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Isabella Bennett

Professor Blouch

English Composition II

11 April 2020

Are Alternative Methods to Prescription Drugs Effective for Treating Anxiety?

Laying awake in bed at night, wondering why they are still awake. Asking themself “why

am still awake” ? “It is four o’clock in the morning and I have to wake up for school in two

hours.” The most miniscule things racing through their mind at five thousand miles a minute. But

it is nothing they can control. It is not like they can just tell their mind to be quiet so that they can

end their insomnia. Their mind does what it wants, when it wants, where it wants. But is there a

way to help them overcome this feeling? Is there something, anything that can put their mind at

ease? Well of course there is. Good ol’ Xanax of course. Oh, but wait, there is a catch. Once

they let that luxurious pill tickle the back of their throat for the first time, they will never be able

to be the same without it. Not only has this pill hooked them in, but it has changed their life

forever. There must be something else that will not lead to an inevitable addiction. Something

less expensive, and much less dangerous. Because if there is not, the world is in grave danger.

Many alternative treatments exist for managing anxiety that do not require a prescription. Some

have even caused patients with anxiety to choose them over the prescription medications. Among

the most impactful and effective of these treatments include habitual exercise, medical

marijuana, psychiatric therapy, meditation, journaling, lavender, and probably the most

important, a change in the way people think.

The troubles of anxiety is something that millions of people struggle with. Not only is it

extremely difficult to control, but it is nearly impossible to work through it. Everyone
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experiences anxiety in different ways. For some people, they just get a few, almost deniable

nervous jitters before a test. But for other people, they have complete emotional breakdowns

whenever they are worried about something as simple as what to eat for breakfast that morning.

For centuries, anxiety has been a mental condition that is not necessarily seen as “classy” in

society. When people find out someone has anxiety, they often describe that person as “being

crazy” or “having something wrong going on in their head.”The funny thing about that is, they

actually do have something wrong going on inside of their head. Everyone experiences a bit of

anxiety at some point in their life. Whether it be when they are about to kneel down on one knee

and propose, or they are about to leave home and venture off into the college life for the first

time. No matter the individual, it is almost guaranteed that they will encounter anxiety in some

form during their life. However, it is entirely unfair to the individuals who suffer from anxiety

disorder to call them names and say that they are diseased. This is something that they have no

control over. They didn’t bring the anxiety upon themselves, that is just the way their brain

works. And that is something that the so-called “normal” people will never understand. They will

never quite grasp how much an anxiety disorder can truly affect a person in such dramatic ways.

The brain is the one at fault for making people constantly overthink and worry. This is why

someone with anxiety might experience difficulties when trying to get prescription medications.

Especially since anxiety can be hard to diagnose, and nobody wants to be improperly prescribed

medication to treat something they don’t even have. With anxiety being hard to diagnose, the

opioid prescription medications can be misprescribed and eventually lead the patient to

addiction. Not only is it hard to diagnose, but people with anxiety often times do not want to

admit that they need help. There is a whole whirlwind of trouble with prescription medications

aside from just these issues. But above all, they are widely frowned upon, and have been for
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years. If someone takes a Xanax, that would mean that they are admitting they have a mental

health issue. And that could lead them to being treated as so by others because of how the world

views mental illness. This is why alternative methods of treatments might be in a patient’s best

interest. Not only are they more discreet, but they are also just as effective.

One of the most proven ways to help people cope with anxiety is by prescribing exercise.

Yes, that did say prescribing exercise. Now, exercise is not the name of some fancy pill that costs

hundreds of dollars, but rather a lifestyle change that can cost as little as no money. There are

many different ways people can exercise. Whether it be at home, at a gym, or even by

participating in a sports team. How exercise works to treat anxiety has both long and short term

effects. Furthermore, John J. Ratey suggests how participating in some form of physical activity

or exercise provides a distraction from whatever is causing someone to experience anxiety. What

he means by this is that when someone is exercising, their brain is focused on the exercise they

are doing instead of whatever they were feeling anxious about. This helps that person to not

experience such major feelings of anxiety. Additionally, Ratey argues in his article that

exercising regularly boosts the amount of serotonin in someone’s brain. This is important

because serotonin is one among many of the important anti-anxiety neurochemicals that is

released in the brain. This means that the more often someone exercises, the more frequently

serotonin is released in their brain, which eventually leads to them experiencing less anxiety. The

reason why exercise is such an effective method for treating anxiety is simple. It is because it is

easy, inexpensive, and effective in almost all patients.

