anxiolytic
Meaning of anxiolytic: An anxiolytic is a medication used to relieve anxiety symptoms, most familiarly a benzodiazepine that enhances a calming brain chemical's effect.
Definition of anxiolytic
An anxiolytic is a medication used to treat symptoms of anxiety, such as excessive worry, fear, restlessness, and muscle tension. Benzodiazepines are the most familiar class of anxiolytic medication, working by enhancing the effect of a brain chemical called gamma-aminobutyric acid, the primary chemical messenger that reduces activity within the nervous system.
Other medications used as anxiolytics work through different mechanisms, including buspirone, which acts on serotonin pathways rather than through the same route as benzodiazepines, and certain antidepressants that are also used to treat anxiety related conditions over the longer term.
Anxiolytics are also called antianxiety agents, and the specific medication chosen often depends on factors such as how quickly relief is needed, since some anxiolytics act rapidly while others build their effect gradually over a period of continued use.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
An anxiolytic was prescribed to help manage the patient's acute anxiety symptoms.
Good to know
Benzodiazepine anxiolytics tend to act quickly but are generally intended for shorter term use, while some other anxiolytic medications take longer to build an effect but are better suited to ongoing, longer term treatment.