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MEDICATION

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Antidepressant medicines

These are commonly used to treat depression, but also help to reduce the symptoms of anxiety even if you are not depressed. They work by interfering with brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) such as serotonin which may be involved in causing anxiety symptoms.

Antidepressants do not work straight away. It takes 2-4 weeks before their effect builds up. A common problem is that some people stop the medicine after a week or so as they feel that it is doing no good. You need to give it time. It is best to persevere if you are prescribed an antidepressant medicine.

Antidepressants are not tranquillisers, and are not usually addictive.
There are several types of antidepressants, each with various 'pros and cons'. For example, they differ in their possible side-effects. However, SSRI antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are the ones most commonly used for anxiety disorders.
Note: after first starting an antidepressant, in some people the anxiety symptoms become worse for a few days before they start to improve.

Benzodiazepines such as diazepam

These medicines (sometimes called minor tranquillisers) used to be the most commonly prescribed medicines for anxiety. They usually work well to ease symptoms. The problem is, they are addictive and can lose their effect if you take them for more than a few weeks. They may also make you drowsy. So, now they are not used much for persistent anxiety conditions. A short course of up to 2-3 weeks may be an option for anxiety which is short term, or 'now and then' to help you over a bad spell if you have persistent anxiety symptoms.

Buspirone

This is commonly prescribed to treat generalised anxiety disorder. It is an 'anti-anxiety' medicine, but different to the benzodiazepines and is not thought to be addictive. It is not clear how it works. It is thought to affect serotonin, a brain chemical which may be involved in causing anxiety symptoms.

Beta-blocker medicines

A beta-blocker, for example propranolol, can ease some of the physical symptoms such as trembling and palpitations. They do not directly affect the 'mental' symptoms such as worry. However, some people relax more easily if their physical symptoms are eased. These tend to work best in acute (short lived) anxiety. For example, if you become more anxious before 'performing' then a beta-blocker may help to ease 'the shakes'.

In some cases a combination of treatments such as cognitive therapy and an antidepressant may work better than either treatment alone.