Anxiety Beta Blockers

Worrying comes natural to people, whether it may be about their health, job, or family. This is probably why many disregard anxiety as a health problem.

Unfortunately, when this already interferes with one’s daily life, changes his or her perception of things, as well as leads to panic attacks, one should directly seek consultation with a physician.

Continuing attacks warrant proper intervention, of which there is medications and psychotherapy. There are many medications in the market, one of which is a group called beta blockers.

Beta blockers are also known as anxiolytics. These drugs are characterized by their suffix –olol. These are used to reduce the effect of physical strain or excitement in a person, such as lowered heart rate and contractile force, tremor, and glycogen breakdown. It dilates the blood vessels and opens up the bronchi in the lungs. Most of these have an antihypertensive and anti-arrhythmic effect, thus they are used in a variety of cardiac illnesses such as angina, cardiac arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, and myocardial infarction.

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These drugs minimize the effect of noradrenaline and adrenaline thus reducing the symptoms felt when one is experiencing anxiety. This is because noradrenaline and adrenaline are chemical messengers in the brain that are produced when one is anxious, causing the body to experience heart rate acceleration, sweating, and shaking.

Propanolol, an example of this drug, is the only drug indicated for tremors. This is available four forms: tablets, capsules, liquid, and injection. Of these, tablets and capsules should be taken while sitting or standing with at least half a glass of water. This is to ensure that the medication is delivered directly to the stomach and does not stick to the throat.

Side effects common to this drug group are fatigue and having cold extremities. These may happen early on in the treatment but will go away.

Uncommon side effects, on the other hand, are: nausea; diarrhea; insomnia or sleep disturbances; dizziness; difficulty of breathing; and slower heart rate. There are also rare side effects like itchy skin, rashes, or dry eyes. As this is a medication, there are also risks in taking this.

Adverse drug reactions related to using these are heart failure, heart blocks, hallucinations, sexual dysfunction, and erectile dysfunction. It has also been found to increase the risk of developing diabetes in patients. Dosage should be decreased gradually than stopped abruptly as these can cause drug withdrawal symptoms to a person who has been taking the medication for four to six weeks.

Other medications in the market include benzodiazepines, buspirone, and antidepressants namely SSRI’s or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. All of these medications, like beta blockers, have their own pros and cons.

The person should be diagnosed by a physician before drinking any of these to prevent harm to oneself.

Lifestyle changes are also beneficial to the person with anxiety to minimize stress. Exercise, sleep, and proper diet help as well. Most importantly, support from family and peers are essential to assist a person in coping with this problem.

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