If you’re someone that gets a severe anxiety before a speech, presentation, social event or any high-stakes situation, you might be considering prescription drugs like Xanax to help solve your problem. Perhaps you’ve heard from a friend/colleague, or read on online forums, about how medications like Xanax helped the performing careers of others or helped them through a high-anxiety scenario. Ativan is a benzodiazepine drug that is also an anti-anxiety medication.
What Are The Side Effects of Xanax?
On top of that, Xanax can increase the risk of life-threatening problems when used in conjunction with certain other medications. Our writers and reviewers are experienced professionals in medicine, addiction treatment, and healthcare. lsd abuse is acid addictive and how is it abused AddictionResource fact-checks all the information before publishing and uses only credible and trusted sources when citing any medical data. Taking any of these natural remedies could potentially help to reduce anxiety.
Non-medication alternatives to Xanax
If you’re looking for medical alternatives to Xanax, you might consider, beta blockers, antidepressants, or other anxiety medications like BusPar. 5-HTP is touted as a natural anxiety remedy because of its ability to boost serotonin. Many prescription medications for treating anxiety (like SSRIs and SNRIs) raise serotonin in your brain. The major difference is that natural Xanax alternatives are less likely to have detrimental side-effects, and carry a lower risk of dependence or addiction.
Natural Compounds
Xanax in particular slows down the movement of brain chemicals that may have become unbalanced, resulting in a reduction in nervous tension and anxiety. Xanax does this by boosting the effects of a natural chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is made in the brain [4]. If you’re looking for a safe AND effective over the counter Xanax alternative, these are DEFINITELY your best options.
Get Help For A Xanax Addiction
Your medical professional can advise you on how much Xanax to take and how often. It’s important to follow the instructions your medical professional provides. Commonly used dosages are mentioned below, but always take the dosage your medical professional recommends. If you have symptoms of low blood pressure while taking Xanax, talk with your medical professional. They may suggest that you check your blood pressure periodically with a home monitor. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur.
– There IS The Potential For Withdrawal
Buspirone is considered a second-line medication to be used when a person does not respond well to SSRIs. It can also be added to an SSRI, particularly to help reduce the SSRIs sexual side effects. Similar to SSRIs, SNRIs increase the amount of serotonin available in the brain.
Fast-acting benzodiazepines exert their effect quickly, and a person will feel this effect less the next day. However, doctors prescribe these only in special circumstances, as a person could experience rebound insomnia or amnesia. Therefore, lemon balm extract is a natural Xanax alternative that has putative synergy with other natural alternatives like valerian root and L-theanine. Nonetheless, valerian root tea and supplements are worth a try if you’re looking for a natural alternative to Xanax to help manage anxiety. Constituents of valerian root also appear to increase serotonin receptor activity, though the specific compounds responsible for this effect — aside from valerenic acid — remain unclear [19].
- Research suggests that Xanax significantly decreases the length of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep stages and the frequency of REM burst activity [3].
- Psychiatrists are doctors who have specialized training in diagnosing and treating complex mental health conditions through medication management.
- Natural Xanax alternatives aren’t always clinically proven to work as a substitute.
- It is fairly easy to develop a tolerance to Xanax and the drug is abused by people both with and without a prescription.
- Another type of medication used for anxiety is buspirone, in a class of medications called anxiolytics.
Please note that this is only a partial list of possible side effects. A person should speak with their doctor before taking Xanax, as it can interact with other types of medication. If a person uses Xanax regularly, they may develop a dependency on it to reduce their anxiety.
With that said, I do have some moments of anxiety / jittery feelings (pretty much everyone does, right?), usually when I load up on caffeine or pre workout supplements. If you’re not feeling anything, then gradually increase the dose by 1 – 3 grams every 1/2 hour until you reach the desired effect. It’s effects on anxiety have never really been studied in a clinical setting, but anecdotal reports are very favorable to the substance. Kratom is a plant based substance that comes from the Coffee family, and has been used by people in the Southeast Asian region to help improve mood, give you energy, and lower anxiety. I have personally tested ALL of the below mentioned otc Xanax alternatives, and KNOW they work.
These concerns are heightened for anyone with a history of substance abuse or older adults with a greater risk of falls. These agents are also best avoided in concurrent opiate pain relievers due to the danger of respiratory depression (reduced breathing) and death. If you’re concerned about misuse and addiction with Xanax, talk with your medical professional. cocaine withdrawal They’ll monitor your risk for these conditions before you start treatment with Xanax. They will also assess your risk from time to time while you’re taking the drug. Since Xanax and other benzodiazepines such as Ativan are habit-forming and can lead to physical dependence, you should take some precautions when deciding to stop using them.
Besides Alprazolam, other benzodiazepines can be prescribed for the treatment of anxiety. These include chlordiazepoxide or Librium, clorazepate or Tranxene, diazepam or Valium, lorazepam or Ativan, and midazolam. https://sober-house.net/gabapentin-uses-dosage-side-effects-warnings/ It is important to know the Ativan vs. Xanax difference and natural Xanax alternatives to be aware of all the risks and benefits. There are many anti-anxiety medications that are alternatives to Xanax.