How do ssris work to treat anxiety

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Instead, it usually takes a week or more for a positive change in symptoms to occur. In fact, some people may experience a worsening of anxiety symptoms at first. It, therefore, became obvious that an increase in serotonin levels couldn't be responsible for these delayed changes, so researchers began investigating other changes in the neurons that took place in seven to fourteen days when the medications began to ease the symptoms of anxiety.

What researchers found is that daily use of SSRIs for more than a week or two eventually results in changes in the structure of neurons. This is neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize its neural connections, in action. As neurons adapt to new levels of serotonin, they make adjustments in the number of receptors, grow new dendrites, or even promote the development of new connections or circuits. For now, the most accurate way to characterize the change in these neurons is to call it increased flexibility, indicating that the neurons become more capable of modification.

Thus, SSRIs are thought to increase the brain's ability to restructure parts of itself, making it more amenable to changes and new learning. This increased flexibility, or neuroplasticity, does not necessarily mean that anxiety will decrease.

What it means is that your brain is more capable of making changes that will lead to a decrease in anxiety. You still need to know what to do to promote anxiety-reducing changes in your brain. Monitoring and changing anxiety-producing thoughts is one way to make changes that will reduce anxiety. Another way is to learn ways to respond effectively in anxiety-provoking situations, rather than to avoid them. The SSRIs can often help a person accomplish these kinds of changes.

Side effects are important to consider when taking medications. These conditions may include:. Anxiety is often treated with SSRIs. These include escitalopram, paroxetine, and sertraline.

That said, all SSRIs may be used off-label to treat anxiety. Read more: Other drugs to treat anxiety disorder ». Serotonin is one of many brain chemicals that transmit messages between brain cells. Normally, serotonin circulates in the brain and then absorbs into the bloodstream. Depression is linked with low levels of serotonin as well as low levels of dopamine, norepinephrine, and other brain chemicals.

SSRIs work by preventing your blood from absorbing some of the serotonin from your brain. This leaves a higher level of serotonin in the brain, and increased serotonin can help relieve depression. They simply help the body use what it has more effectively. SSRIs are fairly similar in terms of how effective they are. Doctors often prescribe SSRIs before other antidepressants because they typically have fewer side effects. That is, SSRIs are generally safe.

That said, certain people should be cautious about using an SSRI. These include children and pregnant women.