Approximately half of the Anxiety I see is due to the shock and/or stress of nasty frightening experiences and/or situations, and about half isinherited from one or both parents. Often it is a bit of both. Sometimes stimulant drugs aggravate Anxiety, e.g. caffeine or amphetamines.
Severe forms of Anxiety Disorder are very common Underlying Causes of Substance Abuse, especially of Cannabis, Alcohol and Benzodiazepine Abuse, but also sometimes of Opiate Abuse in severe cases.
We now have much safer and better medications than Benzodiazepines for people with moderate to severe forms of Anxiety. These medications include
(a) SNRI Boosters (Serotonin/Noradrenalin/Dopamine Boosters, usually called “anti-depressants” but which are also helpful for Anxiety, Sleep, Low Self-Confidence, Low Self-Esteem and ADD and which therefore should not simply be called “antidepressants”)
(b) Some Mood Stabilisers (eg. Lamotrigine, Carbamazepine, Sodium Valproate).
(c) Major Tranquilizers (sometimes also called Antipsychotics) which are very valuable in treating other Disorders as well as Psychosis, especially because the brain doesn’t develop a Tolerance to them so they are not addictive like Alcohol, Benzos and Cannabis are.
Benzodiazepines are similar in addictiveness to alcohol for most people with moderate to severe Anxiety Disorders. Benzos are not strong enough to control moderate to severe Anxiety e.g. severe General Anxiety, worry or stress, Panic Attacks, Social Phobia, Agoraphobia or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). People who have moderate to severe Anxiety Disorders, if put on Benzos, take larger and larger doses in an unsuccessful attempt to get them to work, and often get hooked on these drugs. In many of the cases of moderate to severe Anxiety I see there is already a serious dependence on Benzodiazepines, which is even more difficult to treat than the Anxiety for which the Benzodiazepines were taken in the first place.
This is a major problem in treating Moderate to Severe Anxiety Disorders for which stronger but non-addictive medications should be used right from the beginning. Unfortunately the Major Tranquilizers are very expensive but they still should be used much more often than they are, because benzodiazepines are often inadequate and addictive. Some people won’t take Major Tranquilizers such as Seroquel, Zyprexa or Solian because they don’t “like” them in the way they “like” Benzos, or because they think they are “Psych” Drugs, only given to Schizophrenic and Manic patients. However Major Tranquilizers are much safer than Benzos, but are very expensive, which is why the Australian Government only subsidises them for Schizophrenia and Bipolar I Disorder.
In recent years I have found that combining a small amount of a Benzodiazepine, an SNRI and a Major Tranquilizer, all in 1 capsule, and simultaneously providing a printed Information Handout explaining Anxiety Disorders, their causes and how to treat them, gives very good results, even in severe cases. The addition of Counselling and EEG Biofeedback gives even better results. I often find that people who are being unsuccessfully treated for Anxiety and Depression have been misdiagnosed and really have Bipolar Disorder. Their so called Anxiety is really Hypomania and they respond very well to Sodium Valproate, Carbamazepine or Lamotrigine.
*Please feel free to copy, reprint or forward from this blog, provided that any quotes are not taken out of context and accurately retain their original meaning, appropriate links are made and the following copyright notice is attached in full: "Copyright 2010, www.ADDSelfHelp.com"
Coming Up:
"The Big 7 Commonest Nervous Disorders -
3. Major (Unipolar) Depression"
is coming soon!
Stay Tuned!
Comments
Post has no comments.