During a moment of extreme stress, the heart races, breathing rates speed up, and sweat begins to creep out of each and every pore. Once the crisis has passed, things return to normal once more, and people often feel thankful that the episode is behind them. But for people with anxiety disorders, these feelings of intense nervousness and worry don’t seem to fade, even if there is no stressful situation unfolding at the moment.

These disorders are often treated with Klonopin (clonazepam), as this medication can soothe an overactive mind and allow a sense of peace and relief to enter in. But Klonopin isn’t the only effective treatment for anxiety. In fact, there are a number of different therapies that can help, and some don’t involve a visit to the pharmacy.

Medication Choices

The soothing effects of Klonopin can be mimicked by a variety of other medications, according to an article produced by Medscape.

Common choices include:

  • Antidepressants
  • Beta blockers
  • Antihistamines
  • Anticonvulsants
  • Antipsychotics

All of these medications work in a slightly different way inside the human body, but all of these drugs do tend to cause a sensation of sleepiness or sedation. That might be the attribute that helps people with anxiety to feel a bit calmer.

Unfortunately, many of these medications often take weeks to kick in, as they need to build up to a therapeutic level before they can deliver relief. This might mean that some people take medications for long periods of time without feeling soothed at all. Sticking with the therapy is key, however, as allowing the drugs to build up could bring about the changes people need in order to feel less anxious and out of control.

Other Therapies

While medications might have a role in helping some people with anxiety disorders, the drugs do have their limitations, and often, they’re used only as a short-term solution for nervousness. In order to really recover, people need to learn more about how to control their thoughts and feelings. Therapy is the best way to bring this sort of change about.

Some people with anxiety disorders benefit from exposure therapy, in which they spend time around the people, places, and things that tend to spark their nervous feelings. Some therapists can even use simulations in therapy in order to expose a person with anxiety to a more life-like representation of a situation that tends to provoke anxiety. Computer games featuring gunfire and explosions, for example, might be helpful for people with war-related anxiety disorders. According to a study in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders, there tends to be a dose-dependent relationship for this therapy, meaning that attending more often tends to bring about the best results, but going to any therapy session at all might be helpful for people with anxiety.

In addition to exposure techniques, therapists might help clients to learn how to control their physical responses to anxiety. By learning how to meditate, people might learn how to slow their breathing rates and heart rates during a moment of panic, so they’ll be less likely to spin into a full-blown anxiety episode.

At Black Bear Lodge, we utilize these innovative techniques to help our clients overcome their anxiety, and we can even help you move past a Klonopin addiction at the same time. Please call us at 706-914-2327 and we’ll tell you more about our programs.