Anxiety And Stress
Posts tagged Acute Anxiety
Anti Anxiety Medication Guide
Feb 27th
In our busy lives it’s very easy to ignore any situation that’s unpleasant or even uncomfortable. However what should you do if suddenly you become anxious without any known cause? There are people who become housebound due to their fear of being in crowded places or even open places where they might become vulnerable to the terror of panic attacks. It’s for situations like these, that anti anxiety medication is prescribed by doctors.
As there’s a large amount of anti anxiety medication available you might think that any one of these will be suitable to reduce your feelings of anxiety. However, even though many of these anti anxiety medications will work to a degree, certain types of medications will work best with the particular mental disorder that closely matches their chemical criteria.
For instance Benzodiazepine is an anti anxiety medication that has an almost instant reaction in the body. You can take this medication 30 to 60 minutes before going into a stressful situation. For people who have acute but infrequent anxiety attacks Benzodiazepine is the best anti anxiety medication to take. However due to it’s addictive nature it’s best not to use Benzodiazepines for long term usage. The major side effect of prolonged use is that of seizures should you stop taking the medication abruptly.
Another type of anti anxiety medication used is that of SSRIs or serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors. These belong in the class of antidepressant drugs. These SSRIs are very popular due to their low addiction levels, their mild side effects and the fact that they can bring down the feelings of acute anxiety. SSRIs work by maximizing the natural levels of serotonin in the brain.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that can affect your moods. By taking an anti anxiety medication like Paxil, serotonin is inhibited from being reabsorbed by the body. Therefore more serotonin is produced to be used when it is necessary. The side effects are mild ranging from a dry mouth to sleepiness. If you desire quick results you shouldn’t take any SSRIs as they need 2 to 6 weeks to infiltrate your system before you would notice any significant improvement.
There’s also the anti anxiety medication dopamine agonists, which increases the levels of dopamine in the brain. Like SSRIs dopamine agonists take a few weeks to show relief from anxiety. The side effects of this class of drugs, includes insomnia and extreme excitedness amongst others. The last type of anti anxiety medication that is currently being used is that of Buspar. This drug is a mild anti anxiety medication that has little to no reporting of addiction usage. Like SSRIs and dopamine agonists discussed earlier, Buspar takes a while for its medical properties to take effect.
As with anything else these medications can help you to restore some semblance of normality to your life, but as with all drugs and treatments you should first talk with a trained medical practitioner who can help you in choosing the best anti anxiety medication for you.
Ancient Anxiety Attack Treatment You Can Do At Home
Feb 7th
Anxiety attacks usually begin with feeling of generalized fear. This fear is not provoked in any way and may or may not be tied to a specific event or condition in your environment. Soon, the fear overcomes the mind and then the body begins to react.
The body reacts naturally by releasing more and more adrenaline into the bloodstream. In certain situations, when you are faced by an immediate threat, adrenaline is helpful and necessary for survival. But in the case of an anxiety attack, the fear is unfounded or blown out of proportion. Common symptoms include heart palpitations, increased heart rate to the point where you can feel your heart pounding in your chest. Next is a feeling of dizziness. The world around you appears as an illusion, changing quickly to the point where you don’t even know where you are or what is going on. You may even feel that you are about to die or go insane. This feeling of dread and impending danger is common to most anxiety attacks.
There are two types of anxiety attacks, acute attacks and mild attacks. If you experience the above symptoms and are able to control them, then this would be classified as a mild attack. However, if you were completely debilitated and completely unconscious of your surroundings, then this would be classified as an acute anxiety attack.
In order to break the cycle of your anxiety attack, you must address the symptoms immediately, even though they may seem difficult to control. At the onset of your first symptom, try these steps to alleviate the condition:
First Step: Stabilize the body through breath. You can use an ancient breathing exercise that has been used for millennia to stabilize the mind and body. The exercise is called “alternate nostril breathing”. To perform alternate nostril breathing, you should use the thumb of the right hand to close off the right nostril and breathe in while counting to six. Breathe into the abdomen and then fill the chest lastly. Keep the breath held while you count to three. Then expel the breath out of the left nostril. When all of the CO2 is expelled, count to three. Now close the left nostril with the index and middle fingers and breath in through the right nostril while counting to six. Hold for a count of three, then expel the breath through the right nostril. Count to three with no breath in the lungs. Congratulations, you have finished round one! Repeat for a total of six rounds.
Doctors aren’t completely sure what prompts anxiety attacks, but through careful observation and journal keeping, you may be able to arrive at the root of the condition. There are online coaches and mentors who specialize in anxiety prevention and helping you rid yourself of anxiety for good.