When a panic attack sufferer goes to a doctor, typically they are prescribed powerful mind-altering drugs or they are referred to psychiatric therapy. For many, these types of treatments are too expensive, have too many unwanted side effects or they just don’t work.

The Reality of Using Drugs to Treat Panic Attacks

Benzodiazepines and SSRIs (antidepressants) are typically prescribed for panic attacks.

SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), including popular drugs such as Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa and others are antidepressants, typically prescribed to people with depression and personality disorders. These work by suppressing the use or “reuptake” of serotonin by the brain after it has been released. Suppressing serotonin reuptake has many effects; for some this can reduce anxiety and thus panic attacks.

SSRIs have a number negative side effects including increased anxiety in some cases. Other side effects include sexual dysfunction (loss of sexual desired, inability to have an orgasm, erectile dysfunction), tremors, live and renal impairment and more.

Use of SSRIs has been linked to suicide by some studies. The U.S. Federal Drug Administration has issued a caution regarding the prescription of SSRIs to children. Currently, several lawsuits are pending against makers of SSRIs related to side effects.

Another type of drug commonly prescribed for panic attacks are benzodiazepines or “benzos”. These are a class of powerful psychoactive drugs used to suppress anxiety. Xanax, Halcion, Librium, Valium and others are popular examples of benzodiazepines. These drugs work by interacting with natural chemistry of the brain to depress or stimulate the nervous system in certain ways.

Benzodiazepines can be physically addictive and care must be taken that users do not become dependent. Other side effects include confusion, depression, physical weakness, chest pain and amnesia. In some cases, extreme “paradoxical reactions” such as mania, extreme anger, impulsiveness or schizophrenia have been reported.

A Better Way

Drugs are clearly not the ideal way to treat everyone for panic attacks. The side effects alone prove to be intolerable for many. Not to mention the cost and risk of physical dependence. Also, the drugs are typically only a temporary fix – users often resume having panic attacks when they stop taking the drugs.

In recent years, several techniques have been developed to help panic and anxiety attack sufferers. These techniques aren’t merely coping mechanisms; they go to the root causes of panic attacks and help sufferers eliminate them for good.

Visit our website to learn more about safe, natural ways to stop panic attacks and general anxiety.

Steven K. Goodwin is a health and fitness writer for Health-Summit – an online magazine for physical health and mental well-being.

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Ranking high among the most traumatizing experiences anyone can go through, no matter their age, maturity, health or gender, is dealing with anxiety panic attack symptoms for the first time.

This trauma, coupled with the very real fear of another panic attack, is enough to prompt them to search for all forms of anxiety panic attack treatment.

For reasons of convenience, plus the fact that most sufferers feel that they are not able to face another attack on their own, the preferred treatment is often that of medication. However, there are several reasons why the best course of action is to look for a natural cure for panic attack.

The two types of medication that will normally be prescribed to combat anxiety panic attack symptoms are benzodiazepines and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

Generally prescribed first, and more frequently, are SSRIs. These cause a reduction in the frequency of panic attacks, but results are not evident until a few weeks after starting the medication.

Alternatively, benzodiazepines have the same effect, but in a fraction of the time. However, there is a price to pay for this speed of effectiveness. You will need to take this medication several times a day for several weeks, plus you may need to endure the unpleasant side effects that can occur as a result.

Most doctors are open to prescribing benzodiazepines and SSRIs left right and center, despite the fact that they are expensive in the long run, risky and troublesome, but why should this be so?

Two possible reasons present themselves as the answer to this question. Firstly, they are a quick fix, and this can appeal to both the doctor and the patient. Secondly, many sufferers consider drugs to be the only possible solution to their problem.

Therein lies the crux of the problem. Those who have experienced anxiety panic attack symptoms often find that they are, more often than not, on the edge, always in fear of falling off. What is needed, even more than any anxiety panic attack treatment, is to be assured that they won’t just drop into the abyss.

The use of medication robs them of the opportunity to build the necessary confidence because it fosters a very real sense of dependency. Taking the drugs convinces a victim of panic attacks that they are unable to handle the problem themselves and that they need a crutch to lean on.

This is the effect that should concern both patients and doctors alike. Although medication may provide a quick fix, it is only temporary. The prescribed drugs can only serve to hinder the growth of the victim while condemning them to the continual, unending fear of suffering further panic attacks for the rest of their life.

