Anti Anxiety Medication Side Effects

Anxiety is a mental condition when a person experiences uneasiness, distress and a concern or worry about something. It can also be defined as a state of apprehension or fear of something. Anxiety is a symptom of nearly all psychological and personality disorders and phobias. Anxiety is a common feeling and most of the people experience it at different times of their life. Although anxiety is involuntary, excess of it can lead to disruption of normal life. Hence, people rely on medications to overcome anxiety symptoms. Let us know more about anti anxiety medications. Read more on how to deal with anxiety.

Anti Anxiety Medications
Anti anxiety medications, as the name suggests, are used to relieve a person of anxiety symptoms. As mentioned above, anxiety can disrupt the normal functioning of life, and hence, many people opt for anti anxiety medications to reduce anxiety symptoms quickly. These medications help in temporarily relieving of the anxiety symptoms but they do not help in uprooting the underlying cause of anxiety. One may not be aware, but there are several anti anxiety drugs side effects. Let us have a look at them.

Anti Anxiety Medication Side Effects
Benzodiazepine is the most popular and commonly used anti anxiety drug. It is used as a sedative, as a muscle relaxant or for hypnotic effect. This is a very strong drug which can make people fall asleep or uncoordinated even on a lower dosage. One of the most important anti anxiety medication side effects is addiction to the drug itself. As the person gets temporary relief from anxiety on taking these drugs, there is a high risk of the person being dependent on them. This is known as psychological addiction. Let us have a look at other potential side effects of anti anxiety medication.

• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Disorientation
• Dizziness
• Impaired thinking
• Slow reflex actions
• Stomach upset
• Nausea
• Weakness
• Crying
• Delirium

Sometimes the overdose of these drugs can make a person look and behave like a drunkard. On the other hand, one may even find a hangover like symptoms after taking these medications. There are also a few paradoxical reactions associated with anti anxiety drugs. They include:

• Depression
• Aggression
• Hallucination
• Mania
• Euphoria
• Claustrophobia

Sometimes, one may also see adverse effects on the body or the functions of the body. One should also remember that overdose of any of anti anxiety drugs can be fatal. The following are the other severe side effects of anti anxiety medications.

• Memory loss
• High blood pressure / Low blood pressure
• Changes in heart rate
• Skin rash
• Anterograde amnesia
• Seizures
• Blurred vision
• Slurred speech
• Coma

Anti Anxiety Medication Safety
As we have just seen, there are several potential anti anxiety medicine side effects. Therefore, it is recommended to have these drugs only in very small doses. They should also be used only in combination of other therapies to cure anxiety. Anti anxiety drugs are meant to reduce the anxiety symptoms as soon as possible, and to find and treat the underlying cause of anxiety. One should remember that anti anxiety drugs do NOT cure the cause of anxiety. It is also advisable to take these medications only under the supervision of a doctor and not on your own. Similarly, continuation and discontinuation of these medications should also be based on the doctor's advice, as sometimes one may also experience withdrawal symptoms like increased anxiety, confusion, insomnia, etc., associated with the specified drug. People below 18 years of age, above 60 years of age, pregnant women, alcoholics, etc., are at high risk of suffering from anti anxiety medication side effects, and hence are advised against having them.

Read more on:

• Anxiety Cures
• Anxiety Symptoms

As you have seen, the numerous anti anxiety medication side effects, it is advisable to think twice before you take a decision of having this quickest way of overcoming anxiety!