When to Consider Medication for Your Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety is a natural part of life. It keeps you safe from dangerous situations and can actually encourage growth in you as a person. However, when anxiety starts to overtake you and affects different areas of your life, you might have an anxiety disorder.

Psychotherapy is typically the first line of treatment for anxiety. When you’re diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, psychotherapy can help to discover what’s causing your anxiety in the first place and help to manage your symptoms. Your provider can also help by suggesting some lifestyle changes that can give you some relief.

Venice Sanchez, MD, and the rest of our team at Sydea Medical Practice in Newport Beach, California, understand that navigating anxiety treatments can be difficult. We review when to consider taking medication for anxiety and when it’s beneficial to look into other treatments.

When is it time to think about medication?

If you’ve just been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, our team recommends starting with lifestyle changes like changing your diet, exercising regularly, and incorporating mindfulness. All of these things can be immensely helpful in managing anxiety.

However, if your anxiety is severe and these methods don’t seem to be helping like you’d like them to, medication might be the best next step. Medication isn’t a cure for anxiety. 

However, it can help if you’re experiencing severe symptoms like feeling constantly on edge, having trouble sleeping, having difficulty concentrating, or having physical side effects like headaches or stomach aches. 

Medication options

There are a few different kinds of medications that can help to manage anxiety, including anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants, and beta-blockers. 

Anti-anxiety medications give a mild sedative effect that can help you to relax. These are especially beneficial if you have a panic disorder. Antidepressants increase serotonin levels in your brain, which helps elevate mood. Beta-blockers help alleviate certain types of performance anxiety such as stage fright.

Before deciding on a medication, your provider reviews your medical history and any potential side effects, to ensure the medication works to its fullest effect. 

The bottom line

Anxiety can be managed through a lot of different treatment methods. These include increasing exercise or focusing on meditation and mindfulness. However, should these prove ineffective, looking into medication is the next step. There are many different medication options, and your provider can work with you to decide what works best for you, your health, and your lifestyle.

To learn more about how we use medication to treat anxiety disorders, call our office in Newport Beach, California, or use our online scheduler to request an appointment with us today.