There are a lot of medications for anxiety attacks available these days. These medications definitely help many people. If you have anxiety attacks, they may be part of your treatment.
To begin I want to be up-front about a bias of mine. I believe these medications are best used as a short term measure to help while other therapies have a chance to work.
Fortunately with a combined approach, almost everyone can free themselves from the terror of panic attacks.
These days, a therapist will recommend a drug to help these issues that is likely to be one of two classes: sedatives or antidepressants.
Most of the sedatives recommended are Valium-type drugs. The various medications differ in how quickly they start to work and how long their effects last.
The choice of these drugs varies. Everyone has a different response to a given treatment. A drug that works great for one person may not work at all for another.
sedatives work quickly, so they are useful in “taking the edge off” if a person is going into a situation that they have had problems before.
The other major class of drugs is an antidepressant. The most common antidepressants are serotonin uptake inhibitors.
Serotonin is a chemical that is released in the brain as part of the way one nerve cell (neuron) communicates with another.
Decreased serotonin levels may be a cause of depression and anxiety. Serotonin uptake inhibitors increase serotonin by slowing the resorption of the chemical after it has been released.
The drug in this class that most people have heard of is Prozac. There are lots more. They all have their own benefits and risks.
Often finding the medication that works the best is a matter of trial and error.
One thing Prozac-type medications have in common is that they all take a while to work. Usually, it takes at least one or two weeks to see a benefit.
It’s clear, these aren’t drugs to take only when you feel an attack coming on.
There are some other types of used, but they aren’t used often.These other drugs either cause more side effects than the ones I’ve mentioned here or they carry greater risks.
Even though the types of medications I mentioned here are generally well tolerated, you still should find out about the side effects of antidepressants used to treat panic disorders. That link takes you to a page with more information.
Again, remember that it is a good idea to seek other ways of dealing with and anxiety disorder other than taking pills. The medications definitely have their role, but they aren’t the whole answer.
Some people taking these medications develop a psychological dependence.
Sometimes a person will take the medications while they pursue other therapy. As the therapy starts to work, they might think their improvement is due only to the drugs.
This might make them resist coming off the medication for fear of the attacks returning.
A skilled therapist helps work through this.
Even before you start taking the medication, talk with your therapist about how long you’ll be on it and how you’ll come off it.
Use drugs to treat panic episodes wisely and you can reap their benefits while avoiding their problems.
Naturally it’s best to eventually get to where you’re fine drugs.
You can read a review of an extremely effective way to do just that at Panic Away Review.
Get more information about anxiety attacks in general and how you can deal with them at Panic Attack Release.
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