* When the cause of anxiety is a physical disease, treatment is directed towards the elimination of this disease. For example, if your thyroid was overactive and causing anxiety, treatment may require surgery and thyroid control of various drugs.
* When the cause is psychological, the underlying cause must be discovered and, if possible, eliminated or controlled. For example, if the cause is the difficulty in a marriage, the doctor may suggest marriage counselor. Withdrawal of substance abuse is often addressed drug abuse treatment.
* Sometimes the cause can be identified. In this case, the only possible treatment is to control symptoms.
* In the past, anxiety was treated with drugs in a class called benzodiazepines. This class of drugs currently used much less often to treat anxiety due to the possibility of addiction. Examples of drugs of this group include:
o diazepam (Valium)
o alprazolam (Xanax)
o Lorazepam (Ativan)
o clonazepam (Klonopin)
* other anti-anxiety drug which is not a benzodiazepine is buspirone (BuSpar).
* Neurontin is an anticonvulsant drug that has been found useful in the treatment of anxiety in some people, but research conducted little has indicated whether or not it is effective in the fight against anxiety disorders.
* Drug class SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake are also used to treat depression) are sometimes prescribed and include the following:
o Sertraline (Zoloft)
o Paroxetine (Paxil)
o Fluoxetine (Prozac)
o Escitalopram (Lexapro)
o Citalopram (Celexa)
o Venlafaxine (Effexor): This drug has the chemical properties of the SSRI class as well as blocking the reuptake of norepinephrine, another neurotransmitter.
* In addition, psychotherapy may be helpful. Helping the fight against all who suffer anxiety May unrealistic beliefs that underlie anxiety (cognitive therapy) or develop ways to manage concerns (behavioral therapy) are psychotherapeutic approaches that are often used.
