Drug Treatment for Grief

Grief can affect people so significantly they find it hard to carry on with everyday living activities. Feelings of guilt, loneliness, anger, and sadness can overburden and in some cases, medication may be used to treat the symptoms of grief.

Sedatives

• Initially, many people find great help from anti-anxiety medications such as Xanax or Ativan to help them sleep and cope with the sadness of loss.

Anti-Depressants

• Anti-depressants are commonly prescribed for people having a hard time coping with the loss of a loved one. These drugs take three to six weeks to reach their full efficacy. During this time, patients often take anti-anxiety medications as well.

Sleep Aids

• Prescription pain medications are frequently used, as are sleep aids. While these medications may treat the symptoms, they do not treat the cause of the grief. Thus, they can be problematic.

Sedative Hypnotics

• Sedative hypnotic medications, such as Lunesta and Ambien, are often prescribed to help people sleep. They are frequently used in conjunction with anti-anxiety and anti-depressants medications.

Tips

• These medications are a quick fix at best. Seek out the company of friends, a therapist, or a group of others experiencing or having experienced grief in order to truly overcome it.