Anxiolytic
From Drug Rehab Wiki
Anxiolytic means preventing or lessening anxiety, and usually refers to any anti-anxiety drug.
Benzodiazepines, barbiturates, muscle relaxants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), beta-blockers, and atypical antidepressants are all anxiolytics used to treat anxiety and to produce feelings of relaxation and calmness.
Barbiturates, such as Phenobarbital and Seconal, were mostly replaced by benzodiazepines in the 1960s. These newer drugs were considered less habit-forming and safer than barbiturates. Barbiturates are tricky to prescribe and use, and it is easy to overdose on them. In some cases, if you increase your dosage by just a tiny amount, you can die. Barbiturates are today mostly prescribed for epilepsy and other seizure disorders, not anxiety.
Benzodiazepines include some very popular brands like Valium, Halcion, Restoril, Xanax, Ativan, Librium, and Klonopin. Side effects can be confusion, forgetfulness, depression, insomnia, lightheadedness, mood changes, tremors, muscle cramps and weakness, staggering, dry mouth, menstrual changes, sexual dysfunction, anorexia, hypotension, and problems with urination. Benzodiazepines are widely prescribed and widely abused, and account for five of the top most abused drugs in the United States. They are very addictive, and can result in a very unpleasant withdrawal syndrome that is difficult to manage without professional help. Symptoms can last two weeks and include anxiety, tremors, nightmares, insomnia, vomiting, nausea, low blood pressure, seizures, delirium, fever, and visual and auditory hallucinations.
Other kinds of anxiolytics include SSRIs, which are considered safer and less addictive than benzodiazepines or barbiturate. However, some new studies indicate they only work on major, and not minor, cases of depression.. They work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin in the brain without affecting other brain chemicals, which is why they are called "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Some trademarked brands are Prozac, Symbyax, Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, and Celexa
Tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors date back to the 1940s, are mostly used to treat depression. They are less commonly used to treat anxiety than SSRIS or the newer antidepressants. Beta-blockers are prescribed to treat high blood pressure, but have the added effect of lowering anxiety levels. They are not commonly used as anxiolytics.
