Are there any anti anxiety medications that work as painkillers as well?
Monday, April 19th, 2010 at
1:24 am
Antidepressants have never worked for me but anti anxiety pills have (ex: Xanax). The only problem is, due to my high stress level I have developed some sort of spasm in my hand/wrist that only seems to act up when I am stressed or highly upset. It is overcome with tremors and is very embarassing and painful. I was wondering if there was anything that could help with this. Thank you.
Filed under: Anxiety Attacks
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Neurontin (Gabapentin) is both.
go to the doc you can’t get someone on here to tell you what to take
Xanax falls into a class of anti-anxiety drugs called benzodiazepines. It does not stay in the body very long, so people frequently have to take it several times a day.
You might ask your doctor to consider some of the other benzos that have longer half-lives (stay in your body longer). Valium is used not just for anxiety, but also as a muscle relaxant so it might help with the muscle spasms. However, all the benzos have the potential to be addictive, and should be used with caution. Besides valium, similar benzos include librium, tranxene, and centrax.
Please also consider non-drug alternatives to your hand/wrist problems. You might seek advice from a yoga instructor or a physical therapist. Good PTs can provide you with a series of specific exercises to deal with hand/wrist issues. Also, some form of relaxation or meditation might help you deal with stress. By the way, antidepressants also did not work for me, and I had to resort to other kinds of psychiatric meds—so I am not trying to preach to you.
Not to sound new age, but have you tried holistic medications, teas, and dietary regulations. Often times we can curb are anxiety and reduce tension by changing our diet, taking a lot of medications like the ones your listing have long term affects, and can make the individual dependent on them. Its not easy and its not simple but a change in lifestyle may fix your problems and tremors in your hand.
no..one pill is NOT like another and can’t be used like that…see a Dr.
Nope they work on a different center of the brain.
Maybe you have carpel tunnel. It can also be affected by tension,
There is a xanax that has pain meds in it. Problem is most docs don’t know what it is because they just don’t condone it. Its green, tri-cut not quad cut like 2mg xanax, and it does wonders. I have the same issue but it my neck/shoulder area that kinks up. They are 3mg and contain tylenol in it. Good luck
EDIT: Oops, I didn’t see the details of your question. Regarding the hand/wrist spasm: see a doctor, show it to them, describe it thoroughly. They might be very good at diagnosing it. They may take an MRI. The solution could be exercises, or surgery, or a hand brace, you just don’t know until you see the doctor. If the solution is drugs (which is actually unlikely), it will probably be either:
1. Benzodiazepines – Xanax is a benzodiazepine, but Valium will probably be safer and more effective for your case. This relieves anxiety and pain.
2. Muscle relaxants – Such as Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine). These relieve your kind of pain and spasms, they are only vaguely effective for psychological anxiety in general.
Yes, there are many drugs that have both effects. The ratio of anxiety relief to pain relief varies from drug to drug. Some drugs are safer than others. I am going to gloss over most of those details.
These drug classes relieve both pain and anxiety:
Serotonin-boosting antidepressants. This includes SSRIs (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro).
Norepinephrine-boosting antidepressants, such as nortriptyline, desipramine, and reboxetine.
Serotonin- and norepinephrine-boosting antidepressants. This includes most of the tricyclic antidepressants (Elavil, Tofranil), plus Effexor, Cymbalta, and Pristiq.
Opioids. This includes heroin, morphine, methadone, OxyContin, Percocet, and Vicodin. These are addictive and dangerous, of course.
Benzodiazepines, such as Valium, Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, and Librium. These are very effective at reducing anxiety, but are much less effective on pain unless the pain was caused by anxiety (which is common) or muscle spasms. Valium is very frequently used to treat the painful muscles spasms of paresis and tetanus.
The list goes on, but gets more obscure. Do you want more examples?