Anxiety
Persistent worry, tension or panic that interferes with daily life.
About this condition
Anxiety disorders include generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety and health anxiety. They involve worry or fear that is out of proportion to the situation, hard to control and present most days. Physical symptoms are common: a racing heart, breathlessness, muscle tension, stomach upset, restlessness and broken sleep.
NHS care is well established and effective for many people, built around talking therapies and, where needed, antidepressant medicines. Some people improve substantially. Others find that symptoms persist after several courses of therapy and more than one medicine, or that side effects make treatment hard to continue. An assessment reviews all of that history in detail.
Treatments people usually try first
These are the treatments commonly offered in the UK for this condition. A specialist doctor will want to know which of them you have tried, and what happened.
- Cognitive behavioural therapy, in person or digital
- SSRI antidepressants such as sertraline or escitalopram
- SNRI antidepressants such as venlafaxine or duloxetine
- Short term benzodiazepines in crisis, used sparingly
- Beta blockers such as propranolol for physical symptoms
- Referral to community mental health services
Could medical cannabis be appropriate?
People with this condition sometimes ask whether medical cannabis could be appropriate for them. That is a question for a specialist doctor, who will look at your diagnosis, your history and everything you have already tried before saying anything either way.
Medical cannabis is an unlicensed prescription only medicine in the UK. It is considered only where a diagnosed condition has not responded adequately to conventional treatment, and it is never a first step. We cannot tell you in advance what might be prescribed, and UK law does not allow us to describe or advertise any medicine on this website.
What we can do is assess you properly and be honest with you. If a specialist doctor does not think this route is right for you, they will say so, and they will explain why.
All treatment is subject to clinical assessment and eligibility.
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