Also to be considered is the fact that, over a period of time, the drugs will lose their effectiveness as the body builds up a tolerance to them. This can have the effect of whipping out that crutch that has been provided to sufferers of panic attacks by the drugs.

These reasons provide a compelling argument as to why natural cures for panic attacks should be given priority over medication in all forms. The natural approach may not provide the same quick fix as the drugs can, but their effect will certainly last a lot longer. Using the natural approach will enable victims to eventually regain their confidence through learning that they can deal with anxiety panic attack symptoms themselves.

Tackling panic attacks without the use of medication is within the reach of every sufferer. When the stage is reached that panic attacks are no longer a cause for fear, they stop happening and the threat of anxiety panic attack symptoms becomes nothing more than a memory.

Medications are not always the ideal anxiety panic attack treatment. Click here to find out more about a natural cure for anxiety panic attack symptoms. Go to http://panic-attack-anxiety-symptoms.blogspot.com/

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Panic attacks medications – what are the useful drugs that you can take to both quickly stop a panic attack in progress and also prevent them happening again in future? In this article, I’ll reveal your drug treatment options and also explain how the true cause of panic attacks can help you to defeat them for good.

Drugs To Quickly Stop Panic Attacks – Benzodiazepines

Benzodiazepines, also known as “benzos”, are the most commonly prescribed drugs for quickly stopping a panic attack.

A panic attack typically lasts between 30 minutes and one hour and immediately taking one of these drugs can reduce the symptoms within minutes.

These drugs work by depressing the central nervous system – basically, they make you “slower”. Each drug in this class is slightly different but they all do similar things. Some example names are Lorazepam (Ativan) and Clonazepam (Klonopin).

However, many doctors do not like prescribing these for panic attacks because they are very habit forming. Just 3 weeks of use is enough for you to form a mental or physical dependence on them.

Drugs To Prevent Panic Attacks – Antidepressants

Antidepressants are commonly prescribed to patients with a history of panic attacks. The most commonly prescribed ones are from the modern class of drugs called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).

For panic attack sufferers, these help to reduce anxiety which is a key contributor to triggering panic attacks in the first place.

What Causes Panic Attacks?

In panic attack sufferers, it is their anxiety about the possibility of having a panic attack which actually causes them to have future panic attacks. In medical terms, this is known as a “positive forward feedback loop”.

For example, a small trigger such as slight chest discomfort may make you worry about the possibility of a heart attack. This worry (or anxiety) causes your sympathetic nervous system to increase the heart rate, adrenalin and other aspects of the body. When you detect the increased heart rate, you start to believe that your fears are coming true and you get even more nervous. The cycle rapidly repeats itself until you have a full blown panic attack.

Behavioral Therapy

SSRI/SSNI drugs help somewhat but they don’t cure panic attacks. Doctors and other medical professionals are more likely to recommend that you undertake behavorial therapy.

This is a form of therapy that helps you to modify your way of thinking early on, before the panic attack can establish itself. In the example below, you can learn to dismiss any chest discomfort for what it really is – probably nothing – instead of exaggerating it and spiralling into a full blown panic attack.

It is highly effective and usually recommended over and above drug therapies and their associated side effects.

Discover how to “break the loop” with a behavioral program that has helped over 27,000 former panic attack sufferers from around the world, here: Panic Attacks Treatment.

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Millions of people all over the world suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. Many factors contribute to these attacks. Diet, disease, lack of exercise, drug and alcohol abuse and medications can all lead to panic attacks. Sometimes, anxiety attacks are inherited or developed because of the environment in which you were raised.

Panic attacks can strike in a variety of ways. For some people it happens when they engage in a particular activity such as flying or driving in an unfamiliar city. For others the attacks can happen late at night (nocturnal panic attacks) or seemingly at random.

There are a few effective ways to deal with an attack when it happens. These methods can provide temporary relief or at least help you “ride it out”.

1. Breathing Exercises

Breathe slowly through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth. Use both the diaphragm and abdomen. Don’t breathe too quickly as this could trigger hyperventilation and actually make the panic attack worse.

2. Repeating Affirmations

Choose a rational statement like “No one has ever died from a panic attack” or “This will pass and I will be fine” and repeat it to yourself over and over slowly. This repetition can have a meditative effect.

