Panic Attack Medication
Panic attacks can be a debilitating affliction that can occur when we feel that our identity is threatened in some way, and in response activates the fight or flight part of our brain. The good thing is that there are ways out there to curtail that reaction and help make some progress in curing this disorder. Some more conventional ways are through therapy and medication. Therapy is more focused on changing certain thinking and behavior patterns. When these types of therapies are combined together, insetead of incorporated singularly, panic attacks occur less frequently. Panic attack medication can also help with rehabilitation.
Several different types of medications can be utilized to treat panic attacks or to control its symptoms. Medications can reduce the number and severity of panic attacks as well as the anxiety of having another panic attack. Drugs can lower anxiety act by dampening down the nervous system activity through their effect on nerve endings both around the body and inside the brain. But there are also controversial view points in regards to medication, which say that medication may diminish the effects of panic attacks but it does not help cure the basic problem, which may lie in an emotional or psychological arena.
Nevertheless, below are several types of medication which are said to treat panic attacks:
- Prozac, Zoloft or Paxil; these are antidepressant which are commonly prescribed to treat depression. These types of medications affect neurotransmitters, which are chemicals that nerves in the brain use to send messages to one another. These drugs also inhibit the reuptake of serotonin, an action that allows more serotonin to be available to be taken up by other nerves. But like most medications, there is the risk of side effects, which can vary in some cases from minor to even life-threatening. It is therefore important to work closely with the your doctor to decide whether treatment with medications is an appropriate avenue and if so, which medication should be administered. Pregnant women are at risk if treated with these kinds of medications due to the possible impact on the fetus.
- Xanax, Valium, Ativan, or Klonopin; these are medications from the benzodiazepine families which are also approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat panic attacks or panic disorders. These medications work on reducing anxiety and nervous tension. They are sometimes prescribed if an individual needs immediate relief from symptoms.
Panic disorder symptoms are said to start to improve within a few weeks after taking medications. If there isn’t an improvement within 6 to 8 weeks, a higher dosage or another medicine may be prescribed by your doctor. Most medications are usually taken for a year or even longer to see solid results. After this period, the panic medication might decrease gradually over a period of several weeks. Sometimes after the medications have decreased, the individual might still experience panic attacks again. In these cases the medication might have to be continued for at least a few more months. There are those who will need to stay on medications for an extended period of time to keep symptoms under control.
