Anxiolytics: The Pills That Live In Bedside Tables

Anxiolytics are drugs or medications that are used to combat anxiety. They are also called by some sectors “alcohol in a pill” , perhaps alluding to that addictive potential and that facility that we have acquired for its use and abuse.

Anxiolytics today sleep on too many nightstands and are used too often.  The truth is that we live in a society in which dependence on medication is unusual, being the wild card (and comfortable) resource that aims to solve our problems.

Main mechanisms of action of anxiolytics (benzodiazepines)

At present, we know how and where anxiolytics (benzodiazepines) act to a greater extent than other drugs intended to combat psychiatric or psychological problems. They favor  the action of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA on its receptor. The neurotransmitter GABA, present in more than 30% of neuronal synapses, fulfills the function of hindering the electrical impulses of neurons. So what GABA really does is decrease excitability or neuronal activity.

The receptors on which benzodiazepines act are not only involved in anxiety processes, but also in processes such as memory or motor coordination. For this reason, the action is not specific and, therefore, the consumption of these anxiolytic drugs still today has a multitude of side effects.

Should anxiolytics be the first or the only alternative?

Anxiety is the mind going faster than life, but the truth is that, as an emotional response, it is not in itself good or bad. It becomes pathological when it limits us intensely for a certain time, diminishing our experiences and our growth.

In this regard, Dubin (2009) made the following reasoning: “Are anxiety attacks something we should be ashamed of? No. I see seizures as analogous to the physical reaction of having to vomit. Vomiting is neither good nor bad. It is something that happens and that normally serves the purpose of ridding your stomach of harmful pollutants. But you never want to throw up in public, right? The first thing you would do if you start to feel nauseous is head to the nearest bathroom to avoid embarrassment. It is not something you would want to do in front of others. The crises are something similar ”.

The pills, used constantly, fulfill the function of pain reliever for life, numbing the senses and thoughts. They serve to try to get rid of pain without addressing the deeper cause. Thus, we disconnect the fire alarm even though, in reality, the fire has not yet been put out.

Obviously this is not healthy, because the use and abuse of these drugs does not free us from their effect. It happens that, in some cases, the intensity of the discomfort derived from anxiety must be “cut off” at the pharmacological level to be attenuated. However, one idea stands out above all:  medication is not the only treatment that should be used.

When we suffer from anxiety we need to rehabilitate our mind, relearn and be accompanied. That is why it is essential that psychiatry and psychology go hand in hand and work together, in order to avoid dependence on medication (which is certainly high and powerful) and to be able to fully solve the problem.