3. Acceptance

If your familiar with Zen meditation, you may already know how to do this. This simply involves understanding what the attack is. Accepting that it is a part of you and letting it pass rather than fighting it.

4. Talking

Talking to your husband, wife or another supportive person can help focus your mind on the other person instead of the attack. If nothing else, it will be comforting to have another person with you until the attack passes.

5. Medication

When all else fails, drugs can be prescribed to treat panic attacks. These are usually SSRIs (antidepressants) and possibly benzodiazepines, a powerful psychoactive. Unfortunately, both of these drugs have substantial side effects and may not work for everyone.

A Long Term Approach to Dealing with Panic Attacks

All of the methods above can provide temporary relief from panic attacks can help you cope, but there is a better option than simply coping. Practical and effective drug-free self-treatments are available that can help you get your anxiety attacks under control and permanently reduce their frequency and severity.

Visit our website to learn more about safe, natural ways to stop panic attacks and general anxiety.

Steven K. Goodwin is a health and fitness writer for Health-Summit – an online magazine for physical health and mental well-being.

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Traditional treatment for panic attacks usually involves prescribing powerful mind-altering drugs or psychiatric therapy. For many panic attack sufferers, these types of treatments are too expensive, have too many negative side effects or they are simply ineffective.

Drugs Aren’t the Answer

When the medical establishment isn’t being outright dismissive toward panic attack sufferers, they frequently jump to prescribing drugs to inhibit the occurrence of the attacks. Despite the side effects, the drugs can be effective at suppressing attacks, but they do little to actually address the root causes and sufferers will usually resume having attacks if they cease taking the drugs.

Two types of drugs are typically prescribed for panic attacks; benzodiazepines and antidepressants (usually SSRIs).

Benzodiazepines (often called “benzos”) are a class of powerful psychoactive drugs used to treat anxiety. These drugs include Xanax, Halcion, Librium, Valium and others. They work by interacting with the brain’s natural chemistry to depress or stimulate the central nervous system. Users of these drugs can become physically dependent. Side effects include confusion, depression, physical weakness, chest, amnesia and more. Some users experience “paradoxical reactions” such as mania, extreme anger, impulsiveness or schizophrenia.

Another type of drug commonly prescribed for panic attacks are SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). SSRIs, which include popular antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, Paxil and others, work by suppressing the “reuptake” or use of serotonin after it has been released by the brain. This has many effects including, for some, reducing anxiety attacks. SSRIs have numerous side effects including depression, increased anxiety, sexual dysfunction, suicidal thoughts, tremors, live and renal impairment and more. Currently, several lawsuits are pending against makers of SSRIs related to these side effects.

Natural Alternatives

Fortunately, natural treatments are often more effective than drugs for treating panic attacks. Several techniques have been developed in recent years to not only help panic attack sufferers cope with the attacks, but eliminate them from their lives altogether.

Visit our website to learn more about safe, natural ways to stop panic attacks and general anxiety.

Steven K. Goodwin is a health and fitness writer for Health-Summit – an online magazine for physical health and mental well-being.

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Panic attacks are sudden experiences with intense anxiety, often coupled with symptoms like difficulty with breathing, chest pains, spots in front of the eyes and even blackouts. As any one who has had them can attest to, learning how to control panic attacks can have an enormously beneficial effect on your life. Panic attacks can cause you issues in your personal and professional life, and learning a little bit about them and how to control them can be enormously helpful.

Some people tend to scoff at the idea of controlling panic attacks; after all, isn’t it extremely difficult if not impossible to be fully cognizant and able to take action during one of these attacks? While the answer is yes, many people who suffer from them learn how to control panic attacks by becoming more aware of the circumstances that trigger them and by noticing signs that indicate that a panic attack is coming on. If you suffer from panic attacks, think of the last time that you experienced one. While it may have stuck out of the blue and without warning, there is a very good chance that you felt uneasy or slightly ill beforehand. When you are learning how to control panic attacks, it is important to take warning signs seriously. Even if you cannot remove yourself from the situation, you will find that an increased awareness will help you deal with it.

When you are thinking about how to control panic attacks, it is important to be proactive about your care in more ways than one. Speak to your doctor. There is a chance that a panic attack is an indication of another issue, one that has its roots in medicine. Even if your doctor can’t help you with a straight cure, he many be able to direct you a support group or a therapist. Because panic attacks often have a mental component, it is important to identify the factors that are causing it, and sometimes it can help to have an uninvolved party to help.

