Tell Me More About General Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
2. What are the physical treatments of GAD?
The physical treatment of GAD is usually a two-step process, starting with anti-anxiety medication for short term relief from anxiety attacks, followed by anti-depressant medication over the long term.
Anti-anxiety medications tend to be fast acting but have a short term effect. Benzodiazepine tranquillizers like Alprazolam (Xanax), Diazepam (Valium), and Lorazepam (Ativan) can relieve anxiety within minutes, but last for only a few hours. These drugs can also produce a dependency if taken for more than two or three weeks.
Anti-depressant medication has longer term benefits in reducing or eliminating the symptoms of anxiety, but typically take two or three weeks to make a noticeable effect. Anti-depressants like Venlafaxine extended-release (Effexor XR), Paroxetine (Paxil), Imipramine (Tofranil) or Citalopram (Celexa) can relieve the symptoms of anxiety, and should be taken for months after the symptoms subside to prevent a relapse while the person gradually learns to cope with the causes of the anxiety.
Reference
Lydiard RB and Monnier J Pharmacological Treatment (Chap 14) in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Advances in Research and Practice. Eds R. Heimberg, CL Turk, DS Mennin. Guilford Press, New York. 2004.
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