Another method for treating anxiety that has become one of the most effective methods

recently is the use of medical marijuana. Many clinical trials are taking place that are testing how

effective medical marijuana, also known as CBD or cannabis, are in treating anxiety. Many
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doctors from anxiety.org have explained how cannabis “helps ‘mellow-out’ our responses to

everyday life stressors.” This implies that the use of medical marijuana helps take the edge off.

In other words, CBD products can help someone who’s struggling with anxiety by helping them

feel more mellow in stressful situations. This allows them to feel less anxiety in those stressful

situations, that otherwise could have sent them straight into a major attack had they not been

using the marijuana. Additionally, medical marijuana is a fantastic option for people who do not

want to risk certain side effects that could happen with other drugs such as Sertraline. Sertraline

belongs to a group of anti-anxiety medications known as SSRI’s, or selective serotonin reuptake

inhibitors. This means that the drug works to block certain emotional signals in order to prevent

certain emotions like depression and anxiety. However, one of the most common side effects of

the drug is rebound depression. Rebound depression occurs when someone starts taking n

antidepressant and they become moe depressed because they are having an adverse reaction to

the drug. Medical marijuana does not have this same kind of effect, because it does not

continually block the amount of serotonin in the brain. Using marijuana for medical purposes is

something that is extremely controversial in the world. This would only be a good option for

those who suffer from minor anxiety, and who do not need the strength of prescription

medications. It also is not the most accessible treatment option, since it is not currently legal in

all parts of the world. But, for those who can get their hands on it, it is a great option for helping

people manage their anxiety who do not want to have to worry about addiction as a possible side

effect from other drugs like Xanax.

Another effective method for treating anxiety is psychiatric therapy. When someone goes

to the doctor to get help with their anxiety, they undergo a psychological evaluation. During this

evaluation, the doctor asks the patient many questions in order to properly diagnose them, and
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prescribe a treatment plan. Most of the time, the doctor will give the patient a choice:

medications or therapy. During this therapy, the patient will sit down for a counseling session

with either a psychiatrist, or a psychologist. The Mayo Clinic explains how therapy can “allow

someone with anxiety to let all of their feelings out.” This displays how someone with anxiety

often traps their emotions inside and does not ever release them. This act of going to therapy and

letting all of their emotions go is something that many people who suffer from anxiety find

extremely liberating. In addition, once the psychiatrist hears what the patient is going through,

they are able to give them some exercises or tasks to do whenever they find themselves

experiencing anxiety. One of these tasks often includes the old breathing and counting trick. This

is when someone gets extremely stressed out and they breathe in, count to ten, and then breathe

out. Often times, this is an extremely effective way of calming someone down, while also

melting away their feelings of anxiety.

When it comes to treating anxiety without a prescription, meditation is something that is

simple and easy, but also has been proven effective. While it may sound exorbitant that

meditation is a proven way to help people cope with anxiety, it really is beneficial. Particularly

when it comes to those who suffer from minor anxiety disorders. The Mayo Clinic suggests how

meditation “frees the mind of all thoughts.” This implies that when someone meditates, they are

only focusing on breathing and the actual meditation rather than their anxiety. This allows a

person with anxiety to feel refreshed and get a break from their anxiety attacks. To explain in

more detail, meditation is a way of temporarily relieving the brain of all thoughts aside from

those that surround meditation. For people who suffer from anxiety, this means that they get to

go on a mental vacation. One of the reasons why meditation is used so commonly when treating

anxiety is because it is extremely accessible. It is so easy to just pop onto YouTube and search
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for meditation videos. Plus, most of the meditation videos and apps you can find on your phone

are free to use. This means that people do not have to spend a single penny in order to feel relief

from their anxiety. Additionally, people often enjoy using meditation as a way of treating their

anxiety because they never have to leave the comfort of their own home. Of course, there are

meditation classes that people can sign up for if they would like to, but most people find that

they enjoy it more when they are in their own home away from all judgement.

One of the easiest and most widely used practices for helping people with anxiety is

journaling. Similar to psychiatric therapy, journaling allows someone with anxiety to express

their feelings without having to worry about being judged. Aside from that, journaling is a way

someone with anxiety can track their symptoms and how they have been feeling over a duration

of time. The Mayo Clinic argues that often times doctors recommend that their patients with

anxiety keep a journal. This displays how doctors encourage their patients to keep a journal in

order to write down their feelings. Not only does this allow them to temporarily feel better, but it

also allows their doctor to see the progress they have made throughout their treatment plan. It

also allows the patient to look back and reflect upon which stressors in their life trigger their

anxiety. This in the long term can help them to be cautious of these triggers so that they do not

have to deal with as much anxiety in the future. Another reason journaling is so popular is

because people do not have to worry about anyone ever knowing how they are feeling. This

allows people to fully let loose without having to worry about being judged for it.