There are also some drugs that can help with panic attacks and minimize the symptoms that occur. Anti-anxiety medicine is often prescribed in this way and they can often be used on a short term basis with no risk of addiction. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, known as SSRIs, are anti-depressants that are also often used to deal with panic attacks.

If you or someone you love is dealing panic attacks, you may be facing a very difficult situation. Panic attacks, though they are natural outgrowths of stress and anxiety can cause you ridicule or a loss in status, no matter how unfair that might be. If you have panic attacks, it is important to take care of the situation immediately and deal with it in a constructive way that doesn’t lead to more problems down the road. Panic attacks are certainly no laughing matter, and when you put some real effort into examining them, you will be surprised by how effective you might be.

Learn how to control panic attacks by visiting Jeanette Pollock’s website. Jeanette is an ex-panic attack sufferer and provides useful tips, advice and resources to effectively get rid of panic attacks and anxiety.

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Prescription medications often aren’t the ideal solution for many sufferers of panic and anxiety attacks. In some cases, the drugs simply don’t work, or they make the panic attacks worse. In others, the associated side-effects of the drugs are intolerable.

Medications prescribed for panic attacks usually include powerful psychoactive benzodiazepines and antidepressant selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Both of these drugs have significant undesirable side-effects including apathy, sexual dysfunction, depression, suicidal thoughts, weakness and even amnesia.

The medical community is frequently dismissive toward panic-attack sufferers. The tendency for doctors to either flippantly recommend ineffective “breath into a paper bag”-type suggestions or leap to prescribing powerful, mind-altering drugs is well-reported by people with panic disorders. Certainly, panic attacks are a psychological condition, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t serious or the suffering they cause isn’t real.

Dealing With a Panic Attack

When a panic attack strikes, there are some effective temporary techniques you can employ to help get you through the attack, including:

Breathing exercises – not breathing into a paper bag, this can actually make a panic attack worse by reducing the flow of oxygen to the brain, but breathing slowly in through the nose and out through the mouth. You must do this slowly to avoid hyperventilating (getting too much oxygen).

Talk with your spouse or another supportive person – this is one of the most effective coping mechanisms. Having someone else to focus on during the attack allows your mind to focus on something else and helps short-circuit the panic-spiral.

Affirmation – this technique involves slowly repeating a coping statement to yourself over and over. For example, “No one dies from panic attacks. I will let this pass and I will be fine.” The act of repeating the affirmation can have a calming, meditative effect.

Preventing Panic Attacks in the First Place

All of the methods above may help you cope with a panic attack, but merely coping is not enough. Practical and effective drug-free self-treatments are available that can help you get your anxiety attacks under control and reduce their frequency and severity.

Visit our website to learn more about safe, natural ways to stop panic attacks and general anxiety.

Steven K. Goodwin is a health and fitness writer for Health-Summit – an online magazine for physical health and mental well-being.

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Drugs are often prescribed to treat anxiety attacks, but are they really necessary? The two types of drugs typically prescribed for panic attacks include benzodiazepines and antidepressants (usually SSRIs). The first type, benzodiazepines, or “benzos”, are a class of psychoactive drugs used to treat anxiety and other conditions. Halcion, Librium, Valium and Xanax are common examples of benzodiazepines.

These drugs work by interacting with the brain’s receptors to stimulate or depress the central nervous system in certain ways that have a sedative effect or reduce anxiety. These drugs are physically addictive and care must be taken so that users do not become dependent. Side effects can include depression, physical weakness, chest pain, confusion, amnesia and others. Certain “paradoxical reactions” such as extreme anger, mania, impulsiveness or schizophrenia can occur in some users.

Another type of drug commonly prescribed for panic attacks include antidepressant SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft are common examples of these drugs. SSRIs work by suppressing the “reuptake” or use of serotonin by the brain. This can help with anxiety attacks in some people. Numerous negative side effects are associated with SSRIs, however, increased anxiety, depression, sexual dysfunction, suicidal thoughts, tremors, live and renal impairment and more. Because of these side effects, numerous lawsuits are now pending against makers of SSRIs.

A Drug-Free Solution

Physical dependence? Sexual dysfunction? More anxiety? Clearly, drugs are not an ideal solution for panic attacks.

