Panic Attack Medication

December 18th, 2009 Posted in Depression

The development of panic attack medication has progressed significantly, allowing sufferers of panic attacks to manage some of the more distressing symptoms they endure.Panic attacks can be quite debilitating in causing tremendous stress and anxiety, particularly involving the expectation of potential future attacks.Medication alone can be a palliative and offer some temporary relief, but when used in conjunction with good therapy can provide benefits of a long lasting and more significant order.

It is clear that therapies will focus more on the cognitive or behavioral aspects of the patient’s disorder, while medication will work from a biological and chemical perspective, dealing more directly with the symptomology rather than the root causes.

Paxil, Zoloft and Prozac are well recognized panic attack medications and are readily available to soften the blow of panic attacks. Their primary benefits are that in easing the severity of the symptoms of panic attacks, they can allow the patient to reduce their stress and anxiety about facing future episodes. To be effective, these anti-depressant medications, called SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, must attain a certain level within the body and taken for several weeks before any results can be determined.

These drugs function by acting upon the brain’s neurotransmittersand help block certain signals that lead to depression, or in the case of panic attacks, those receptors which can cause the heart rate to increase and/or one’s breathing ton increase, frequently observed symptoms (or conditions) which occur just before a panic attack is experienced.

SSRIs are not the first medications available to help ease the conditions or symptoms of panic attacks. TCAs, or tricyclic antidepressants were earlier prescribed as panic attack medication, but SSRIs have been proven to be safer and more effective in long-term control of the symptoms.

Tofranil, Anafranil, and Norpramin are three of the most common TCA medications.Sometimes, however, a TCA panic attack medication will be more effective than its SSRI counterpart, as long as it is taken under the close supervision of a qualified and licensed medical professional. The side effects of TCAs were reported as being minor to potentially life-threatening. Under no circumstances is it generally recommended for a pregnant woman to use any of these medications as all will pose a potential threat to the unborn child.

There are also the more immediate acting drugs such as Xanax, Klonopin or Valium and these are also useful to ameliorate some of the more troubling symptoms/ These medications are often intended to be taken on an as-needed basis,whereas SSRIs should be taken regularly for a period of time. As noted, the SSRI will be required to build to a certain level in the system to be effective. The TCA, on the other hand, will act right away and then dissipate over time.

With the use of SSRIs as a panic attack medication, it usually takes 6-8 weeks for their effect to be noticed on the panic attack occurrences. If this does not happen, a stronger dose or different medication may be required. Most of these medications are intended to be used for a year or longer before being reduced. These decisions concerning prescription medicine for panic attacks should only be made by a licensed and qualified practitioner. In any case, it should be understood that medication alone may ameliorate certain symptoms, but only when combined with effective therapy will the true value of treatment be found to be most effective, combating the ailment itself and not just the symptoms.