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What are the causes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder?

Although the exact causes are unknown, it may be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.   Serotonin and norepinephrine are two chemicals used by some nerve cells to communicate.   These chemicals, called neurotransmitters, are thought to be linked to GAD.

How does Effexor XR work?

Effexor XR is thought to work by affecting two naturally occurring brain chemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine.

What causes social anxiety disorder?

The causes are unknown, but it may be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.   Serotonin and norepinephrine are two chemicals used by some nerve cells to communicate.   These chemicals, along with other neurotransmitters, are thought to be linked to social anxiety disorder.

Although the exact causes of these conditions are unknown, they may be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain.   Therefore, medications that affect this chemical imbalance may play a role in treating these disorders.

Adverse event incidence in short-term placebo-controlled Effexor XR clinical trials in social anxiety disorder patients: hypertension, vasodilatation, palpitation; nausea, anorexia, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, eructation; weight loss; insomnia, dry mouth, dizziness, somnolence, nervousness, libido decreased, anxiety, agitation, tremor, abnormal dreams, paresthesia, twitching; yawn; sinusitis; sweating; abnormal vision; abnormal ejaculation, impotence, orgasmic dysfunction.   As with any psychotropic drug, Effexor XR may impair judgment, thinking, or motor skills.

What causes anxiety?

Like other complex medical illnesses, such as heart disease and diabetes, the exact causes of generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, are difficult to explain.   Research suggests that environmental and genetic factors (a family history of GAD) may make a person more likely to develop the disorder.   Experts also agree that GAD may be caused by an imbalance of certain chemicals in the brain.

The brain chemistry of depression and anxiety is not fully understood.   However, a growing body of evidence supports the view that people with these disorders have an imbalance of the brain's neurotransmitters.   These are chemicals in the brain that allow nerve cells to communicate.   One of these neurotransmitters is serotonin.   An imbalance in serotonin may be an important factor in the development of depression and anxiety.

How Lexapro works

Lexapro helps to restore the brain's chemical balance by increasing the supply of a chemical messenger in the brain called serotonin.   Lexapro appears to relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety by increasing serotonin with minimal effect on many of the other chemicals in the brain.

Learn more about the science behind Lexapro and how it works.   View the Lexapro animation:

Adverse events occurring in 2% or more of patients treated with Lexapro: dry mouth, sweating; headache, paresthesia; nausea, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, vomiting, abdominal pain, flatulence, toothache; fatigue, influenza-like symptoms; neck/shoulder pain; somnolence, insomnia, libido decreased, dreaming abnormal, appetite decreased, lethargy, yawning; ejaculation disorder, anorgasmia, menstrual disorder.

The exact cause of these conditions is not completely understood.   Research has shown that depression and panic disorders could be linked to a chemical imbalance in the brain.   A family history of these conditions might also play a role in their development.

How Paxil CR may work to overcome chemical imbalances in the brain:

Paxil CR blocks serotonin from being reabsorbed back into the sending nerve cell.   This process increases the availability of serotonin to the receiving nerve cell and may help message transmission return to normal.

Adverse effects occurring in more than 1% of patients treated with Paxil CR: headache, asthenia, abdominal pain, back pain, trauma, allergic reaction, chest pain; hypertension, migraine, tachycardia; nausea, diarrhea, constipation, dry mouth, dyspepsia, decreased appetite, tooth disorder; weight gain, weight loss; insomnia, somnolence, libido decreased, dizziness, tremor, anxiety, concentration impaired, depression, myoclonus, paresthesia; yawn; sweating, eczema; abnormal vision, abnormality of accommodation; abnormal ejaculation, impotence, female genital disorders.

Anyone can get panic disorder, but scientists are not entirely sure yet why some develop the disorder and others don't.   We do know that panic disorder seems to run in families, suggesting that there may be a genetic (inherited) factor.   Other possible causes are chemical imbalances in the brain or physical problems with the nervous system.

Scientific studies have shown that medications such as Prozac that affect the neurotransmitter serotonin can significantly decrease the symptoms of panic disorder.   Below you will find links to animations of the serotonin system within the brain.

Many scientists believe that Prozac works by blocking the action of the serotonin uptake pump.   When serotonin is released from the "sending" nerve cell, some of it is reabsorbed by an uptake pump.   By blocking the serotonin uptake pump, Prozac increases the amount of active serotonin that can be delivered to the "receiving" nerve cell.   This may help message transmission return to normal.

Adverse events that occurred in 2% or more patients treated with Prozac: headache, asthenia, flu syndrome, fever; vasodilatation; nausea, diarrhea, anorexia, dry mouth, dyspepsia, constipation, flatulence, vomiting, weight loss; insomnia, nervousness, anxiety, somnolence, dizziness, tremor, libido decreased, abnormal thinking; yawn; sweating, rash, pruritus; abnormal vision.

Some researchers suggest that symptoms of panic may be caused by an imbalance of specific chemicals in the brain.   Three of these chemicals are called norepinephrine, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), and serotonin.   It is believed that changes in the levels of these chemicals play a role in anxiety disorder.

Xanax XR helps patients with panic disorder to feel less anxious and more relaxed.   It does this by boosting the effects of GABA, a natural chemical in your body. GABA sends messages to your brain that tell it to "calm down."   Taking Xanax XR increases this effect.

Adverse events occurring in 1% or more of patients treated with Xanax XR: sedation, somnolence, memory impairment, dysarthria, coordination abnormal, mental impairment, ataxia, disturbance in attention, impaired balance, paresthesia, dyskinesia, hypoesthesia, hypersomnia; fatigue, lethargy; influenza, upper respiratory tract infections; depression, libido decreased, disorientation, confusion, depressed mood, anxiety; appetite decreased, appetite increased, anorexia; dry mouth, constipation, nausea, pharyngolaryngeal pain; weight increased, weight decreased; road traffic accident; dysmenorrhea, sexual dysfunction, premenstrual syndrome; arthralgia, myalgia, pain in limb; hot flushes; dyspnea, rhinitis allergic; pruritis.   Patients receiving Xanax should be cautioned against engaging in hazardous occupations or activities requiring complete mental alertness such as operating machinery or driving a motor vehicle.   Psychological dependence is a risk with all benzodiazepines, including Xanax.   Some patients have experienced considerable difficulty in tapering and discontinuing from Xanax.

Anxiety disorders are real and serious medical conditions, just like diabetes.   They might develop from many factors.   These could include your genes, the makeup of your brain, and upsetting events in your life.   Research suggests that many different factors play a part in the development of anxiety disorders, such as a person's biology (genes), psychology (mind), and his or her environment (how and where a person lives).

Zoloft is a prescription medicine that treats depression and anxiety.   It belongs to a class of drugs known as SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors).  Zoloft works to correct a chemical imbalance in the brain which may be related to symptoms of depression or anxiety.

Adverse events reported by at least 2% of patients taking Zoloft: ejaculation failure, dry mouth, increased sweating, somnolence, dizziness, headache, paresthesia, tremor, rash, anorexia, constipation, diarrhea, dyspepsia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, agitation, anxiety, insomnia, libido decreased, nervousness, abnormal vision.

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