| Anxiety is a common and debilitating condition that affects more than 18 million Americans each year. Medications used to treat anxiety help by reducing the activity center where anxiety is located in the brain. Turning down the anxiety center helps decrease the other chemicals produced by chronic anxiety in other parts of the body. Some of these medications work by interacting with serotonin and norepinephrine neurotransmitters and others by interacting with the neurotransmitters glutamate and GABA. Some medications used to treat other conditions such as depression are also used for the treatment of anxiety like paxil, zoloft,lexapro and others. Some are used just for the treatment of anxiety like lorazepam, alprazolam and clonazepam. Research also has shown that specific types of therapy known as cognitive behavioral therapy used along with medications can be very helpful in the overall and effective managment of anxiety. |