Doctors prescribe antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication for anxiety or depression. Some patients suffer from more than one disorder and benefit from certain medications that treat both anxiety disorders and depression. Some of the new medications focus on altering brain chemistry to help improve patients' moods, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Chemical Absorption Inhibitors
The newest antidepressants to treat anxiety and depression include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, called SSRIs. These medications blocks certain nerves in the brain from reabsorbing the neurotransmitter serotonin after it performs a signal transmission. Thus more serotonin, which helps with emotions, is available to improve patients' moods, according to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. Drugs include fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram and paroxetine. They work effectively for depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and social phobia. Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or SNRIs, work the same way to increase levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland. SNRIs include duloxetine and venlafaxine to help treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder.
Sexual Side Effects
PsychCentral.com explains that some patients report reduction in sex drive or sexual dysfunction after taking SSRIs and SNRIs. Adjusting medication dosage and replacing or adding medication may eliminate symptoms. Other antidepressants are less likely to produce sexual side effects, according to the PsychCentral website. Researchers at the University of Virginia found that bupropion and nefazodone had significantly lower rates of sexual dysfunction when compared with SSRIs and SNRIs during a 2001 study. Bupropion, a norepinephrine and dopamine inhibitor, or DNRI, had the lowest rate of sexual side effects in the study. Mirtazapine is another antidepressant with a lower chance of sexual side effects, according to the Mayo Clinic. Using bupropion or mirtazapine in addition to SSRIs or SNRIs may ease the side effects.
Mild Side Effects
Other side effects from SSRIs and SNRIs include headaches and nausea, which may only last a few days, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Nervousness and agitation may occur when patients first take the medication. Insomnia or drowsiness may occur, but reduction in the dose or a change in the time of day when they take the medication may relieve those problems.
Anti-Anxiety Drugs
Newer anti-anxiety medications include buspirone, which treats generalized anxiety disorder, but may also be used along with antidepressants to help ease sexual side effects. Buspirone helps relieve tension. The drug can be used for long-term treatment of anxiety, but it may take several weeks to work effectively, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Withdrawal
Other anti-anxiety medications called benzodiazepines start working more rapidly than buspirone and antidepressants. Drugs used for anxiety disorders include alprazolam, lorazepam and clonazepam. However, benzodiazepines can be habit-forming for some patients, so the drugs are often used for acute anxiety over a short period. Doctors turn to buspirone as an alternative to avoid addiction or withdrawal problems associated with benzodiazepines.
