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Understanding the Choices in Panic Attack Drugs

PaulC |

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Anxiety and panic attacks can come upon you at any time, and sometimes they even occur during sleep. Unfortunately, there is no clear reason for this. An attack may happen only one time, or you may experience continuous episodes, which are generally triggered by a specific event. Depression, phobias, and panic disorder can also lead to panic attacks and anxiety. Fortunately, there is a variety of panic attack drugs and cognitive therapies that will ease and maybe even cure your attacks.

Panic attack drugs are useful for immediate relief of symptoms, but should not be considered as a long-term solution. A case in point is benzodiazepines, which are commonly prescribed for this condition but can lead to dependency in some cases, which is why they are only intended to be used for brief periods of time. Benzodiazepines are likely to result in symptoms such as sleepiness, fatigue, loss of memory and slurred speech. The use of tricyclic antidepressants is the best long term solution to getting help for panic attacks. These are generally prescribed in conjunction with benzodiazepines if they take several weeks to produce results.

Medications that fall under the category of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, oftentimes shortened to SSRI, are frequently prescribed by doctors due to their effectiveness at treating panic attacks. Drugs such as Zoloft, Prozac, and Paxil can assist people in getting control of their panic. Panic attack medication can be stopped once the patient realizes how to handle the triggers and break the panic cycle. Other popular panic attack drugs are clonazepam, alprazolam, and sertraline.

It is very important to remember that anxiety and panic attack drugs do have some adverse effects, so you need to be under a doctor's supervision while taking them. In addition, you should inform your doctor immediately if your condition changes in any way. Psychotherapy is as important as pharmaceuticals when treating panic attacks, and relaxation and controlled exposure to stimuli are both promising so far.

Panic disorder can result from repeated, untreated panic and anxiety attacks. Anxiety and panic attack medications are a temporary fix to treat the symptoms; however it is essential to get to the underlying cause of the problem, which can be done through proper counseling. Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps modify the behavior and thought patterns that result in a panic attack, and is an important supplement to anxiety medication.

Panic attacks can be highly uncomfortable, debilitating, and, more often than not, very embarassing. Anxiety and panic attack drugs will give you the chance you need to eventually cure your panic attack symptoms through therapy.