Using lavender to treat anxiety is something that has recently grown in popularity. There

are many different ways that lavender can be used, the most popular way being essential oils.

Catherine Paddock states that lavender essential oils help calm the mind and bring a sense of

serenity. This implies that lavender has a very soothing smell to it, which is why it is often used
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in many stress relief body products. Additionally, lavender is something that is not expensive and

is easily accessible. It is not unlikely that drugstores such as Walmart and Target may carry

lavender essential oils in addition to lavender scented body products from time to time. Once the

essential oil trend began gaining popularity, people realized that diffusing lavender oil at

nighttime helps them to fall asleep and clear their mind. Soon after, people with anxiety began to

adapt this act of using lavender to calm their mind.

While all of these methods are effective at treating anxiety, the most important step in

any treatment plan for anxiety is that the patient changes their mindset and the way they think.

Anxiety is something that can never fully be taken away. No matter how much Prozac someone

takes or how many therapy sessions they go to, they have a disorder, and there is not currently a

cure for that disorder. However, the most beneficial thing someone with anxiety can do for

themself is to work on developing a mindset in which they learn to confront their anxiety triggers

head on. An example of this would include someone who has test anxiety working on taking

practice tests before the real one so that when the real one comes, they do not have an anxiety

attack. While all of these methods can work for someone with anxiety, they will not help unless

that person actively tries to change their mindset. If they spend every moment of every day

thinking about the little things that went wrong, they will never come out of their funk.

While all of these methods have substantial evidence to prove they can work, that does

not necessarily mean that they will always work in every circumstance. Every person is different,

and therefore, everyone who has anxiety will experience it in different ways. Some people may

just have minor anxiety that can be treated with a few therapy sessions, whereas another

individual may require a more drastic treatment plan. This is why having a wide variety of

treatment options is extremely important for those who struggle with anxiety. Without this
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plethora of medications, daily habitual actions, and minor lifestyle changes as options for

managing anxiety, many more people would go without adequate treatments. Luckily, there are a

numerous amount of options for people who struggle with anxiety to choose from when it comes

to their treatment. Sometimes, people experience anxiety that is so severe that they have no

choice but to take prescription opiates like Xanax. However, there are many cases of anxiety that

have used alternative treatments, and show outstanding results. Furthermore, many patients may

be able to use these less dangerous forms of treatment options to treat more minor forms of

anxiety. The most important factor in treating someone’s anxiety is finding the right medications

and lifestyle changes to adequately manage their anxiety, and ultimately improve their quality of

life. Sometimes, that treatment plan can include addictive drugs such as Xanax, which can

ultimately lead to addiction and a whole host of other probable consequences. This is why

alternative treatments are so important for those who suffer from mild to moderate anxiety

disorders.

Anxiety is a mental disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Every single one

of those patients is different in their own unique way. When it comes to treatment options for

these patients, it can be tedious finding the one or few that work the best for them. Often times,

these people stray away from prescription medications due to their cost, potential cause of

addiction, and the steps required to get them. Lucky for them, there are many other things they

can do to help them manage their anxiety that do not cause potential threats. These things include

habitual exercise, medical marijuana, psychiatric therapy, meditation, journaling, lavender, and

probably the most important, a change in the way people think.


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Works Cited

Elvidge, Suzanne. “Anxiety Drugs: Stressing the Importance of Innovation.”

pharmaceutical-journal.com. August 4, 2016. https://www.pharmaceutical-journal.com/news-


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and-analysis/features/anxiety-drugs-stressing-the-importance-of-innovation/20201479.article?

firstPass=false

Paddock, Catherine. “Does Lavender Really Help With Anxiety.”

medicalnewstoday.com. October 23, 2018. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323422

Ratey, John J. “Can Exercise Help Treat Anxiety.” health.harvard.edu. October 24, 2019.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/can-exercise-help-treat-anxiety-2019102418096

The Mayo Clinic Staff. “Generalized Anxiety Disorder.” mayoclinic.org. October 13,

2017. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/generalized-anxiety-disorder/diagnosis-

treatment/drc-20361045

WDSE WRPT-PBS. “Speak Your Mind- Running For Your Life: Exercise and Mental

Health.” January 5, 2018.

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