Posted by med_empowered on April 26, 2006, at 3:53:32
In reply to Re: I think I am having panick-attacks...HELP! » zarathustra, posted by sleepygirl on April 25, 2006, at 21:29:10
Yup..panic attacks. Therapy, possibly meds. Personally ((and this is JUST ME, by the way)) I think antidepressants kind of get in the way of recovery from anxiety/panic--docs hand them out like they're candy (b/c they arent addicting in the usual sense), but I really think for a lot of people the best course is: as-needed benzos (hopefully short-term but..not always) and therapy, especially cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and exposure therapy. Self-help can do wonders for you, too.
If you have depression as well, the antidepressants are definitely an option but..keep in mind that sometimes anxiety symptoms will get WORSE before they get better, so that can be a problem. The SSRIs are preferred for anxiety, but the tricyclics (TCAs) and MAOIs are an option, too. Sometimes an AD plus a BZD, possibly plus other drugs (such as BuSpar or a mood stabilizer) is what's needed to do the job.
Personally, I'd say try to keep the meds minimal and the therapy at a max but--everyone's different.
poster:med_empowered
thread:636925
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060423/msgs/637125.html