My Healthy Habits

Cognitive Behavior treatment is composed of psychological help and counseling to enable an individual going through panic episodes to appreciate, confront and eventually overcome the sickness. The best results are got by a mix of Cognitive behaviour therapy ( CBT ) and using the right medication for panic attacks. CBT works by helping the patient understand the underlying reasons of the attacks and in this way, helps the natural decrease in the frequency and intensity of these attacks.There are two causes for panic episodes - the environmental where external conditions cause fear and panic to set in and the biological where the body itself produces chemicals that increase the feelings of uneasiness and panic. Medications for panic episodes are supposed to combat both these causes and not just suppress the symptoms, like a head ache pill.That is why treating panic episodes with medication requires time.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors ( SSRIs ) are the most common of medications for panic attacks and include Prozac, Paxil and others.These medications increase the levels of serotonin which is low in the case of those affected by panic attacks.Side effects include revulsion, irritation, sleeplessness and headaches.SSRIs promote the production of these chemicals and help in reducing the power of the attacks and the ability to control them.Side effects can include irritability, sexual dysfunction, slurred speech and drowsiness.Often a patient using this form of medication will learn how to confront the panic episode and be in a position to fight it off. Among the most common side effects are sexual dysfunction, problem in urination, fast weight increase, and a consistently dry mouth.

The commonest medications for panic attacks are mood depressants like Paxil, Tofranil, Prozac and Zoloft which is what most doctors prescribe to begin with. In case the results aren’t as predicted, the medication for panic attacks might be supplemented by tranquilizers like Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin and others. All medications for panic attacks have some side-effects and knowing what can be expected before you begin taking them will permit you to deal with these issues more successfully - without knowing about them may lead to increased levels of anxiety and panic when they do happen. You need to be able to deal with the complications of these medications because the duration of the panic attack treatment is long and some patient need to stay on these medications for years .