
The information in this section is about a specific condition called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). buy xanax online,
GAD is a long-term condition that causes you to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than 1 specific event. People with GAD feel anxious most days and often struggle to remember the last time they felt relaxed.As soon as 1 anxious thought is resolved, another may appear about a different issue.xanax for sale in usa,
Symptoms of a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
GAD can cause both psychological (mental) and physical symptoms.
These vary from person to person, but can include:
feeling restless or worried
having trouble concentrating or sleeping
dizziness or heart palpitations
When to get help for anxiety
Although feelings of anxiety at certain times are completely normal, see a GP if anxiety is affecting your daily life or causing you distress.
Your GP will ask about your symptoms and your worries, fears and emotions to find out if you could have GAD.
These factors may increase your risk of developing an anxiety disorder:
Trauma. ...
Stress due to an illness. ...
Stress buildup. ...
Personality. ...
Other mental health disorders. ...
Having blood relatives with an anxiety disorder. ...
Drugs or alcohol.
Anxiety Medications
Benzodiazepines (also known as tranquilizers) are the most widely prescribed type of medication for anxiety. Drugs such as Xanax (alprazolam), Klonopin (clonazepam), Valium (diazepam), and Ativan (lorazepam) work quickly, typically bringing relief within 30 minutes to an hour.
What Is Xanax?
Alprazolam, sold under the brand name Xanax, among others, is a fast-acting, potent tranquilizer of medium duration in the triazolobenzodiazepine class, which are benzodiazepines fused with a triazole ring.
What does Xanax alprazolam do?
Alprazolam is a medicine in the benzodiazepine family of drugs. Benzodiazepines are most commonly prescribed for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia, and they are also prescribed to control seizures caused by epilepsy.
Benzodiazepine or “Xanax is a type of medication that is used to treat anxiety, depression or panic disorders and works to balance out the chemicals in our brain. It belongs to the group of drugs known as benzodiazepines and it is currently the most prescribed anxiety medication that is used in the United States.
How do alprazolam make you feel?
Alprazolam may cause some people, especially older persons, to become drowsy, dizzy, or less alert than they are normally. Make sure you know how you react to this medicine before you drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy, or are not alert or able to see well.
How does Xanax help you with Anxiety?
Xanax works by increasing the amount of the neurotransmitter GABA in the brain to promote calmness and a relaxed feeling. This greatly helps people who suffer from anxiety disorders so that they are able to remain calmer in a particularly stressful situation, help curb panic attacks and calm their body's overactivity.
When do you need Xanax for anxiety?
Benzos are best used short-term in crisis situations—and at times for isolated phobias like fear of flying or for sudden or severe trauma, such as death of a loved one. Xanax is also useful for anxious, agitated depression until the depression subsides.
How Does Xanax Work?
Xanax — along with Valium and Ativan — is part of a class of drugs called benzodiazepines, or benzos, a group of medicines that produce a state of calm in users.
There are around 13 types of benzos that are approved for use as prescription medications by the FDA. Some are prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, but they can also be used for other conditions like seizures, panic disorder and alcohol withdrawal.
Benzos aren’t designed as a long-term treatment option. Instead, these medications are prescribed and intended for short-term use for acute symptoms, such as rapid-onset anxiety or panic attacks. This is because tolerance develops with long-term use, meaning that a person needs higher and higher doses to achieve the same effects.
How Does Xanax Work on the Central Nervous System?
Xanax and other benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressants. The central nervous system is responsible for maintaining our bodies’ primary functions, including the regulation of heart rate, breathing, blood pressure, and body temperature. When taken, Xanax slows down these functions.
Many of its effects are similar to drinking alcohol. For example, the level of impairment, sleepiness and slow reaction time one may feel from Xanax are similar to drinking too much.
Some of the effects of short-term Xanax use include physical and mental relaxation and reduced feelings of fear, agitation and anxiety. However, adverse side effects of taking Xanax can include extreme drowsiness, coordination problems, feeling dizzy or lightheaded or experiencing emotional problems.
How Does Xanax Work for Anxiety?
When you experience excessive stress or anxiety, the brain increases certain nerve signals that lead to feelings of anxiety. During these times, the brain produces an unbalanced amount of chemical signals, increasing brain activity, feelings of fear and anxiety and restricting the ability to calm the mind.
Xanax creates a calming effect by impacting the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a naturally occurring chemical in the brain. If you become anxious or nervous, your brain releases it to calm down the negative activity. If you have anxiety or panic disorders, Xanax works by enhancing the effects of GABA in your brain.
Because Xanax is only intended for short-term treatment of anxiety, it is important to pursue other treatment options for long-term control of anxiety. The gold standard for treating anxiety is therapy, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy and applied relaxation. If medications are needed to treat anxiety, the first-line choices are antidepressants, which can impact anxiety as well as depression.how to buy xanax,
How Fast Does Xanax Work?
Once ingested, Xanax takes one to two hours to reach peak levels in the bloodstream. Taking Xanax regularly may increase tolerance levels, so it may take more time to feel the effects after long-term use. How quickly the drug is absorbed and eventually leaves the body is also affected by the person’s age, weight, alcohol use, liver function, metabolism, race and whether or not they smoke.
Xanax XR, an extended-release form of Xanax, reaches peak levels much more slowly than Xanax, taking about ten hours to achieve maximal concentration in the blood.where to buy xanax online,
How Long Does Xanax Work?
When you take Xanax, the effects tend to take hold quickly, but they don’t last long. Xanax has a relatively short half-life, meaning it doesn’t take long for its effects to reach a peak after it is ingested. That’s one reason Xanax has such a high abuse potential; drugs with a short half-life tend to be more commonly misused.
The effects of Xanax usually last a few hours, which is why it is typically prescribed to be taken up to three to four times a day. This is also why the drug is prescribed on an as-needed basis for infrequent panic attacks rather than as long-term therapy for anxiety.where to get xanax 2mg,
What Happens When Xanax Stops Working?
As a person continues to take Xanax over time, the brain will develop tolerance, becoming less responsive to the effects of the drug. When this happens, a doctor may increase the dosage. Sometimes, a person may start taking larger doses without consulting their doctor. Taking a higher dosage of Xanax when it is not prescribed is highly dangerous and can quickly spiral into Xanax addiction.
There are several types of medications that can be used to manage anxiety on a long-term basis. These include:
Beta-blockers such as Inderal (propranolol) and Tenormin (atenolol)
BuSpar (buspirone)
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac (fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Lexapro (escitalopram) and Paxil (paroxetine)
Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs) such as Effexor (venlafaxine), Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) and Cymbalta (duloxetine)
Tricyclic Antidepressants such as Elavil (amitriptyline) and Anafranil (clomipramine)
Someone who needs medication for long-term anxiety management should discuss with their doctor which treatment option is best for them before starting a new medication.