TREATMENT OF ANXIETY AND INSOMNIA

Introduction:  Antidepressants are frequently used to treat symptoms of anxiety. These drugs have an ability to reduce anxiety symptoms by altering levels of two important neurotransmitters in the brain, norepinephrine and serotonin. Restoration of normal neurotransmitter balance helps to reduce symptoms associated with depression, panic, obsessive–compulsive behavior, and phobia.  Typical antidepressants include tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). Atypical antidepressants are more diverse. 

CNS depressants used for anxiety and sleep disorders are categorized into two major classes, the benzodiazepines and barbiturates. Benzodiazepines:  Barbiturates

A third class consists of miscellaneous drugs that are chemically unrelated to the benzodiazepines or barbiturates but have similar therapeutic uses. Other CNS depressants that have a calming effect in the body include the opioids and ethyl alcohol.  Opioid analgesics

CNS depression should be viewed as a continuum ranging from relaxation, to sedation, to the induction of sleep and anesthesia. Coma and death are the end stages of CNS depression. Some drug classes are capable of producing the full range of CNS depression from calming to anesthesia, whereas others are less efficacious. Medications that depress the CNS are sometimes called sedatives because of their ability to sedate or relax a patient. At higher doses, some of these drugs are called hypnotics because of their ability to induce sleep. Thus, the term sedative–hypnotic is often used to describe a drug with the ability to produce a calming effect at lower doses and the ability to induce sleep at higher doses. Sedative-hypnotics

Tranquilizer is an older term that is sometimes used to describe a drug that produces a calm or tranquil feeling. Many CNS depressants can cause physical and psychological dependence. The withdrawal syndrome for some CNS depressants can cause life-threatening neurologic reactions, including fever, psychosis, and seizures. Other withdrawal symptoms include increased heart rate and lowered blood pressure; loss of appetite; muscle cramps; impairment of memory, concentration, and orientation; abnormal sounds in the ears and blurred vision; and insomnia, agitation, anxiety, and panic. Obvious withdrawal symptoms typically last from 2 to 4 weeks. Subtle ones can last months.

RELATED;

1.  Sedative-hypnotics  

2.  Zolpidem

3.  Depression

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