Treatment:

The goal of treatment is to help you function well during day-to-day life. A combination of medicine and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) works best.

Medications are an important part of treatment. Once you start them, do not suddenly stop without talking with your health care provider. Medications that may be used include:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are usually the first choice in medications. Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are another choice.
• Other antidepressants and some antiseizure drugs may be used for severe cases.
• Benzodiazepines such as alprazolam (Xanax), clonazepam (Klonopin), and lorazepam (Ativan) may be used if antidepressants don't help enough with symptoms. Long-term dependence on these drugs is a concern.
• A medication called buspirone may also be used.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps you understand your behaviors and how to gain control of them. You will have 10 to 20 visits over a number of weeks. During therapy you will learn how to:

• Understand and gain control of your distorted views of life stressors, such as other people's behavior or life events.
• Recognize and replace panic-causing thoughts, decreasing the sense of helplessness.
• Manage stress and relax when symptoms occur.
• Avoid thinking that minor worries will develop into very bad problems.

Avoiding caffeine, illicit drugs, and even some cold medicines may also help reduce symptoms.

A healthy lifestyle that includes exercise, enough rest, and good nutrition can help reduce the impact of anxiety.

Support Groups:

A support group allows you to talk to people who share common experiences and problems. This may help ease the stress related to a medical condition.

Support groups are not a substitute for effective treatment, but can be a helpful addition to it.

Expectations (prognosis):

How well a person does depends on the severity of the condition. GAD may continue and be difficult to treat. However, most patients get better with a combination of medication and behavioral therapy.

Complications:

Depression and substance abuse may occur with an anxiety disorder.

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if you constantly worry and feel anxious and it interferes with your daily activities.