Today I wanted to talk about anti-anxiety drugs and whether or not we should be taking them. Let me just start by saying that although the title of today’s post is "just say no" maybe a better way of understanding my viewpoint on this issue is "just say no – most of the time".

There is a great debate out in the world about whether or not people should be taking drugs to correct any health issue. There are many proponents of holistic healing and natural remedies who feel that drugs are not the answer to illness. On the other hand, there are many people that have gigantic zip lock bags filled with pills who feel differently. So who is right?

The short answer to that question is both, however I would side more with the natural remedy viewpoint when it comes to anxiety disorders of any variation. My reasons for having this view is very simple and it has to do with the nature of anxiety and the chemical compounds sold to help people cope with their condition.

In the first instance the nature of anxiety disorder I believe has a lot to do with fear conditioning and habit. Overtime we build up our anxiety disorders into sky scrapers from hell when they started out as just small shacks in a dark alley somewhere. These anxiety skyscrapers, let’s say your anxious thoughts and feelings, grow so large that they cast a huge shadow on everything you do. This doesn’t mean that anxiety is not related to brain chemistry or family history, it is just to say that we do as much as anything else to help sustain our state of anxiety, which also means we can do just as much to undo this routine.

For this reason I believe that anxiety disorders can be managed and overcome effectively without drugs. Unlike drugs used to lower peoples cholesterol or deal with other health conditions, anxiety pills don’t actually improve your anxiety disorder. What anxiety drugs do is mask your symptoms, make you dull or slow and essentially tranquilize you so that anxiety symptoms are both less likely to occur and or have a less potent effect on you. But in addition to sedating you needlessly there is also the fact that they flat out don’t work for everyone. By some accounts as many as 50% of anxiety sufferers gain no noticeable improvement as a result of popping pills.

Back to the second point regarding why anxiety drugs should be avoided. The chemical compounds made to help you cope can also have nasty side effects and long term repercussions. Some side effects include drowsiness, dizziness, weakness, headache, fatigue, constipation, nausea, vertigo, blurred vision – wait there is more – abnormal glucose in urine, allergic reactions, diarrhea, fever, spasms and weight gain. Now is it me or do almost all of these side effects sound like anxiety symptoms? The long term effects can be addiction and subsequent withdrawal and you can even develop a high tolerance to the drugs which will ultimately eliminate any benefit of taking them to begin with. So there you have it, same symptoms, you might get hooked and they might not even work.

Now for the disclaimer. I am not an anti-anxiety drug bashing zealot either so there are exceptions to the no drug rule. The drugs on the market today, such as zoloft, lexapro, prozac, centrax, xanax, etc are not all bad. Sometimes things can get out of hand and you may even be unable to go to work or school. There are days and even weeks when even the strongest of us will get knocked down by our anxiety symptoms. In those cases, I think that taking drugs on a temporary basis may be helpful. This is because mild sedation may be in order, but again on a temporary basis only. Rely on yourself for coping and healing.

If you can’t take drugs then what do you do? It is very easy to go see your doctor and have him/her write a prescription so he/she can get rid of nervous Betty. But the reality is that in the long run this is not helping you. All due respect to the medical profession but sometimes drugs are not always the answer. You have to learn and follow the line of treatment I have recommended ever since I started this blog. And that is acceptance, letting go, patience, healthy diet, exercise and education about your condition. It is simple but so effective.

Now my thoughts on this matter are sure to clash with some people, but I think that this is a good thing. If we can get people to think about anxiety not just in terms of symptoms, but also in terms of solutions than I have done my job. The idea being that by everyone sharing their own experience and viewpoint people will be able to gain valuable insight into their own situation and how to improve it. So don’t be shy and tell me what you think and remember to just say no.

Clarification update: I was recently contacted by a concerned reader about my bias toward natural remedies so I wanted to make a note on this issue and be very clear. Drugs are sometimes a good way to cope if things get tough. Drugs should only be used when absolutely needed and under the supervision of a doctor. I strongly feel that drugs should not be your first choice of treatment. Now for the update, when I say above that "natural" remedies are preferred I am referring  to the natural things we can do . I support positive thinking, exercise, meditation, a healthy diet, acceptance and education. These things are my natural cure. With respect to things we can eat to help our anxiety I have suggested vitamins (vitamin B, C, etc) and fish oil. I have not made any other type of suggestions regarding herbal concoctions and the like. I hope that this clears things up for anyone who does not understand what I interpret as natural.

Hope and Help for Your Nerves

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