Anti-anxiety Medication For Children - 2 Facts Caregivers Must Know

Unfortunately, children also suffer from anxiety disorders. Unlike adults, the treatment options available for children suffering from anxiety disorders are very limited. This is especially true in case of anti-anxiety medication.

Somehow, anti-anxiety medication is not compatible with children. The same medication that is successfully used to treat anxiety disorders in adults is not precribed for children suffering from the same problems.

1. Prescribed Only if Necessary

The National Institue of Mental Health has cautioned physicians to exercise great care in prescribing anti-anxiety medication for children. As far as possible, other types of therapy should be tried, and usually, doctors prescribe such safer theraphies instead of anti-anxiety medication for children. If medication is absolutely necessary, the doctor is required to carefully weigh the pros and cons of the treatment.

It should be borne in mind that children don't respond to anti-anxiety medication as well as adults. This is because the bodies of young children are contantly growing and developing and, therefore, react in different ways to medication.

Even in cases where medication is prescribed for children, the dosage will be different. If addictive drugs are prescribed, doctors usually monitor the young patient carefully for as long as he or she is under medication. Usually, doctors urge younger patients to take other types of therapy, such as psychotherapy, which is much more safer.

Although most doctors prefer to treat young children suffering from anxiety disorders without medication, intense cases might require medication. In such cases, medication that has been successful used to treat anxiety disorders in children is available.

In case a child is not compatible with any of the medication commonly prescribed for adults, doctors could prescribe drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs.

2. Commonly Prescribed Drugs

In cases where drugs have to prescribed for a child, the National Institute of Mental Health has recommended the use of the following drugs that have proved to be very effective as anti-anxiety medication for children.

Anafranil is used in cases of children aged ten and above to treat obsessive compulsive disorder.
Luvox, an SSRI, is used in treating obsessive compulsive disorder in cases of children aged eight and above.
Tofranil is used for six-year-olds, usually for the problem of bed wetting.
Zoloft, an SSRI, has been successfully used in cases of children aged six and above to treat obsessive compulsive disorder.

If a child does not respond favorably to anti-anxiety medication, doctors will have to design the best blend of medication that will be of help to the child. In many cases, medication is used only to provide relief from symptoms and to help the child tackle his or her problems by taking some other form of therapy.