Do mood stabilizers help with anxiety?

Anxiety is no joke. We’ve all experienced it at some point, whether it’s a fear of spiders or the never-ending anxiety that comes from worrying about your finances. For some people, anxiety is something they deal with every day and can be debilitating.

Mood stabilizers are often prescribed for individuals with bipolar disorder to prevent extreme mood swings. However, there has been increasing anecdotal evidence suggesting these medications might also have benefits in reducing anxiety symptoms.

So what exactly are mood stabilizers? Can they really help you manage your anxiousness? Let’s dive into the topic together and get to know more about this!

Understanding Mood Stabilizers

Before we examine whether mood stabilisers can alleviate our worries as much as Chardonnay does on a Friday night, let’s first comprehend what we’re talking about.

Mood stabilisers (‘MOOD STABILISERS‘) belong to a group of psychiatric medicines named ‘psychotropic drugs.’ They work by altering chemical neurotransmitters in the brain linked to emotions like happiness (‘wow!’), sadness (‘awww’), anger (‘ahh!’) and so on (‘neurotransmitters’, if you please).

Data suggests that specific neural circuits contribute significantly to each emotion (your basic year nine biology). Still, disruptions or abnormalities cause disparate mental health disorders such as depression (‘when life just sucks ‘), mania (“Livin’ on Cloud 9”)hallucinations etc., (‘etc., short for et cetera my dear Watson)

When administered correctly under CONTINUOUS MEDICAL SUPERVISION IN THE RIGHT DOSES by Licensed medical professionals (wink), medication(s) such as lithium carbonate treat hypomania( mind blowout ), euphoria(yo-hoo), impulsivity(making sudden BRILLIANT moves)and depression(STD is sex),(STDs being the ultimate party pooper. Just say no, kids!). Now that we have a better understanding of mood stabilisers let’s get to what you really want to know: their potential effects on anxiety!

The Anxiety Connection

Technically speaking (Always wanted to use awkward formal language), mood and anxiety disorders occur within the respective neural circuits hence leading medical professionals with keen interests in Psychiatry(Welcome AD Madame)to wonder whether certain medications could treat these overlapping mental maladies.

While there is minimal scientific research on this subject thus far, some anecdotal evidence and specific studies indicate that certain mood stabilizers may benefit anxiety sufferers by reducing their symptoms(That would be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious for many).

For example, one study showed that people who took lithium had greater reductions in panic attacks than those who didn’t (a win for Lithium carbonate supporters 🎉). Some doctors also prescribe anticonvulsants such as valproic acid or carbamazepine off-label for patients struggling exclusively with severe generalized anxiety disorder(GAD).

The notion behind prescribing anticonvulsants stems from both bipolar disorder and epilepsy having similar abnormalities involving neuron firing patterns.The vast majority of individuals taking said medication report symptoms aimed at IMPROVING THEIR ANXIETY SYMPTOMS(calmness),sleeping better,and an overall improvement in their quality life(yay!, everyone loves all-round-beneficiary drugs).

But before you rush (“STOP! Hammer time!”)to your psychiatrist begging him/her/them/they/personal pronouns to give you lithium/coffee/flaming Cheetos regularly/becoming too desperate will leave them questioning your sanity first recognize why it’s wiser not to blaze down this untested pathway without CONTINUOUS MEDICAL SUPERVISION.

Conclusion

In conclusion(were you expecting Shakespearean sonnets?),it cannot say that mood stabilisers are appropriate treatment for anxiety disorders generally as the data on this link remains scanty.

Mood stabilisers have their own considerable risks, like potential kidney damage,liver issues,and thyroid problems(Which no cheer squad is in support of) requiring regular check-ups, non-adherence resulting to high toxicity or low efficacy hence making it mandatory that said medication be taken under strict medical supervision by licensed professionals consistently.

If you’re struggling with anxiety and have questions about whether mood stabilizers might benefit you or not(cue drum roll)…call your psychiatrist! Because ultimately, when it comes to mental health treatments, everybody’s situation is unique. Only a qualified professional knows what medication could best serve YOUR NEEDS OVERALL(one size does fit all only if we’re talking robe sizes).

Remember,no illness can cope without intention towards wellness;Keep hope alive.

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