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ANTI ANXIETY MEDICATIONS FOR CHILDREN

By Tess Thompson

Anxiety disorder has spread its tentacles across people of all the age groups and children are no exception. The pressure to perform in school, excel in extracurricular activities and other social pressures has made them prone to this menace.

It is estimated that though anxiety disorders affect around thirteen percent of children, it goes undetected in most cases and hence most of the children suffering from it do not get any treatment for anxiety relief till it reaches a more developed stage.

It is important that for children suffering from anxiety disorder, a comprehensive treatment plan should be chalked out including cognitive-behavioral therapy and natural treatments for anxiety. In cases where immediate relief is required, medication can be an effective part of the treatment. While implementing this treatment plan, it is very critical that the progress of the child be monitored through ongoing medical assessment.

When prescribed appropriately by a doctor and administered as prescribed, medication may reduce or even eliminate the symptoms of anxiety disorder. However, since these medications can have their side effects also, it is important on part of the parents to ensure the safety of their children. There are some important things to be kept in mind when a child is prescribed medication as part of anxiety or panic attack treatment.

Some of the common medications used for treatment of children belong to the group benzodiazepines that include alprazolam, diazepam and iorazepam. The other group of medicines is antihistamines that include diphenhydramine and hydroxizine.

Sometimes, atypicals like buspirone and zolpidem are also prescribed. As a parent, it is important to ask some key questions. These include the details of the medicines being used, their benefits and side effects, the time taken before these medications start showing results, the recommended dosage, the frequency of the ongoing medical assessment, drugs or foods to avoid while the child is on medication and any specific activity that the child needs to avoid while on medication.

It is important to note that there are some medicines that can be prescribed of a child of a particular age group. For example, Tofranil (imipramine) can be prescribed to a child above 6 years of age, Sinequan (doxepin) is administered to children above 12 years of age and BuSpar (buspiraone) can be recommended only to teens above 18 years of age.

The use of medication for providing relief from anxiety is a serious matter and each parent should ensure that he or she is completely informed especially about the line of treatment being followed and also the benefits and side effects of the medications that are being used in the treatment.