PanicAttacks

You might in an occasion experience threatened without any reasonable background, and at a sudden you feel like you have shortness of breath, or going to lose control, or even fear of dying. If those are what you suffer from, and even accompanied by increase in heart beat and trembling, you might suffer from panic attack. It is defined as a series of intense fear or dread that is of sudden onset which is relatively of brief duration. It usually begins abruptly, reaches its peak 10 minutes later, and subsides over within the next several hours.

You should take care of this attack in timely manner to prevent it from developing into more serious anxiety disorder. Once it grows more severely, it will start to interfere your proper daily functioning. Therefore, early treatment is a must. You should visit your psychiatrist to discuss any possible causes of your attack, to come up with any possible proper methods to cope with your situations.

However, it is not defined precisely what causes it. Some trace back to the patients’ hereditary genes, while others blame their stressful triggers. Thus, treatment may vary for each person. Medication is mainly used for preventive action and to alleviate the symptoms immediately. It is usually taken as the main line of any treatment for panic attacks. In addition, there are cognitive behavioral therapy, psychotherapy, relaxation and meditation developed by experts to help your body and mind relax and relieve anxiety.

If you are in the mid of an attack, you may seek immediate relief from sedative type of anti-anxiety medications. Xanax, Klonopin, and Antivan are popular brand to alleviate sudden symptoms. These medications should not be taken in the long run, and only be provided in the onset of medical therapy.

Antidepressants are often used to prevent anxiety and diminish the severity and frequency of attacks. But, they are designed for immediate relief during an attack. SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are frequently used as antidepressants. Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft, Lexapro and Paxil are frequently used as antidepressants. This antidepressant group of medication is considered as the first line of treatment to handle panic disorders.

It is important to note that some of these drugs can in fact lead to anxiety symptoms of this disorder. It is recommended that you should consult your doctor before start consuming them. Start with a low dose, and increase medication slowly for this disorder.

Psychotherapy offers support for preventive and maintenance care and helps minimize fear. Psychotherapy, in some cases, alone can heal the disorder. Meanwhile, cognitive behavioral therapy helps the patients learn to deal with possible panic attack symptoms. The therapy applies techniques such as muscle and breathing relaxation. This approach also assures and prevents the patients from leading into catastrophic cases they fear most, since many patients mention they fear of having a heart attack or going insane.

However, you can start to take steps to reduce the possibility of having panic attacks. You can learn to manage the symptoms better by recognizing a panic attack.