Most people experience feelings of
anxiety before an important event, such as a big exam, business presentation, or first date.
Anxiety disorders, however, are illnesses that load people's lives with overwhelming anxiety and fear that are chronic and unremitting, and that can grow progressively worse.
Depending on the type of anxiety, a person can experience several possible
anxiety symptoms, including:
- Feeling shaky, jittery, or nervous
- Feeling tense, fearful, or apprehensive
- Avoiding certain places or activities because of fear
- Having a pounding or racing heart or trouble catching your breath
- Having unexplained sweating or trembling
- Experiencing a fear of losing control, going crazy, or dying.
Oxazepam is approved for
anxiety treatment. The medicine is not for "everyday anxiety" associated with the usual stresses of life. Instead, it is intended to be used to treat
anxiety disorders or to treat temporary anxiety symptoms associated with a particularly stressful event (such as emotional or physical trauma). Oxazepam is also effective at treating anxiety in people with
depression.
Oxazepam is part of a group of medicines called benzodiazepines. These drugs have several effects on the body, including:
- Reducing anxiety
- Causing sleepiness
- Relaxing muscles
- Stopping seizures
- Impairing short-term memory.
All medicines in this category can have these effects to some degree, depending on the specific benzodiazepine that is being taken. They work in the brain by enhancing the effects of
gamma-aminobutyric acid (
GABA), a brain chemical that is naturally calming. GABA can slow down or stop certain nerve signals in the brain. This is why oxazepam and other benzodiazepines are known as mild tranquilizers, sedatives, or central nervous system depressants (CNS depressants).
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