Panic Attack Medication

Panic attack medication

        Anxiety and panic attacks are not mental illnesses, they are behavioral conditions. A specialist may choose to prescribe a medication to help you treat the symptoms of panic attack. Here are some panic attack medications:

       Beta blockers is a panic attack medication that can be useful in controlling the physical symptoms of panic attack and are prescribed to control rapid heartbeat, shaking, trembling and blushing. This kind of medication tend to have less side effects than other types of medication but can cause light headedness, drowsiness, short term memory loss, insomnia, diarrhea, cold extremities, depression and nightmares. Beta blocker will help you control the physical symptoms but do not cure panic attacks.

       Tricyclic antidepressant drugs are used to treat panic attacks as well as severe depression. The side effects include a dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, difficulty in urinating, hypotension, erective failure, sensitivity to sunlight, weight gain, sedation, sweating, irritation, unusual energy. This kind of panic attack medication is not a long term solution for panic attacks.

       Bezodiazepines is another panic attack medication. This medication can be taken as a single dose therapy or several times a day for a month or even years. They are characterized as reducing the panic attack symptoms. However, a potential side effect of these drugs is panic attack. This is very scary for many patients. Some other possible side effects are: drowsiness, decreased mental sharpness, slurred speech, clumsiness, irritability, agitation and increased susceptibility to the effects of alcohol.

       Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are another major depressant family which are used in treating panic attacks. The side effects include: disturbed sleep, increased appetite, weight gain, dry mouth, sedation and low blood pressure.

       Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are a newer type of antidepressants. These medications work differently to traditional antidepressants. They work by assisting the brain in maintaining levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin. These medications are also meant for short term use for specific conditions. Side effects include: nausea, insomnia, headaches, sexual problems and agitation.

       Mild tranquilizer is a panic attack medication. This medication has few side effects like headache and dizziness, but this usually clears within a few days use. Other persons may experience mild drowsiness.

       It is very important to take into account that the panic attack medication is not a solution for your condition. Unfortunately medication is often used as a long term solution and actually in lots of cases by distorting the symptoms of the anxiety disorder and introducing new symptoms as side effects they can actually make the panic attack worse and prevent recovery. For the panic attacks, the greatest advantage that panic attack medication can provide is to enhance the person's motivation and accelerate the progress toward coping panic and all of its repercussions. However, if a panic attack medication can block the panic attack itself, many persons no longer will anticipate events with such anxiety and will overcome their phobias more quickly.

       Since the cause of panic attack is not known and many times specific factors are not easily identified, actually preventing an onset of the disorder is somewhat difficult. If some of your family members suffer from panic attacks and you feel you are at risk for the same experience, you will want to make sure that you eat regularly and well and get plenty of rest and exercise.

        The last thing you should to do is to worry yourself about an attack to the point of excessive anxiety. Panic attack symptoms feed on anxiety so your principal aim is to stay calm and to keep your worries and problems in proportion with their difficulty in your life.