You May Not Need Panic Disorder Medicine At All

There are eight different types of anxiety attacks:

1.    generalized anxiety disorder

2.    panic attack

3.    phobias

4.    agoraphobia

5.    social anxiety disorder

6.    obsessive compulsive disorder

7.    post-traumatic stress disorder

8.    separation anxiety

Of all these anxiety attacks, the panic attack must be the most painful. We all know what anxiety is! Some times, we have also known what panic is! Believe it not, anxiety and panic are the two of the greatest boons we have! It is the anxiety and the panic that helps us to gear up and fight. It is the anxiety to please our teacher that made us behave well at school, or the panic that we may fail that made us study more. Even now, we are anxious all the time. We are anxious to please our boss or some body at home. We are anxious to earn more money. We panic at the thought of losing our jobs. All these anxiety and panic actually are helping us to go forward.

However, when we talk about anxiety and panic attack, we definitely do not mean the kind of anxiety or panic we know. When we have anxiety attack, this very normal anxiety, which pushes us forward, keeps us from coping. It just makes us numb and pulls us behind. Anxiety and panic attack can disrupt your life. It is, indeed, more than a case of nerves. It is a psychological disorder that sometimes runs in the family. It is terrifying.

Good news is that one can easily cure anxiety and panic attack if he wants to and the bad news is that it is very hard to diagnose. Let me make it clear first, the anxiety attack is generalized anxiety disorder or GAD. Though GAD and the panic attack are two different types of disorders, their symptoms are very similar and so is their treatment. Often it happens that the people talk about anxiety attack, when they actually mean panic attack.

The main difference between the two are that the people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder or GAD are worried about something in their life, while the people suffering from panic attack fear about their life itself.

Secondly, people suffering from Gad are constantly worried about something or the other. They are often anticipating disaster, worry excessively about health, money, family, work etc. They cannot let their worried go and these worries give rise to physical symptoms. The panic attack too manifest itself in similar symptoms, they do not worry at all. They panic. The panic rises out of blue and reaches its peak within 10 minutes and stay for another 30 minutes before subsiding.

The physical symptoms that accompany anxiety attack are:

1.    trembling, twitching, and muscle tension

2.    headaches

3.    irritability

4.    sweating or hot flashes

5.    feeling lightheaded

6.    out of breath

7.    nausea or a need to go to the bathroom frequently

8.    sensation of a lump in the throat

9.    exaggerated startle response

10.    fatigue

11.    difficulty concentrating

One suffering from panic attack will have most of these and more. He will feel, along with shaking and trembling, chest pain and discomfort, hot and cold flashes, shortness of breadth, pounding heart, sweating and nausea. He will feel as if he is dying or if not dying but is losing control and getting mad. All these symptoms will occur with no apparent reason. Panic attack is more terrifying than anxiety attack, though anxiety attack is bad enough.

If you want to cure anxiety and panic attack, you should have it properly diagnosed first. It may take a long time, as you can see most of the symptoms are similar to physical ailments. You can even be rushed to cardiac department in anticipation that you have some severe cardiac problem. Have patience and go through all the physical and psychological tests you are asked to take.

There are mainly two types of medicines to deal with the situation. The benzodiazepine is a good panic disorder medicine that acts almost instantly. If you take it at the on set of panic attack, it will stop the panic from forming inside you. However, it is habit forming and therefore the anxiety attack patients should specially be careful, for their type of disorder may tempt them into taking it more often than they should. Antidepressants are also good panic disorder medicine. However, they act slowly and have to be taken for longer period to be effective.

However, if you want to cure anxiety and panic attack, you should depend more on cognitive behavioral therapy. Contact a psychotherapist with the acronym MD or DO, if you want full recovery. You may not need medicines at all. Self-help tricks, life style changes, meditation, exercises and yoga along with the therapy may see you through.