Finding the right medication can help kids with anxiety worry less. The best anxiety medications for children are antidepressants called SSRIs. Antidepressants work very well for most children. And they work pretty quickly — most kids start to feel better after the first week or two. Usually, antidepressants can give kids long-term relief with barely any side effects. The very best way to treat anxiety is with a combination of antidepressant medication and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Because kids with anxiety are constantly worrying, they often have a hard time paying attention. These children are often given stimulant medications, which can help them concentrate. But stimulant medications might also cause them to have stomachaches or trouble sleeping. Kids with anxiety may also be given clonidine or guanfacine. Some doctors even prescribe antipsychotic medication, but there is no evidence that these medications help anxious children.
Some doctors prescribe benzodiazepines to anxious children. These give the most relief to children who are really suffering, but they should only be used for a short period of time. In order for the medication to continue working, the doctor would need to keep increasing the dose. In an examination of 84, children prescribed medication for anxiety between and , researchers in North Carolina and New York found that 70 percent received an SSRI alone, and 7 percent took an SSRI and another medication.
The more serotonin we have, the happier and calmer we are, scientists believe. SSRIs work by stopping the neural train that shuttles serotonin into our brain, blocking its reabsorption and making more of it available to make us feel good. The Food and Drug Administration later approved five other types of medicine in this class.
Widely known brands include Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil and Zoloft, the most prescribed psychiatric drug in Too much serotonin can cause a fatal condition called serotonin syndrome. And in some people, before SSRIs start to work, they temporarily block serotonin production, leading to a deficit. The risk, which declines as we age, is greatest in the first two weeks of taking the medication. In other words, people sometimes get worse before they get better.
It can take about three months to see if a particular brand of medicine will work and to establish the optimal dose, Kodish said. During that time, a teen may also have to adjust to temporary side effects that can include drowsiness, insomnia, nausea, dizziness and headaches. Sometimes the child might not notice it, but the parent or caregiver notices.
This process can take months, so parents should expect their teens to be on the medicine they settle on for at least six months to a year, before going off it gradually, Rynn said. These drugs, which include Xanax, Valium and Ativan, are also used to treat seizures, depression and insomnia.
They are highly addictive and should only be taken short-term. Benzos were involved in nearly a third of drug overdose deaths in the past 30 years. Increasingly popular for short-term use are beta blockers, which are primarily used to treat heart conditions and high blood pressure. The drugs, which mute adrenaline in our bodies, work quickly to reduce physical symptoms of anxiety and fear, such as shaky hands, rapid heartbeat and shallow breathing.
A new startup called Kick, based in San Francisco, proposes to prescribe and provide these pills over the internet, saying they can help people calm down before an important work presentation or a date. Beta blockers are sometimes prescribed to teens with social phobias or performance anxiety. Side effects include constipation, upset stomach and headaches. D-cycloserine is being tested, in conjunction with exposure therapy, for a type of anxiety called social phobia.
Other research is looking into how antibiotics can help mental health disorders; for example, one recent trial investigated if minocycline, an antibiotic prescribed for acne and some sexually transmitted infections, helps children with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Show references Pediatric antidepressant fact sheet. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Accessed April 29, Revisions to product labeling. Food and Drug Administration. Strawn JR, et al. Efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants in pediatric anxiety disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Depression and Anxiety. Suicidality in children and adolescents being treated with antidepressant medications. Cipriani A, et al. Comparative efficacy and tolerability of antidepressants for major depressive disorder in children and adolescents: A network meta-analysis. The Lancet. Cooper WO, et al.
Antidepressants and suicide attempts in children. Pediatric antidepressant dosing chart. Locher C, et al. Efficacy and safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and placebo for common psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry. Hussain H, et al. Recent developments in the treatment of major depressive disorder in children and adolescents.
Evidence-Based Mental Health. Symbyax prescribing information. Indianapolis, Ind. Accessed April 30, FDA: Don't leave childhood depression untreated. Gibbons RD, et al. Antidepressant treatment and suicide attempts and self-inflicted injury in children and adolescents. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. Zuckerbrot RA, et al. Practice preparation, identification, assessment, and initial management. Cheung AH, et al.
Treatment and ongoing management. Gabriel M, et al. Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. Suicidal behavior. Anafranil prescribing information. Whitby, Ontario: Patheon Inc. Accessed May 21, Cymbalta prescribing information. Fluvoxamine maleate prescribing information. Parsippany, N. Lexapro prescribing information. Madison, N. Prozac prescribing information. Zoloft prescribing information. New York, N. Tofranil prescribing information. Whitby, Ontario; Patheon Inc.
0コメント