Q: I am a 45 years old male suffering from depression and anxiety for the last 20 years. I take Paxum and Fludac, and sometimes Ezevas for reducing cholesterol. I feel that I have started experiencing side effects of these medicines and have also got addicted to them. I developed anal abscess one and a half years back. Are there any alternate medicines I can use without having side effects?

A:Chronic depression and anxiety can be quite frustrating and can impact on the quality of life negatively. What we need to understand is the inappropriate and excessive usage of the medicine without any specific indications may go in the purview of addiction, and is considered to be unreasonable and problematic. A person who has diabetes or hypertension who is supposed to be taking anti-diabetics or antihypertensives to control his blood sugar / blood pressure - and takes it for years together does not have addiction for the tablets but requires the tablets to be taken to control and maintain normal blood sugars / blood pressure. Thus, if one does not have anxiety / depression and keeps on taking the tablets because it has become a habit - may be getting addicted to them. The best possible way is to seek help from a Psychiatrist who can review your history in detail and advice. Yes, tablets like Paxum are considered to be habit forming and addictive in nature and their usage leads to further increase in usage and can be as habit forming like nicotine and alcohol. Long term or chronic anxiety is best managed by good behaviour therapy including relaxation skills along with appropriate usage of medications.