Anxiety sufferers may take comfort in knowing a wide variety of medications can effectively treat their condition. Each type of medication treats the anxiety in different ways and each has its own specific advantages and disadvantages. People interested in taking a medication for their anxiety should talk to a doctor to determine which type of anxiety medication is best for them.
Benzodiazepines
The names of benzodiazepine medications include diazepam (Valium), chlordiazepoxide (Librium), alprazolam (Xanax), lorzepam (Ativan), oxazepam (Serax) and clonazepam (Klonopin). These medications treat the physical symptoms of anxiety and promote muscle tension to encourage relaxation. The Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) states that patients should take benzodiazepine medications for short-term use only because using the medications for an extended period can lead to dependence or tolerance.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) also treat anxiety, and include the medications escitalopram (Lexapro), paraxetine (Paxil), fluxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), sertraline (Zoloft) and fluxamine (Luvox). Because these medications generally have fewer negative side effects than other anxiety medications, they are typically a first-line medication for the treatment of anxiety, the ADAA explains.
Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)
Two serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) medications used to treat anxiety include enlafazine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta or Yentreve). The AADA also lists these medications along with SSRIs as a first-line treatment due to their effectiveness and mild side effects.
Tricyclic Antidepressants
Tricyclic antidepressants medications used to treat anxiety are imipramine (Tofranil), doxepin (Sinequan or Adapin), clominpramine (Anafranil), amitriptyline (Elavil) and nortriptyline (Anventyle or Pamelor). Other medications are usually preferred over tricyclic antidepressants due to their unwelcome side effects, but certain situations may call for these medications, especially when other anxiety medications have not been successful.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs)
Although physicians rarely prescribe monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) for the treatment of anxiety, it may be appropriate to do so in certain situations, particularly when a person did not respond well to other anxiety treatments. Although not all MAOIs are approved to treat anxiety, the health website eMedTV.com explains, the ones that may be used are phenelzine (Nardil), isocarboxazid (Marplan), selegiline (Emsam, Eldepryl or Zelapar) and tranylcypromine (Parnate).
Other Options
Doctors do not prescribe the medication buspirone (Buspar) for all types of anxiety disorders, but may prescribe it specifically for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. This medication does not work as quickly as some other options, but it also does not cause dependence or tolerance so it is a good long-term treatment option, explains the AADA.
Anticonvulsant medications that may be used to treat anxiety include the medications gabapentin (Neurontin), divalproex (Depakote), lamotrigine (Lamictal), levetiracetam (Keppra) and topiramate (Topamax), according to the electronic journal Psychiatry (Edgemont).
Beta-blockers and alpha-blockers may also treat the physical symptoms of anxiety, particularly when a specific stressful situation is going to occur for the anxiety sufferer, explains the National Institute of Mental Health. Examples of these medications include propranolol (Inderal), atenolol (Tenormin), prazosin (Minipress), clonidine (Catapres) and guanfacine (Tenex). Finally, doctors may prescribe the antipsychotic medications ziprasidone (Geodon or Zeldox), aripiprazole (Abilify), paliperidone (Invega), olanzapine (Zyprexa) and risperidone (Risperdal) at low doses to treat anxiety, although this is not as common.
