We have a problem! You need to enable cookies to use Lemonaid. Please change your browser settings.

Lemonaid Health Home 23andMe Home

Anxiety Disorders and How to Treat Them

Do you sometimes feel worried, fearful, or anxious about situations you encounter in life? If so, that’s completely normal. We all do! But when these feelings become persistent, excessive, and overwhelming, it’s possible that there may be an anxiety disorder at play.

Fortunately, anxiety disorders can be evaluated and treated online conveniently from your home or work without you having to take time to see a doctor in person. Our Lemonaid Health service is available nationally, is confidential and is totally separate from your insurance and employer. https://www.lemonaidhealth.com/services/anxiety

What is anxiety and is treatment effective?

Periodic anxiety is a natural part of life. After all, you encounter stressful situations everyday. Your car won’t start. You have a confrontation with your boss. It’s normal to have some fear or worry in response to these stressors.

A diagnosis of anxiety disorder, on the other hand, is a common mental condition where you experience excessive worry most days of the week and for an extended period of time. If anxiety goes untreated, you may have a hard time controlling these emotions and they can start to interfere with your daily life and routines.

Even though worry is at the root of most anxiety, not all anxiety looks the same from person to person. There are several types of anxiety disorders, including these five major types:

  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) - GAD involves chronic, excessive worrying, even in response to minor, everyday situations.
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) - OCD includes obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviors. A person performs these repetitive behaviors to try to get rid of the obsessive thoughts.
  • Panic disorder - Panic disorder involves panic attacks where a person has a sudden, unexpected episode of overwhelming anxiety with symptoms like fast heart rate, sweating, and an impending sense of doom.
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - PTSD is anxiety that occurs after experiencing or witnessing trauma.
  • Social anxiety disorder - This type of anxiety occurs in social situations and can affect a person’s ability to interact with other people.

Though we don’t know exactly what causes anxiety, we do know there isn’t one universal cause for everyone. For some people, anxiety disorders are triggered by a single event. For others, there may be a wide range of factors.

If you feel like you’re a danger to yourself or others or might harm yourself or others, please contact 911 immediately, go to your nearest emergency room or hospital, or contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

Who suffers from anxiety?

People of any age and gender can suffer from anxiety, but certain characteristics can increase your likelihood of having anxiety:

  • Experiencing or witnessing traumatic events
  • Ongoing stress
  • Depression
  • Family history of anxiety
  • Misuse or abuse of drugs or alcohol

Is anxiety treatable?

Yes. Medical treatment requires you to see a doctor or nurse practitioner as anti-anxiety medicines require a prescription. Licensed therapists can help with behavioral therapy and are unable to prescribe medicine.

Doctors and nurse practitioners at Lemonaid can prescribe the typical anti-anxiety medicines known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). SSRIs include sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), escitalopram(Lexapro), and paroxetine (Paxil). SNRIs include venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta).

Sedatives called benzodiazepines (like Zanax and Klonopin) are also effective for anxiety treatment but aren’t available from Lemonaid. If you need these medicines, we recommend you see a doctor in person.

It can take at least 4 to 8 weeks of taking the medicine daily before you feel improvement, so it’s important that if you experience any side-effects that you can talk to or message our team. Typically you’ll feel the full benefits after 3 months of taking a particular medicine.

How can I get evaluated for anxiety treatment through Lemonaid?

It’s super simple. If you’re between 25 and 60 years old, you’re in the age group of patients that we can safely help online.

If you have a history of suicidal thoughts or actions, bipolar, mania, psychosis, schizophrenia, alcohol or other drug use, HIV, seizures, glaucoma or family history of glaucoma, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, we recommend that you see a doctor in person instead of using our online service.

Here’s how the convenient Lemonaid anxiety service works:

  1. Complete our simple anxiety health questionnaire.
  2. Create an account to save your answers.
  3. Pay the consultation fee with your credit/debit card.
  4. Have a video consultation with a Lemonaid doctor or nurse practitioner.
  5. Receive your anxiety medicine in the mail with our free fast delivery. Our packaging is discreet and you don’t need to sign for delivery.

Get started with your private Lemonaid consultation today! https://clinic.lemonaidhealth.com/Depression-&-Anxiety

References:

Mayo Clinic. Anxiety disorders. Accessed online October 24, 2019 at https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961

Lemonaid. Frequently Asked Questions: Depression and Anxiety. Accessed online October 24, 2019 at https://www.lemonaidhealth.com/faq#Depression-And-Anxiety