Understanding The Facts Of Panic Attack Medications

Panic attack medications are generally of three types—benzodiazepines, antidepressants, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The doctors often prescribe these medications singly or in a combination. In most mild cases of panic attacks, benzodiazepines can give total relief; however, if the panic attacks are severe, the doctor may decide to give a combinations of the above mentioned drug types.

Two of the most common benzodiazepines that are prescribed for panic attacks are as follows:

o    Alprazolam (Xanax)
o    Clonazepam (Klonopin)

As with most panic disorder medications, the first major concern is whether the medication is safe. Alprazolam has been approved by FDA for the treatment of panic disorders. However, most doctors will give you all the pros and cons of this medication when he or she prescribes it. In addition to relief from panic attacks, Alprazolam is also given to patients who are suffering from generalized anxiety disorder. The Alprazolam dosage depends on the severity of the mental condition.

Alprazolam can be taken either on a daily basis or as per the requirement. However, this does not mean that you stop the medication if you are feeling better. Before you discontinue any panic attack medication, you need to take prior permission of the consulting doctor.

One major advantage of the Alprazolam medication is that it gives faster relief than the other medications. Often patients who are suffering from panic attacks and anxiety disorders feel relieved within a week.

Alprazolam has few disadvantages which need to be understood by the patient properly. One of the major disadvantages is that approximately 10 to 20 percent of panic attack or anxiety disorder patients do not respond to this medication. If you happen to be among the unlucky few then your doctor may prescribe other medications. Under any circumstances you must not take Alprazolam if you are pregnant. Even if you are planning to be pregnant during the treatment, you may have to put a hold on the plans.

In addition, if you are a lactating mother, then you are not advised to take Alprazolam. Drinking alcohol during the Alprazolam treatment is very risky because it can cause drowsiness and increased intoxication effects. As long as you are taking the Alprazolam medication, you will have total relief from panic attacks or anxiety attacks. However, as soon as you stop taking the Alprazolam medication, the panic attacks will come back to haunt you as they did in the past. Never give up—stand up against it and fight it.

Most panic treatments by using medications will have a major drawback and that is dependency. Without the panic attack medications, you will feels as if you have come to the point from where you had started. After taking the panic attack medications for few months, you will surely think of methods of curing it permanently. Frustration creeps in and you crave to be like normal human beings. From most places you will get the same reply that panic attacks are not curable. This feeling will at times drive you crazy and your mental condition may worsen.

Most patients try out the panic attack medications and then try out some other alternative therapies such as yoga, medication, self-hypnosis, and so on. For many patients, these alternative therapies do help, but it takes a lot of time and effort to control the symptoms of panic attacks. Some of the patients do these alternative therapies during the panic attack medical treatment and are benefited by the combination of the treatments. Many psychiatrists feel that the panic attacks are behavioral problems and can be easily treated by making changes to the behavioral patterns.

The whole idea of the panic treatment is to come back to normal and the patients must do all that is possible to attain normal behavior. Medicines are not advisable in the long run because of their potential side effects that become severe as the time goes by. Making changes to ones daily life and preventing oneself from entering a panic situation are good ways of keeping a check on the panic attacks. During the panic treatment, the support of your family and friends is needed a lot. They are the ones closest to you and they understand you better.