In this article, you’ll learn and discover what anxiolytics are, how anxiolytics work and whether you should use them.

If you can control stress, calm your mind and avoid anxiety then you’ll find it has huge benefits for both your body and your mind. The stress response actually makes us stronger, faster and even smarter in the short term. But over time, this can place a serious strain on the body that eventually wears you down and leaves you more susceptible to illness and other problems.

This is why people who experience a lot of anxiety might consider the use of anti-anxiety medications called anxiolytics. But what exactly do these do? How are they affecting your mental state? And should you use them? Let’s look at the way they work in more detail.

What is an Anxiolytic?

Anxiolytics are any drugs that reduce the stress response and to do this, they alter the neurotransmitters and hormones that the brain produces in order to encourage more calm and to act even as a mild sedative.

One of the main neurotransmitters that anxiolytics act on is GABA. GABA stands for Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid and is a neurotransmitter that suppresses neuronal activity. That is to say that when it is released, it prevents neurons from firing. This, in turn, causes you to experience a few thoughts and ‘slower’ thinking. It lowers the heart rate and it makes you less attuned to your surroundings.

GABA is one of the neurotransmitters that is affected by alcohol in fact and is responsible for some of the symptoms that we associate with being drunk. This is why some people will self-medicate with alcohol for stress or social anxiety.

Alternatively, some anxiolytics work by increasing serotonin. Serotonin is the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter and this is also how anti-depressants work such as SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors).

The Problem

To increase GABA, most anxiolytics work by blocking the reuptake of GABA in the brain so that there is more of it free in the brain. When you do this over a long period of time however, it causes changes in the brain and adaptations. Specifically, because there is too much GABA, the brain stops producing as much of it itself and decreases the number of receptors. Now you need to take larger doses of anxiolytics to experience the same heightened levels of GABA and now you will likely feel even more anxious when you’re not using them. This is called ‘tolerance and dependence’ and it can lead to addiction.

What’s more, is that anxiolytics do not address the thinking that leads to the release of those hormones in the first place – it deals with the symptoms rather than dealing with the cause.

And then there are the short term, immediate side effects associated with anxiolytic use such as drowsiness and confusion.

So should you stop using anti-anxiety medication? This is very easy to say but not so easy if you experience frequent and severe bouts of anxiety. You should always listen to your doctor’s advice. But just know that this medication is not a long term solution. Focus on therapy in conjunction with medication in order to address the root cause of the issue more permanently.

In this article, you’ll learn and discover everything you need to know about panic attacks in order to stop them.

It’s one thing trying to improve your ability to control your own stress response so that you can combat anxiety and improve your health. But it’s quite another when you experience serious panic attacks that leave you crippled and that prevent you from engaging in normal activities.

But in fact, the tools you will use to achieve both ends are similar. The difference is just that panic attacks might require a more intense and more focused approach.

And in either case, understanding the biology behind the experience can be a fantastic tool to help you take control more effectively.

Let’s look at what panic attacks are and how you can take them on head-to-head.

The Basics of Panic Attacks

When you experience any kind of stress, it’s because your sympathetic nervous system is releasing specific hormones and neurotransmitters into your system. Specifically, these are:

• Adrenaline (epinephrine)
• Noradrenaline (norepinephrine)
• Cortisol
• Testosterone
• Estrogen
• Dopamine
• Serotonin

When these occur together, your experience of pain is dulled, you become more attuned to your senses, your thoughts are focused, and your strength increases as your muscles contract. Your heart rate accelerates significantly and more blood and oxygen are sent to your muscles.

But the thing is that this increases your overall strength your reflexes and your ability to fight or run. This is a useful response in the right context.

The problem is when you misinterpret these signals and cause a panic attack. What happens, in this case, is that you notice yourself getting anxious and you become worried that this is going to cause you embarrassment or make you faint (perhaps because you have previous experience with panic attacks). You begin to hyperventilate and this combined with the elevated heart rate causes chest pain. And some people mistake that chest pain for the signs of a heart attack.

All this makes you more anxious and that in turn means you ramp up the response even more. Your heart rate increases more, you get more anxious, and eventually, you might even start to get dizzy from all that oxygen.

The Solution

The solution then is to recognize that you’re having a panic attack but not to give it any power over you. And the way you do this is to try and detach yourself from it and essentially continue to go about your normal business. Of course, this is easier said than done but as soon as you stop letting it control you and as soon as you aren’t afraid of panic attacks, you’ll find they end a lot more quickly, and eventually they can stop happening entirely.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy can help with this, as can using the technique known as AWARE which is simply a set of steps to remove yourself from the experience and avoid being afraid of the stress.

Most people will have a panic attack at some point in their lives but if you can understand what is happening and control your emotions you’ll find it can disappear as quickly as it arrived.