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Should You Medicate Your Panic Attacks?

If you suffer from panic disorder and anxiety, then panic attack medication may be an option for you. Although this type of therapy is widely used, it has its limitations. For example, it can be ineffective if your panic disorder is not very severe or if you already take other forms of medication to help you cope with stress. However, there are many benefits to trying this method of treatment, especially if your doctor gives you good reasons to do so.

panic attack medication

Benzodiazepines are an effective anti-anxiety overdose drug which is commonly prescribed for panic attacks. These include Ativan, Doral, Xanax, and Klonopin. However, SSRIs or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are also prescribed. Taking these drugs will help to slow down how quickly serotonin and dopamine are released into your system and will thus help to control panic attacks and anxiety.

The problem with benzodiazepines as a panic attack medication is that they provide only short term relief. That is, they provide some temporary relief from anxiety and panic symptoms. As soon as you stop taking the drug, the symptoms begin to return. This makes it a very inefficient method of treating anxiety and panic disorders.

SSRIs or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors are a different type of panic attack medication. Unlike benzodiazepines, they work to combat the cause of panic attacks by increasing your serotonin levels in your brain. Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter and is responsible for regulating moods, sleep cycles and appetites. This type of panic attacks medication allows you to feel better by enhancing your brain's production of serotonin, allowing you to feel emotionally stable.

When you first begin to take these medications, you may experience some side effects such as dizziness, upset stomach, insomnia, nausea and upset thoughts. This is why these medications are usually prescribed as a short term solution. They are only meant to mask your symptoms while you deal with the root cause of your panic attacks and eventually put an end to them. It is only after you have conquered the symptoms of your attacks that you can look towards long term solutions to overcome your intense fear.

Drugs such as Cymbalta and Olanzapine work on a different principle altogether. Instead of stimulating the brain's neurotransmitters, these drugs help to stimulate the part of your nervous system that deals with rational thought. By doing so, the person suffering from panic attacks will become less prone to experiencing symptoms of panic attacks because their minds will no longer resort to irrational thinking. In some cases, patients have even reported complete paralysis of parts of their bodies. This type of treatment is often recommended to people who suffer from sever anxiety and phobias.

However, there are also natural alternatives to medications, as well. For example, you can help to ease the symptoms of your anxiety attacks by learning breathing exercises. Deep, controlled, breaths from the diaphragm can not only reduce heart rate, but can also stop or at least reduce the symptoms of a panic attack. Many people are shocked to discover that their panic attacks could be caused by their heart rate rising too quickly as they exhale. A great exercise to learn is yoga, which has been proven to effectively lower your heart rate.

Medication is certainly a useful way to dealing with your panic attacks, but it should never be used as a primary form of treatment. Medication can mask the underlying disorders, but ultimately these disorders must be dealt with on a mental level in order to permanently remove them. If you suffer from panic attacks and anxiety disorders, you need to learn how to deal with them both mentally and physically. Thankfully, there are many natural remedies for this problem out there, such as Panic Away.

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