There are a number of dangers related to taking prescription antidepressants, particularly for teenagers.

Though these drugs can provide tremendous relief to the sufferers of these various problems, there are a number of dangers of taking prescription antidepressants that patients should be made aware of. In particular, these medications can cause very unpleasant side effects including varying intensities of weight gain, nausea, decrease in libido, insomnia, and headaches. Among the various types of prescription antidepressants, it is the SSRIs that can have more extreme and dangerous side effects as they can cause or worsen anxiety, as well as potentially causing serious mental and physical agitation, mania, and even violent outbursts in rare cases. Though they are typically well tolerated (or they never would have received their FDA approval) there remains a serious risk of significant undesirable side effects.

For this reason, many people are opting to move away from prescription antidepressants and are leaning more toward natural therapies as well as over-the-counter anti-depressants such as Zanaprin.

This being said, if you are already taking a prescription medication for depression or anxiety, it is not recommended that you stop taking it until you speak with your doctor. This is because many have very unpleasant withdrawal symptoms and it takes a special schedule of dosages to slowly wean the body off the drugs in order to keep the withdrawal at a minimum. Withdrawal symptoms that are not uncommon include muscle pain, fatigue, headaches, trembling, sweating, loss of equilibrium, and electric shock sensations in various parts of the body such as fingers and the face. The risk of addiction and withdrawal are also important reasons that many people choose to use over-the counter medications instead of those requiring a prescription.

Among teens it is very important to be careful around antidepressants of prescription strength. In fact, most types of antidepressants are not at all recommended for people under the age of 18. Studies have shown that some prescription antidepressants can cause teens to experience violent behaviors, nightmares, self-mutilation, or even suicidal thoughts.

If an alternative to prescription antidepressants is desired, it is important for patients to speak with their doctors about whether or not Zanaprin and other over-the-counter drugs may be a better option.

The difference between worry and anxiety that is good for problem solving and anxiety that needs treatment is how it affects your day. When your worries get in the way of what you have to do and interferes in your personal and professional relationships, you have a condition that needs treatment. Only then can you go back to living life as you wish it to be. Generalized anxiety disorder does not have to be debilitating, but it often is if it is left untreated.

Generalized anxiety disorder has many symptoms. Some of these are mental and emotional, and others are physical. Together these can make life very uncomfortable and can lead to depression. Some of the more common symptoms are excessive worry, headaches, fatigue, shortness of breath, panic attacks, trouble with sleep, muscle pains, irritability, trouble with concentration, feeling restless, and being unable to think about anything else if worried about something, even a small thing.

Though generalized anxiety disorder is something that can happen to just about anyone, there are some people who are more prone to developing this condition. Those that have had traumatic and unhappy childhoods can easily have high levels of anxiety. Those with high amounts of stress in their lives (either personally or professionally) that do not let up can be at risk, as can those with certain personality disorders. Some believe that going through a serious illness (or has someone close to them do so) can develop anxiety disorders, and it may even be that some are genetically prone to it. If someone in your immediate family has anxiety issues, you may as well.

Therapy, medications, and other lifestyle changes can help someone overcome general anxiety disorder. If you have excessive worries that stop you from living life as you wish, you may want to consider that your worries are more than just normal stresses. Some worry about things that others may not think twice about, or only stress about on rare occasion. If you find you are not doing things you normally would do, or have developed fears you never had, you may want to see someone about your anxiety.

To understand the negative effects of prescription Xanax, you have to understand how it works. There are connections in the brain that make a natural sedative that the body needs during times of stress and anxiety. This sedative is called gamma amino butyric acid or GABA for short. This can be found in over three quarters of the nerve receptors in the brain. Some people do not produce enough GABA and are more prone to anxiety because of it. This GABA is supposed to level out thinking, but without it, that does not happen. Xanax works with what little GABA someone with anxiety may be making on their own to balance them out.

One drawback of taking Xanax for some people is that they have problems when they decide to come off of it. This pill can be addictive and is not something someone can stop taking cold turkey. Because it helps with the little GABA a person is making, the brain may feel that it does not have to make as much, and then a person is left with even less GABA. If this pill is stopped too quickly, the brain does not have enough time to adjust and make more of its own GABA. When that happens, the effects of stopping Xanax quickly can be quite painful and terrifying for the patient.

Some of the major negative effects of taking Xanax are the side effects. Some tolerate them well but others feel they are too strong and outweigh any benefit they get from taking this prescription drug. Some of the stronger side effects that come with Xanax for some patients are dizziness and sleepiness. Some feel that they are unusually clumsy when taking this pill, leaving them afraid to care for young children or drive a car. For some, headaches are a very common side effect that comes with taking Xanax. Some other side effects can be excitability, restlessness, problems with urination and bowel movements, changes in normal sex drive, and blurry vision. In some severe cases, patients have problems with involuntary muscular motions, memory loss, strange behaviors, and depression.