Understanding Panic Attack Medication-Not Everyone Needs It
A panic attack or chronic anxiety disorder can be devastating for many people. It disrupts their daily life; they stop enjoying the places they used to go and sometimes it can cause isolation from friends and family. Fortunately there are a number of tools available to professionals to help in the battle.
In some cases panic attack medication along with other approved therapies can be quite beneficial. One type of therapy that has shown success is behavior changing therapy. When the way the sufferer thinks affects the behavior they display, these two aspects can be addressed by using therapy. The inclusion of medication can help by decreasing the number of panic attacks the person is having as well as the severity, thereby allowing them some relief. The medication can help the therapy do its job more effectively.
Although medication alone is not the answer, the use of anti-depressants has often been shown to be effective. There are several that have been used, including Paxil, Zoloft and Prozac. These panic attack medications are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). That is a mouthful, but the concept is actually fairly simple. There are certain chemicals in the brain that are used to send messages from one nerve to another. These are called neurotransmitters. A nerve releases the neurotransmitter chemical with the intent that it will be taken up by another nerve as part of a larger process. Sometimes a portion of the neurotransmitter is actually taken back by the original nerve, leaving less for the intended target. The SSRI inhibits the donor nerve from reuptaking the released chemical, improving the communication process.
The types of panic attack medication mentioned above will allow serotonin, the neurotransmitter chemical of interest, to be more readily available for other nerves. Serotonin is thought to affect the emotional states of people. This is why anti-depressants are used as panic attack medication.
Before SSRIs were around, a tricyclic anti-depressant (TCA) family of drugs was commonly used as panic attack medication. This included Anafranil, Norpramin and Tofranil. These were found to be as effective as the SSRIs are now. One reason they are not used as much as before is because SSRIs have been shown to be a safer alternative–fewer side effects.
The TCAs require very stringent monitoring of the person taking them, however all medications are serious chemicals and must be used under the careful eye of a qualified specialist. This is one reason the doctor chosen should have knowledge of panic attack medications as well as how they are used in conjunction with therapy.
Another panic attack medication that was used to treat anxiety attacks was a benzodiazepine drug. These included Klonopin, Ativan, Valium and Xanax. The main benefit of these drugs is they work immediately rather than taking a few weeks to build in the system to help. The SSRIs are taken on a daily basis and they tend to build up over time to help with anxiety or depression.
When taking panic attack medication, there should be a marked improvement shown within a few weeks. If not, the medicine may have to be changed or increased. Most people that take these medications for anxiety or panic attacks have to take them for at least a year and sometimes for years.
Usually their doctor will wean them from the medication and keep a check to see how they are doing. If the symptoms return they often have to go back on the medication for another period of time. As for others, they may have to take these medications for the rest of their lives if the therapy is not fully successful.
Panic attack medication, when used in combination with therapy, has shown very good results for those who suffer from this affliction when the causes are properly diagnosed. However, the causes of anxiety and panic attacks are still a bit of a mystery. Unfortunately there is some educated trial and error involved.
It is obviously important to find a doctor who has experience dealing with anxiety disorders as well with as the drugs used to help treat the problem. Also, thousands of sufferers have found victory without the need for any panic attack medication, as we outline in our free email mini-course.
