Anxiolytic action is ... Anxiolytic action of drugs

In the modern world, most people are constantly in a state of stress and emotional stress, which naturally leads to various neurotic disorders over time. By the way, in developed countries up to 20% of the population suffer from these disorders.

In connection with the described situation, the problems of diagnosis of neurotic disorders, as well as their treatment, are now one of the most urgent in pharmacology and medicine. And drugs that help cope with increased anxiety, anxiety and emotional disturbances, today are among the most sought-after ones.

In this article, we will try to consider in more detail the effect of psychotropic drugs, which include tranquilizers, called anxiolytics, and antidepressants, and to understand the difference between their effects on the human body.

Anxiety disorders - a scourge of modern man

Among psychoemotional disorders, which manifest themselves within the framework of psychosomatic diseases and neuroses (neurasthenia should be highlighted in the first place), most often there are anxiety disorders. By the way, they can also be observed as a separate nosological form (ie, an independent disease), for example, in the form of panic attacks, social phobias or generalized anxiety disorder. And, unfortunately, anxiety-depressive disorders are presently encountered in 70% of patients with depressive states of nonpsychotic origin, while for unexplained reasons, 75% of them are women.

It is worth noting that if neuroses increase feelings of fear and anxiety regardless of the nature of the underlying disease, then in medicine it is always considered a negative circumstance. This is because anxiety greatly worsens the psychoemotional state of the patient, and against this background, psychosomatic pathology may develop, and already existing somatic (bodily) diseases will proceed more complexly and with a worse prognosis.

Combat anxiety is helped by various psychotropic drugs, which include tranquilizers (anxiolytics), and antidepressants.

Anxiolytics (tranquilizers) and antidepressants: the difference between them

But immediately it is necessary to clarify that, despite a similar general orientation, these funds have different effects on the patient. And the main difference between tranquilizers and antidepressants is precisely the fact that anxiolytics work to eliminate feelings of anxiety, anguish, anxiety, irritability, accompanying depression, and antidepressants fight the disease itself.

Tranquilizers (a list of drugs with this action will be given further) reveal their effects immediately, but it usually lasts no more than a day, after which the patient, without receiving the next dose of the drug, may again experience anxious symptoms.

The effect of antidepressants is longer, since it is directed to the causes of the appearance of a pathological condition. The course of treatment with these drugs can last 1-2 months, and in severe cases and up to a year. But with proper therapy, antidepressants can get rid of depression completely. In severe cases, tranquilizers are prescribed together with antidepressants - some treat the manifestation of the disease, and others - its cause.

What are the properties of tranquilizers?

So, we found out that tranquilizers primarily have an anxiolytic effect - a decrease in the patient's feelings of fear, anxiety, stress, manifested in varying degrees with various psychosomatic pathologies.

As a rule, tranquilizers have also sedative (all-calming), hypnotic, muscle relaxant (reducing muscle tone), and also anticonvulsant action. A hypnotic effect of the described drugs is expressed in increasing the effect on the patient's body of sleeping pills, analgesics (painkillers), as well as narcotic drugs used together with tranquilizers.

These drugs can be very effective in obsessive states (so-called obsessive) or increased hypochondria (hypochondria). But it should be noted that at the same time acute affective, delusional, hallucinatory and other disorders, which can also be accompanied by anxiety, fear and anxiety, with tranquilizers do not respond.

How is information transmitted in the human brain?

To understand how a person has a constant sense of fear and anxiety, emotional tension, and other signs of a depressed state, let's look at how the information in the brain is transmitted in general terms.

The brain consists of nerve cells - neurons that do not touch each other directly. Between the neurons is a synapse (or synaptic cleft), and therefore the transfer of information, namely electrical impulses between neurons, is carried out with the help of chemical intermediaries, called mediators.

Violations in the emotional sphere of a person lead to a change in the concentration of some mediators (a reduction in the number of three of them): norepinephrine, serotonin and dopamine.

How does the antidepressant work?

The action of antidepressants is aimed at regulating the number of mediators. As soon as the neuron receives an electrical signal, the mediators enter the synapse and help transfer this signal further. But if they are destroyed, the transmission process becomes weak or even impossible. And in such cases, as a rule, speech is about the depressed state of a person - the patient is disturbed by the concentration of attention, apathy occurs, the emotional background decreases, anxiety, fear and such manifestations of the pathological condition appear.

The appointment of antidepressants in this condition prevents the destruction of mediators, due to which the transmission of the nerve impulse is amplified, and the inhibition of the signal is compensated.

But it should be borne in mind that antidepressants with prolonged use inevitably cause side effects in the form of weight changes, violations of sexual activity, dizziness, nausea, itching of the skin. Why are these legal psychotropic drugs inevitably put in the category of drugs that require special control over the appointment and reception.

Why are tranquilizers widespread?

Unlike antidepressants, the effect of anxiolytics is to reduce excitability in the subcortical areas of the brain, while the effect on the concentration of mediators in these drugs is poorly expressed.

In clinical practice, the spread of tranquilizers (anxiolytics) is facilitated by the fact that, in comparison with antidepressants, they have fewer serious side effects and, as a rule, are well tolerated by the patient.

Anxiolytic drugs are used in both inpatient and outpatient settings. And the scope of their use has long gone beyond psychiatry. It covers neurological, surgical, oncological and other diseases. And this is due primarily to the fact that since the development of the first tranquilizers, their group has already more than 100 different drugs with a wide range of effects, and the development of new ones continues to this day.

In what cases are anxiolytics used?

So, as you probably already understood, in order to eliminate the feeling of fear, anxiety, raise the threshold of emotional excitability, normalize sleep, reduce irritability, incontinence and hypochondriacal reactions, the patient needs the appointment of anxiolytics. Their influence helps to regulate the patient's behavior, reduce the depletion of the central nervous system, improve the social adaptation of the patient and even reduce vegetative disorders. Indications for the use of these drugs are both neurotic states and manifestations of sleep disorders, and cardiovascular problems and pain syndromes.

