Many individuals need anxiety medication these days. Lucky for them, there are more options on the market than ever before. You need to be careful which one you use, though, as some have the potential for abuse or addiction.
Ones like benzodiazepines have been getting negative feedback lately. Side effects of benzodiazepine withdrawal can be quite serious, and it’s nothing you ever want to go through. In this article, we’ll talk about some antidepressants that don’t cause addiction and some others you may want to avoid.
Beta-Blockers
Beta-blockers can be useful for treating anxiety, and they are not associated with addiction issues. Beta-blockers block epinephrine and adrenaline, which can calm you down. Some examples include Inderal, Tenormin, and Sectral.
Buspar
Buspar, sometimes known as Buspirone, is another non-addictive anxiety medication. Buspar targets one subtype of the serotonin receptor. That means it impacts one particular part of your brain and causes a chemical reaction that can have a calming effect.
Vistaril
Vistaril is sometimes known as Hydroxyzine. It is an extremely fast-acting drug. It has also been shown to treat anxiety temporarily. It is not associated with any kind of addiction issue, either.
It mainly works by blocking the histamine receptor. That means it’s balancing the neurotransmitters in your brain.
SNRIs
There are several SNRIs, including Effexor and Cymbalta. You may have seen them advertised on TV recently.
SNRIs are often helpful for individuals who suffer from panic disorders and generalized anxiety. They are another subset of antianxiety drugs that have not been associated with any addiction issues up to this point.
SSRIs
SSRIs are another very popular subset of anxiety medications. Prozac is one of them, as are Lexapro, Celexa, Zoloft, and Paxil.
They were originally developed for the treatment of depression, but they can also work for generalized anxiety in many cases. Like the others on our list, they don’t seem to carry any risk of addiction or misuse.
Xanax
Now, let’s talk about three anxiety meds that you may want to avoid because of their potential for misuse. Xanax is at the top of that list. It is a benzodiazepine, a class of drugs that we mentioned earlier.
While benzos can sometimes be effective in treating anxiety, their calming effect can be enticing for some individuals to the point that they will start misusing them. Xanax misuse is on the rise, with many people using it who do not have a prescription for it.
Ativan
Ativan is another benzodiazepine. Like the other drugs in this subclass, there is a fairly high potential for misuse with it. While it can produce a calming effect, it can also cause slow breathing, coordination problems, or paranoid thoughts. Some even experience suicidal ideation with it.
Halcion
Halcion is a third drug that you should avoid if you’re looking for an option to help with your anxiety. Like the other two we mentioned, it’s a benzodiazepine. It has a high abuse potential and can be particularly devastating if you mix it with alcohol.
