Anti-anxiety medication can be quite effective (yay! effective!).....but they should NEVER be thought of as a cure. Anxiety medication can only provide a temporary relief but will not treat the underlying cause of your anxiety disorder - medication will definitely not cure the fact that you are depressed because you utterly despise your dead-end job (you get the picture?). And another sad thing is that once you discontinue the anxiety medication, the anxiety symptom will return; but this time, in full force.

Although doctors prescribe these drugs but you also need to be aware of the unpleasant side of an anti-anxiety medication use.

You need to know certain facts about anxiety medication before you finally decide if it is necessary for you to take them in order to treat an anxiety disorder.

Fact One
Anti-anxiety medication can be very effective for relieving physical symptoms of anxiety disorder, some of which includes:

    Trembling or shaking
    Nightmares
    Sleeplessness (Insomnia)
    Muscle tension
    Fatigue
    Headaches
    Excessive sweating
    Nausea
    Chest pains
    Shortness of breath
    Pounding, racing heart beats
    Abdominal discomfort or pain
    Dizziness
    Choking
    Fear of dying
    Numbness or tingling sensation
    restlessness
    Feeling of unreality
    Feeling of losing control
    Irritability
    Hot flashes or cold chills
    Difficulty concentrating
    Exaggerated startle reactions
    Persistent anxiety



Fact Two
Anti-anxiety medication also has several side effects that sometimes make some users stop popping their anxiety pills and seek other alternative treatment for their anxiety disorder.

1)    Side effects of anti-anxiety pills
Anti-anxiety pills such as “benzodiazepines” are known to work by reducing the brain activity (yes, I am speechless too!) and this eventually leads to annoying side effects that actually does more harm than good.

The continued use of anti-anxiety medication such as benzodiazepines can build up in the body over a long period of time, thereby causing what is known as over sedation. The user of this drug appears drunk if he or she is over sedated. Other common side effects of benzodiazepines include:

    Depression
    Blurred or double vision
    Drowsiness
    Lack of energy
    Dizziness or light headedness
    Slurred speech
    Nausea
    Memory loss or forgetfulness
    Stomach upset
    Confusion or disorientation
    Clumsiness or slow reflex action
    Impaired thinking and judgement

2)    Paradoxical effects of anxiety medication
According to studies, some people who take anti-anxiety pills often experience what is known as “paradoxical excitement”. Common paradoxical reactions are:
    Irritability
    Agitation
    Increased anxiety

Severe paradoxical effects include:
    Aggressive or impulsive behaviour
    Mania
    Hallucinations
    Hostility and rage

Most anti-anxiety pills are known to be very addictive after being used for a long period of time. This actually makes most users strongly dependent on pills in order to cope with everyday activities. 

The choice is really yours, if you do not mind dealing with the side effects caused by these drugs. Some anti-anxiety pills actually lead to suicidal thoughts! Choose wisely.