Get Informed: Anxiety
Anxiety: Overview
Anxiety disorders are psychological conditions that occur when anxiety, a normal reaction to fear or stress, occurs in excessive amounts or abnormal ways. Anxiety disorders commonly occur together with other conditions such as depression, may run in families, and can occasionally linked to a specific triggering event or situation. Examples of anxiety disorders include Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, Obsessive-Complusive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and specific phobias - such as fear of social situations, confined spaces or items such as snakes or spiders.
- Last Text Update:
- 2010-Mar-20 9:56 PM
- Last Data Update:
- 2010-Mar-04 1:58 PM
1 in 8 people have Anxiety
iGuard is currently monitoring more than 233,680 patients with Anxiety from around the United States as shown on the heat map below. These figures suggest that roughly 35.0 million Americans have Anxiety with women being 3 times more likely to be affected than men.
< 21
21-39
40-59
60+
Age (Years)
iGuard is currently monitoring more than 233,680 patients with Anxiety.
Medications used for Anxiety
Drugs commonly taken by iGuard users for Anxiety are listed below, together with the percentage of patients that take each drug.
|
Commonly Used Medication Name* (Hover mouse over name to see medication class) |
% of Patients | Average Risk Rating | Has Generic Available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xanax | 13% |
|
Yes |
| Lexapro | 10% |
|
No |
| Zoloft | 7% |
|
Yes |
| Effexor | 7% |
|
Yes |
| Paxil | 7% |
|
Yes |
| Prozac | 6% |
|
Yes |
| Klonopin | 6% |
|
Yes |
| Cymbalta | 6% |
|
No |
| Ativan | 5% |
|
Yes |
| Celexa | 5% |
|
Yes |
Less than 5%: Wellbutrin, Abilify, Seroquel, Valium, Buspar, Desyrel, Depakote
*This list is NOT EXHAUSTIVE - Only drugs used by a sufficiently large number of iGuard users are listed.
**Medications are sometimes known by different brand/generic names, depending upon how they are packaged or used.
Global Patient Feedback for Anxiety ( Post a comment )
Question/Comment:
My daughter who is 9 suffers from severe anxiety, she could not make friends, participate in group activities and was frustrated with just about everyone and everything. Her pediatrician put her on Abilify and it has made a world of difference, she is more like a normal child now.
45 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-01-27 09:06:09
Question/Comment:
It is generally accepted that exercise reduces anxiety. However, some individuals feel more anxiety after exercising. This is not uncommon and can be remedied by recognizing what is causing the anxiety symptoms.
26 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-01-27 05:39:11
Question/Comment:
I am on Paxil 20mg/day for panic attacks following brain surgery for seizure disorder. The Paxil was originally l0 mg./day then increased to 20 mg. & I feel GREAT!! No problems. No breakthrough attacks. I do have some anxiety, but not as bad as before. I can deal with it.
60 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-01-23 10:31:35
Question/Comment:
Back in 1990 I was diagnosed with Severe major depression with anxiety I have been on every kind of pills for it nothing helped. Than I was put on Lexapro I think I was up to 20mg. When I finally started feeling less depression I went down to 15mg than 10mg by my doctor. Then I felt 100% better and quit taking it I told my doctor what I did and I told him that I feel worse that I would start up again He put me make on 30 days ago because I have had 2 back surgery. I do feel much better again
63 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2009-12-04 17:34:08
Question/Comment:
I have had anxiety/panic for many years. For most of this time I was on Paxil and it worked most of the time. My physician has switched me to Cymbalta and I still feel very anxious and feel foggy. It really frustrates me and I would like to not be on any medications but I feel that I need something. I also have a prescription for Clonazepam and I don't hardly ever take it. When I feel very anxious or I cannot sleep I will take 1/2 pill, which is .25mg. It really helps and I feel "normal". Why can't I just take that and not the Cymbalta? Feeling frustrated with this whole anxiety/panic crap.
45 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2009-11-24 20:20:52
iGuard Answer/Reply:
Taking the Cymbalta (or the Paxil) on a regular basis stabilizes your body and helps prevent breakthrough panic attacks from happening more frequently than if you did not take either drug. The regular use of Cymbalta (or Paxil) is likely the reason you do not need to take the clonazepam frequently. The clonazepam has some risk for dependency/addiction and that may be the reason your doctor did not use that as your main therapy. You should discuss your concerns and any ongoing issues with your doctor. You may also want to seek out the services of a therapist - identifying things that cause your anxiety and developing methods to help you with your thoughts and feelings may be helpful for your condition.
Posted: 2009-12-01 15:31:18
Answer/Reply:
My daughter, age 19, suffers from severe panic attacks which has become panic disorder. She recently tried suicide because she couldn't take it anymore. I have been researching the physical causes of panic attacks and have discovered that her hypoglycemia is probably the main cause. They have treated her for asthma, and anxiety with meds, but no one seems to link this even though there is a lot of evidence to support it. We are trying a change of diet and either glucose pills or glycerine to combat the drop in blood sugar levels. And no, she is not diabetic. People can be hypoglycemic without being diabetic. Sometimes you should search for a physical cause for the effect.
19 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States
Posted: 2010-02-07 12:44:35
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Patient Comments about
Anxiety