treatment for panic attack
February 29, 2008
People who suffer from panic attacks often experience moments of sudden fear or paranoia that something bad is likely to occur. Those who suffer from extreme panic attacks often require some treatment and support in order to help remove and alleviate these sudden surges of negative emotions. While psychotherapy is an important part of treatment for panic attack, other options exist to help complement it. Treatment for panic attack vary in effectiveness per person because often, panic attacks have no obvious triggers that are common to all those who suffer from it.
Panic attacks occur in several people due to various reasons, some are unknown. Symptoms include chest pains, fast heartbeat, numbness of the hands or a tingling sensation, nausea, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, loss of control, sudden terror that something bad is going to happen, flushes and chills. Treatment for panic attack may involve other therapeutic procedures other than psychotherapy.
A possible treatment for panic attack that complements psychotherapy is cognitive-behavioral therapy. Using this treatment, behavior towards dealing with panic is normalized to the point that the mind is conditioned to deal proactively with panic to avoid a panic attack. Techniques that are employed include breathing exercises to help the muscles relax. Aside from trying to control physical manifestations of the beginnings of a panic attack, a patient also undergoes counseling to reassure him or her that fears are unfounded and will not yield to a great harm.
The fact that cognitive-behavioral therapy combines mental reassurance and physical relaxation methods is one of the reasons why it is an effective treatment for panic attack. This combination of mental and physical techniques reduces and eventually eliminates the occurrence of panic attacks.
Advanced treatment for panic attack is prescribed when psychotherapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy fail to work as effectively. Usually, these treatments include the use of antidepressants, one of which is known as Tofranil. Aside from helping through the chemical intervention of the antidepressant to reduce physiologically related responses to panic, patients are also greatly relieved by the knowledge that they are proactively participating in their own treatment.
Medications used as the primary line of treatment for panic attack include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI). These are more commonly known by their respective brand names, and include popular medications like Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. Their effectiveness and accessibility (due to common use) make them frequently prescribed medications, should they be necessary, for panic attacks.
Anti-anxiety medications such as Ativan, Xanax and Klonopin are prescribed at the start of medication therapy. When using medications for treating panic attack, it always best to start with the lowest possible dose and gradually increase depending upon the patient’s need.
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