Vaccines for Children: List By Age, Benefits, Safety
What Are The First-line Medications To Treat Anxiety In Older Adults?
Anxiety among older adults is a common health concern, but some medications may help ease symptoms. These medications include duloxetine, escitalopram, buspirone, venlafaxine, and sertraline.
Several medications may help treat anxiety in older adults. They typically include antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and other medications.
This article reviews several common medications that may help older adults with anxiety.
Escitalopram is a type of antidepressant known as an SSRI. Medical professionals often prescribe it to treat GAD in adults and MDD.
SSRI medications block the receptors that absorb serotonin, increasing serotonin levels.
To treat GAD in older adults, a doctor may prescribe up to 20 mg daily.
Side effects
Though people generally have a favorable tolerance for this medication, escitalopram can cause some side effects in some individuals.
Duloxetine is a type of SNRI. Doctors often prescribe it for depression or GAD.
Like other SNRIs, duloxetine helps block the reabsorption of serotonin and norepinephrine. This allows more of the chemicals to remain active in the brain, which can help alter a person's mood.
To treat GAD in older adults, a doctor may initially prescribe 30 mg per day and may increase the dose to 60 mg per day.
Side effects
Some common side effects can include:
Buspirone is a type of anti-anxiety medication that doctors prescribe to treat GAD and to help relieve short-term anxiety symptoms.
A person takes buspirone orally as a tablet. However, it is unknown exactly how it works to help with anxiety.
According to a 2022 article, a doctor will initially prescribe 15 mg each day to treat GAD. A person can either take 7.5 mg twice per day or 5 mg tablets three times daily. They may increase this dosage every 2 to 3 days until a person reaches the desired dose.
However, individuals should not exceed 60 mg per day.
Side effects
Sertraline is a type of antidepressant that may help with anxiety disorders. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of this medication to treat SAD and PD. However, doctors may also prescribe sertraline off-label to treat GAD.
Sertraline increases the amount of serotonin in the brain.
According to a 2022 article, a doctor will initially prescribe 25 mg once per day to treat PD and SAD. This dose will increase by 50 mg each week until a person reaches the maximum dose of 200 mg per day.
If a doctor is prescribing sertraline to treat MDD or OCD, the starting dose is 50 mg.
Side effects
Several medications can help treat anxiety in older adults. A person can work with a doctor to determine the best options for them.
Some options include escitalopram, duloxetine, buspirone, venlafaxine, and sertraline.
Before starting a new medication, a person may wish to consider how long it will take to work, its side effects, and how it will interact with their current medications.
Researchers Track Sharp Increase In Diagnoses For Sedative, Hypnotic And Anxiety Use Disorder In Young Adults
The prevalence of diagnosed disorders from recurrent use of sedative, hypnotic and antianxiety medications in adolescents and young adults has increased sharply since 2001, according to Rutgers Health researchers.
Their study, published in Addiction, examined diagnoses of these disorders in adolescents and young adults between 2001 to 2019.
Sedative, hypnotic and antianxiety medications are used to treat a variety of conditions, including sleep and anxiety disorders. According to Harvard Health, consistent use of these drugs can lead to a higher tolerance for their effects, meaning patients require higher doses to achieve the intended effects.
For some, a problematic pattern of use of these medications can lead to significant impairment and distress. When this happens, patients may be diagnosed with sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic use disorders, which are estimated to impact 2.2 million Americans, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
Using national Medicaid data from nearly 7 million adolescents and young adults in 2001 and 13 million adolescents and young adults in 2019, Rutgers Health researchers looked at trends in sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic use disorder diagnoses. The prevalence increased threefold in adolescents and increased fivefold in young adults from 2001 to 2019.
"The increase in diagnoses of these disorders may be due to changes in the availability, use and misuse of sedatives, hypnotics and anxiolytics, as well as an increase in detection, awareness and diagnosing of these disorders," said Greta Bushnell, an assistant professor at the Rutgers Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Treatment Science (PETS) and lead author of the study.
Sedative, hypnotic and anti-anxiety medications are accessed in number of ways, including through medical prescriptions as well as through nonmedical sources such as a friend or in a medicine cabinet. Researchers found the prevalence of a sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic use disorders to be elevated in youths with prescriptions. However, the majority of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with a sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic use disorder didn't have a prescription for one of those medications.
"Efforts to target nonmedical use of these drugs is important as a means to reduce this disorder," said Bushnell, who also is an assistant professor of epidemiology at Rutgers School of Public Health, "as is cautious prescribing in this young population."
Researchers also found that most adolescents and young adults with sedative, hypnotic or anxiolytic use disorders had another comorbid substance use disorder diagnosis; in adolescents, cannabis use disorder was the most common and opioid use disorder in young adults.
"While sedative, hypnotic and anxiolytic use disorders are less common than other substance use disorders, it warrants attention from clinicians and researchers given treatment difficulties and the association with other substance use issues," Bushnell said.
Examining trends in youth diagnosed with this disorder can lead to a better understanding of the population and improve support through care and resources, say researchers.
Coauthors of the study include Kristen Lloyd and Tobias Gerhard of PETS and Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research; Katherine Keyes, Mark Olfson and Deborah Hasin of Columbia University; and Magdalena Cerdá of New York University.
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