The most commonly used in such cases are tranquilizers related to benzodiazepines: Xanax, Lorazepam, Finazepam, Elenium, Diazepam, or Relanium. But the so-called atypical anxiolytics - for example, preparations of Buspirone hydrochloride or Mexidol - have also become widespread.

Tranquilizers: a list of drugs and their effects

Tranquilizers (anxiolytics), as already mentioned, are used in the therapy of a variety of diseases that have both psychosomatic and somatic origin.

These drugs help reduce the excitability of those parts of the human brain that are responsible for emotional reactions. And the main thing in tranquilizers is anxiolytic action, which is expressed not only in reducing anxiety, but also in reducing obsessive (obsessive thoughts), and also in relieving hypochondria (increased suspiciousness). They relieve mental tension, fear and anxiety, which is most pronounced in such means as Finazepam, NosePam, Diazepam and Lorazepam.

And drugs "Nitrazepam" and "Alprazolam", which have a pronounced sedative effect, can be attributed to the category of sleeping pills and tranquilizers. Medications "Mezapam" and "Grandaxin" refer to the so-called day tranquilizers, which are virtually devoid of muscle relaxants (relaxing muscles) and sedative properties, which allows them to be taken during working hours.

Preparations "Clonazepam", "Finazepam" and "Diazepam", in addition, have an anticonvulsant effect, and they are used to treat vegetative crises and convulsive syndrome.

How are anxiolytics appointed?

When appointing anxiolytics, the difference in the spectrum of their action is necessarily taken into account. Although in large doses, any of them exhibit all the characteristic for tranquilizers pharmacological properties.

The usual course of treatment for drugs with anxiolytic effect is approximately 4 weeks. In this case, the drug is taken from a week to 10 days continuously, and then make a three-day break, after which the drug is resumed. This mode allows in many cases to avoid the effect of habituation when long-term use is required.

In this anxiolytic means of short-acting (for example, "Lorazepam" or "Alprazolam") is recommended to take 3-4 times during the day, and funds with long-term action ("Diazepam", etc.) - no more than 2 times a day. By the way, "Diazepam" is often prescribed to take only once before bed, since it has a pronounced sedative effect.

Precaution in taking tranquilizers

But all the drugs described above, require compulsory medical control, otherwise the patient may develop addiction - anxiolytic effect with long-term admission will be reduced and an increase in the dose of the drug will be required. In addition, the formation of drug dependence is likely. And with prolonged use, the risk of dependence increases particularly strongly. In turn, this can be caused by the so-called withdrawal syndrome, which leads to a general deterioration of the patient's condition and, by the way, to exacerbation of exactly those symptoms, the elimination of which was directed at taking anxiolytics.

Incidentally, these side effects of tranquilizers are especially pronounced in children and adolescents under the age of 18, which makes it possible to apply them in this age group only in exceptional cases, when there is clearly valid evidence for this. But the duration of therapy should be kept to a minimum.

List of main adverse effects of anxiolytics

Unfortunately, anxiolytic action is not only an antineurotic effect of the drug on the human body, but also some problems caused by its side effects.

The main manifestations of side effects of tranquilizers are a decrease in the level of wakefulness, which is expressed in daytime drowsiness, violation of attention and forgetfulness.

And the effect of muscle relaxation (relaxation of skeletal muscles) is also manifested by a general weakness or a decrease in strength in some muscle groups. In some cases, the use of tranquilizers is accompanied by so-called "behavioral toxicity", that is, an easy disruption of cognitive functions, expressed in some decrease in memory, receptivity and speech skills.

One of the ways to alleviate the situation is the use of daytime tranquilizers, which include "Gidazepam", "Prazepam", as well as "Mebikar", "Trimetozin", "Medazepam" and other means, in which these side effects are manifested to a small extent.

Signs of an overdose of tranquilizers

The pronounced anxiolytic effect of tranquilizers often leads to thoughtless and uncontrolled reception of these drugs. After a quick release from the state of emotional stress - it's so cool!

But anxiolytics, especially those belonging to benzodiazepines, are readily soluble in fats, which helps them to be completely absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and evenly distributed in the tissues of the human body. And this, in turn, leads in the case of an overdose to very serious consequences.

As a rule, overdose is accompanied by increased drowsiness, weakness, violation of gait, speech and dizziness. More severe stages of poisoning are accompanied by a violation of breathing, changes in tendon reflexes, complete loss of consciousness, and sometimes coma. Therefore, despite the fact that it is not difficult to buy some tranquilizers (although this is psychotropic drugs) without a prescription, remember - these medications can be taken only on the advice of a doctor and under his supervision!

What other drugs have an anxiolytic effect?

By the way, as an anti-anxiety in medicine, sometimes used and means not related to sedatives and sleeping pills. For example, such an antihistamine as "Hydroxysin" has an obvious anxiolytic effect. This is especially true in situations where the patient's anxiety and emotional tension are caused by skin irritations.

Some nootropic drugs (for example, Phenibut) also have an anti-anxiety effect. The homeopathic remedy "Tenaten" proved to be worthy.

Tinctures of some medicinal herbs (motherwort, immortelle, prickly throat, rhodiola rosea, peony and magnolia vinegar) will help to improve the mood by removing the feeling of depression or irritation. And calendula will relieve not only of psychoemotional stress, but also of the headache caused by it.

Resistance to stress will help to increase the root of ginseng, and in case of insomnia, angelica and hawthorn will be useful. All these herbal infusions are drunk in courses for 14 days, and in case the expected effect does not occur, a doctor's consultation is required.