anti-anxiety medications tablets

Types of Anxiety Medications for Teens

June 26, 2026

For many teens with anxiety, prescription medications have proved to be safe and effective sources of lasting relief. 

Call Hillcrest Adolescent Treatment Center today at 800-275-1707 to learn more about teen anxiety treatment in California.

Understanding Teen Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns among adolescents and teens in the U.S. and throughout the rest of the world. However, while people often discuss anxiety as a specific disorder, it is actually a general term that can refer to several distinct conditions.

The effectiveness of various anxiety medications for teens can vary depending on factors such as their age and developmental level, type of disorder they have, and the nature and severity of their symptoms.

Types of Disorders

Conditions included in the Anxiety Disorders section of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) include:

Symptoms 

Depending on which type of anxiety disorder a teen has, common symptoms include:

  • Often appearing to be restless, jittery, or on edge
  • Automatically jumping to worst-case scenarios or expecting bad things to happen
  • Being perpetually exhausted or easily fatigued
  • Having difficulty concentrating, focusing, and paying attention
  • Frequently “zoning out” or having their mind go blank
  • Experiencing trouble falling asleep and staying asleep
  • Dealing with recurrent headaches, stomach aches, and muscle tension 

Warning signs of anxiety among teens can also include behavioral indicators such as:

  • Exhibiting considerable distress – far beyond typical “butterflies” – prior to tests, presentations, performances, or sporting events
  • Becoming so fearful or worried that they become nauseous
  • Sudden outbursts of anger, irritability, or crying
  • Unexplained drop in grades or problems at work

And if a teen with anxiety has panic attacks, they will also go through brief periods of intense physical symptoms such as:

  • Dizziness and lightheadedness
  • Excessive sweating
  • Fever and/or chills
  • Racing heart rate
  • Chest pain
  • Rapid breathing or difficulty catching their breath
  • Sensation that they are being choked
  • Tingling in their hands and feet
  • Trembling or shaking

Though panic attacks are usually brief, they can be extremely distressing. In some cases, the severity of a teen’s symptoms can cause them to fear that they are “losing their mind” or about to die.

Prevalence

As noted earlier, anxiety is one of the most common mental health concerns among teenagers around the world. And in the U.S. at least, research indicates that the problem has become more pronounced in recent years. 

An October 2024 data brief from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) reported the following about teen anxiety in the United States:

  • In 2023, just over 16% of adolescents had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.
  • The 2023 rate represented a 61% increase from 2016, when 10% of adolescents had a diagnosed anxiety disorder.
  • After dropping to 9.9% in 2017, the annual rate of adolescent anxiety increased for six consecutive years. 
  • In 2023, the rate of anxiety was higher among adolescent girls (20.1%) than among boys (12.3%).
  • In 2023, 61% of adolescents with anxiety or another mental health concern had difficulty getting treatment for their condition.

The HRSA brief also highlighted the negative impact that anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions can have on teens.

Compared with teens who didn’t have a diagnosed mental illness, those who did were:

  • Twice as likely to be victims of bullying
  • Three times as likely to be disengaged in school
  • Four times as likely to have behavioral or conduct problems in school
  • Five times as likely to miss 11 or more days of school
  • Ten times as likely to have significant problems making and/or keeping friends

Anxiety Medications for Teens

Treatment for teens with anxiety often includes a combination of therapy and prescription medication. 

The four categories of meds that are most frequently used are benzodiazepines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and tricyclics (TCAs).

Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines, or benzos, are a category of medications that are often used to treat adults with anxiety disorders. However, their use as anxiety medications for teens is less common due to risk of misuse, addiction, and other damage. 

As described in a July 2023 Scientific Reports study, the potential negative effects of alprazolam (a benzo that is sold under the brand name Xanax) on adolescents may include “persistent changes” in brain circuitry that regulates drug reward and mood-related behaviors.

Physicians who do prescribe benzos as anxiety medications for teens typically choose either clonazepam (Klonopin) or lorazepam (Ativan), and restrict them to short-term use only.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

SSRIs are commonly described as antidepressants, but they are often also used as first-line medications for patients with anxiety. The drugs in this category work by artificially boosting the amount of serotonin in a person’s central nervous system (CNS). 

Serotonin is a brain chemical that is involved with functions such as mood, sexual desire, and sleep quality. For some people, increased serotonin leads to a decrease in anxiety symptoms.

Teen anxiety medications from the SSRI category include:

  • Escitalopram (Lexapro)
  • Fluoxetine (Prozac)
  • Fluvoxamine (Luvox)
  • Sertraline (Zoloft)
  • Paroxetine (Paxil)

Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs)

SNRIs are similar to SSRIs in that they are commonly thought of as antidepressants, they increase the brain chemical levels, and they can be used as teen anxiety medications. 

The primary difference is that in addition to affecting serotonin, SNRIs also raise the level of norepinephrine, which plays a key role in the body’s “fight or flight” response to perceived threats. Also, SNRIs are not usually prescribed to teen anxiety patients until after they have tried an SSRI.

The two most frequently prescribed SNRIs for teens with anxiety are venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta). 

Tricyclics (TCAs)

Tricyclics are an older category of antidepressants that can also alleviate anxiety. The first tricyclic, imipramine, earned FDA approval in 1959, but use of these meds declined considerably when SSRIs and SNRIs entered the market in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The two TCAs that are most likely to be prescribed to teen anxiety patients are clomipramine and imipramine

Due to their ability to cause extremely harmful adverse effects, tricyclics aren’t usually prescribed as teen anxiety meds unless a patient’s symptoms haven’t responded to SSRIs or SNRIs. 

A 2002 article in the Einstein Quarterly noted TCAs may be beneficial for young people with separation anxiety disorder, school phobia, and panic disorder. However, the authors advised cautions when prescribing them to pediatric patients due to “many doubts” about their effectiveness as well as their risk of serious, potentially fatal, side effects.

Find Teen Anxiety Treatment in California

Hillcrest Adolescent Treatment Center is a trusted provider of personalized residential treatment for adolescents ages 12-18 whose lives have been disrupted by anxiety disorders and other mental and behavioral health concerns.

Our center in Agora Hills, CA, is a safe and highly supportive environment where teens are cared for by a team of skilled and compassionate professionals. Each young person follows a customized treatment plan that has been carefully tailored to their specific needs, with the goal of empowering them to make meaningful changes and experience true and lasting healing.

To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free assessment, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.

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