General Anxiety Disorder

– This person worries excessively and has a tremendous amount of anxiety almost on the daily basis.

Drug Therapy:

Antianxiety Agents:

♠ Benzodiazepines

used for anxiety or alcohol withdrawal
– Lorazepam (ativan)
– Alprazolam (xanax)
– Chlordiazepoxide (librium)
– Clonazepam (clonopin)
Antidepressants (used for anxiety)

♠ SSRI
Trycyclic Antidepressants

SIDE EFFECTS

dry mouth
insomnia

♠ MAOI/ Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor
Be careful to not give food to patients containing TYRAMINE.
Food interaction causees hypertensive crisis.

Adverse reaction:

drowsiness
dry mouth
tachycardia
orthostatic hypotension.

Extrapyramidal Side Effects (EPS) consists of:

Acute Dystonia
Pseudoparkinsonism
Akathisia

Tardive Dyskenesia
A syndrome of involuntary movements: facial, tongue, neck muscles and extremeties.

♠ MAOIs
phenelzine (Nardil)
tranylcypromine (Parnate)
isocarboxazid (Marplan).

Try to Avoid:
Tyramine

Meat Products

beef liver
chicken liver
fermented sausages (pepperoni, salami)
luncheon meats

♠ Benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety medications)

– Works quicker than antidepressants:

Drugs includes:

Clonazepam (Klonopin)/ (anticonvulsant), which is used for social phobia and GAD
Lorazepam (Ativan), which is used for panic disorder
Alprazolam (Xanax), which is used for panic disorder and GAD.

♠ Beta-blockers

Beta-blockers control some of the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as trembling and sweating.
Propranolol (Inderal) is a beta-blocker usually used to treat heart conditions and high blood pressure.

Benzodiazepines

Side Effects

drowsiness and dizziness
Upset stomach
Blurred vision
Headache
Confusion
Grogginess
Nightmares.

Benzopdiazepines:
Always remember for the NCLEX to taper off slowly.

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