What is a common Anti-Anxiety medication used in Canada?
Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 at
6:54 pm
I am a 21 year old male. Healthy. No Allergies. Or Physical Medical Conditions.
I struggle with an anxiety disorder and I am going to see my doctor soon. My question is what is the considered the most common/safest anti-anxiety medication that doctors in Canada are prescribing now?
Filed under: General
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Hi,
In Canada doctors mainly prescribe SSRI SEROTONIN REUPTAKE BLOCKING AGENTS, or BENZODIAZEPINES (BZs). These seem to be the least harmful and most effective drugs for mild-severe anxiety. All the others turn people into vegetables.
C. SEROTONIN REUPTAKE BLOCKING AGENTS (SSRIs)
Fluoxetine (Prozac)
Sertraline (Zoloft)
Paroxetine (Paxil)
Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
Escitalopram oxalate (Lexapro)
D. BENZODIAZEPINES (BZs)
Alprazolam (Xanax)
Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Lorazepam (Ativan)
Diazepam (Valium)
Chlordiazepoxide (Librium)
Oxazepam (Serax)
The most important thing to ask your doc is not the most common meds, but the one that is right for you. The medication that helps me most with anxiety and depression is perfectly safe, but not as widely used anymore. SSRIs (the class of drugs that includes Prozac) are usually considered first line medications for anxiety, though there are a host of other drugs that also work.
Some medications cause different side effects and work differently in different people. Do any other members of your immediate family (including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) take anti-depressants or anxiety medications? What worked well for them? Recent research indicates that psychiatric meds that work well for a family member have a better chance of working well for you.
Good luck!