Anxiety disorders, which cause patients to have severe anxiety symptoms that interfere with their lives, affect 40 million adults in the United States, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Patients with an anxiety disorder, such as panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder, sometimes use medications to control their symptoms. Like all medications, anxiety medications do have side effects. Patients should not stop taking their medications because of the side effects unless advised by their doctor.
Nausea
Patients who use medications to manage their anxiety may experience nausea. For example, Helpguide.org notes that buspirone, a newer anxiety medication; beta-blockers, medication that treats the physical symptoms of anxiety; and benzodiazepines, a short-term anxiety medication, can cause patients to feel nauseous. The Mayo Clinic notes that barbiturate use can also result in nausea. The patient may feel like she needs to throw up, or that her stomach is upset. Diarrhea may accompany the nausea.
Dizziness
A common side effect of barbiturate use is dizziness or light-headedness, according to the Mayo Clinic. Users of beta-blockers, benzodiazepines and buspirone may experience this side effect as well. Patients may have the dizziness when standing. When a patient feels dizzy, he may feel that the world is spinning around him, or that he may fall down. The patient may also feel weak when dizzy, or unusually tired. If the dizziness occurs when the patient is walking, he may feel unbalanced, resulting in clumsiness.
Headaches
The National Institutes of Health note that patients who use benzodiazepines or buspirone for anxiety commonly have headaches; the Mayo Clinic adds that headaches occur less commonly for users of barbiturates. During a headache, a patient may have problems thinking clearly or she may feel groggy. If a patient has a severe headache that affects her concentration, she can have problems learning new information.
Sleep Problems
Certain anxiety medications can affect patients' sleep. For example, the National Institute of Mental Health states that people who use buspirone can have trouble falling asleep at night. Other side effects of buspirone, like excitement and nervousness, may contribute to a user's problems sleeping. Anxiety medications may also interfere in the patient's quality of sleep. Both benzodiazepines and barbiturates cause nightmares.
Drowsiness
Some patients may become drowsy when they take an anxiety medication. For example, barbiturates, which are considered sedatives, can cause drowsiness in patients, according to the Mayo Clinic. Patients who use beta-blockers or buspirone may also become drowsy when they take the medications.
Vision Problems
Anxiety medications may temporarily affect a patient's vision. For example, Helpguide.org notes that patients who use benzodiazepines may have blurred vision, which makes it difficult for them to focus on an object. Some benzodiazepine users may have double vision instead of blurred vision.
Member Comments