SSRIs and benzodiazepines aren’t specifically designed for treating panic attacks. It’s a little like using sledge hammer to repair a delicate instrument. It may work in some cases, but in others, it can simply make the problem much worse.

The good news is that in the last several years, several natural and drug alternative treatment programs have been developed that effectively help panic attack sufferers reduce the severity and frequency of their attacks. In some cases, they have been able to eliminate the attacks altogether.

Visit our website to learn more about safe, natural ways to stop panic attacks and general anxiety.

Steven K. Goodwin is a health and fitness writer for Health-Summit – an online magazine for physical health and mental well-being.

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Millions of Americans suffer from anxiety disorders at some point in their lives. Anxiety is, to some extent, a normal reaction to stressful situations, such as having to speak in public. However, for many people, their reactions to these situations go beyond normal day-to-day nervousness. Anxiety panic disorders may affect more than six million Americans at some point in their lives. These disorders are very real illnesses that can be crippling for some people.

The main characteristic of an anxiety panic disorder is the panic attack. These attacks can happen in response to specific stress factors, or they can occur spontaneously. The sufferer may experience shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating and nausea, and may feel as if they are about to lose their mind. Often, the person suffering an anxiety/panic attack will end up in the emergency room because they think they are having a heart attack.

The medical tests the person undergoes can often make their anxiety worse, as they fear that something is seriously wrong with them. If a person suffers panic attacks frequently, then they may develop some sort of phobia, particularly if the attacks occur in a specific location, such as elevators.

Fear of having panic attacks will often lead the sufferer to avoid specific situations or locations. Some people will develop agoraphobia and can become housebound, as they fear leaving their homes.

There are several options doctors may choose from when treating anxiety panic disorders. They can often be controlled through the use of medication. Antidepressants, such as SSRIs, have been found to be helpful for anxiety symptoms and there are also specific anti-anxiety medications that may be used in stressful situations.

Psychotherapy, especially cognitive and behavioral therapy, is also highly beneficial. Your doctor may also advise you to quit smoking or drinking coffee, since caffeine and nicotine have been found to increase anxiety symptoms.

Many doctors also recommend stress-reducing techniques, such as meditation, tai chi, and yoga. Cardiovascular exercise, such as brisk walking can also help to reduce stress. Alternative practitioners may recommend the use of herbal remedies; St. John’s Wort and valerian root are among the natural remedies that may be helpful.

Anxiety panic disorders are serious illnesses which can be disabling. Many sufferers are virtually crippled as they try to organize their lives in such a way as to avoid anxiety/panic attacks. However, these disorders are treatable. With the use of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, stress management techniques and psychotherapy, many people with anxiety can live productive and fulfilling lives.

Mike Selvon’s anxiety portal has some more useful information on anxiety panic disorders. Visit his web site and leave a comment at his anxiety attack symptom blog.

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Because of the trauma people experience during panic attacks it is only natural that they try to desperate things to alleviate their panic attack symptoms or prevent them from happening again.
Usually people will turn to medication because of the convenience and is considered an easy way out. Oftentimes the fear will be so intense during a panic attack that the victim feels powerless to fight it and the medication is considered a way to cope with the symptoms instead of fighting the symptoms with mental therapy.

For this reason alone it is unfortunate that people choose medicine because it can be a sign of people giving up and letting the panic attack disorder win the battle over their lives. The two main ingredients in medications that are used to suppress anxiety attack symptoms are known as benzodiazepines and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs). These may not show results until several weeks after the medication is prescribed. Benzodiazepines will usually show results quicker, but must be taken several times a day, has a hefty price tag and has a bad number of side effects.

Doctors often will easily prescribe SSRIs and benzodiazepines because they are quick fix to someone suffering from panic attacks symptoms. The reality is the bigger problem is that people will try to medicate a problem that can be otherwise treated a better way. The medication only does the job of suppressing the symptoms instead of solving the root of the problem in the person.

The truth is that medication is not the only solution. In a majority of cases, people only need the proper guidance and the determination to improve their mental well being to be free from panic attack symptoms.Medications can be a mind killer because they cause people to be dependant and therefore lose confidence that they can fight the problem on their own or a different way. Not only this but medications are known to lose their effectiveness over time which will result in people needing more and more of the drug to alleviate the symptoms over time.