Anti Anxiety Medications, Medicines - Drugs for Anxiety and depression

It is universal in our human nature to experience negative emotions like stress and fear. These feelings are actually helpful in the sense that they motivate us to realize our goals and to resolve problems and unwanted situations.

For instance, when we are assigned to a task that we can’t finish on time, we feel anxious because we can sense the weight of responsibility given to us. This feeling will actually push us to our limits and help us pull off the task. When we are put in dangerously fatal situation like drowning in water, we sense a sharp fear of death and this will provoke us to fight for our survival and make the appropriate action—swim.

Patients suffering from depression and anxiety disorder also feel these same emotions of fear and apprehension, but excessively and inappropriately. People who are prone to this kind of psychological disorder are those who faced traumatic events during their childhood and those who have severe medical condition in sleep apnea, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, and premenstrual syndrome.

The standard treatment for patients with anxiety disorders involves talk therapy and medications including antidepressants, azapirones, and antipsychotics. This is partnered with the essentials of achieving a balanced well-being—good diet, enough rest and sleep, and of course exercise. Listed below are some of the most popular drugs for anxiety and depression that doctors prescribe.

Prozac, or fluoxetine hydrochloride, is currently the world's most prescribed antidepressant. It is categorized as a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor. In a nutshell, the drug modifies brain chemistry by slowing down the re-absorption of serotonin, a kind of brain neurotransmitter responsible in regulating mood and anxiety. When this is done, it is theorized that the brain may be more accommodating in sending feel-good emotions.

Buspar is the shortened version of buspirone hydrochloride. This is mostly used to people who have light to moderate case of anxiety. Like other drugs, it should be taken with prescription as it can bring side effects like nausea, migraine, and nervousness.

Lexapro is also known an escitalopram oxalate, and just like Prozac it is considered as a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor. The drug is mostly recommended to patients facing depression and generalized anxiety disorder. The drug when taken improperly may cause insomnia and worsen the patient’s suicide syndrome.

Cymbalta is a drug categorized as a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. As the term suggests, its difference with Prozac and Lexapro is that it also inhibits the reabsorption of a substance called norepinephrine. Patients prescribed with cymbalta are those who have problems not only in depression and anxiety but also in sustaining energy and alertness—things to which norepinephrine is responsible.

Xanax is a categorized as one of the benzodiazepines, a class of drugs meant to tranquilize the nervous system by inhibiting a neurotransmitter called GABA or gamma-aminibutyric acid. Taking xanax causes light sedation and drowsiness. It should be taken with strict doctor’s prescription because emotional and physical dependence on the drug is highly possible.

Zoloft consists of sertraline hydrochloride, a compound that also controls the uptake of serotonin. It is the only drug approved by international regulatory commissions to be used as a long-term medication to social anxiety disorder.

Paxil is the brand name of paroxetine hydrochloride, a kind of drug that works similarly to Prozac. It is prescribed to people with anxiety disorders and serious mental problems. Misuse of the drug can lead to severe side effects like hostility, panic, extreme and suicidal behavior.