A panic attack is a sudden access of intense fear or anxiety (emotional condition characterized by psychomotor restlessness) which cause worrisome symptoms, but not life threatening. For example: increased heart beat, difficulty breathing, feelings of loss control or imminent death. Typically, this state will take over anywhere from 5-20 minutes and can be caused by stressful circumstances.
Your body has a response to fear, which prepares the individual to cope or to protect from danger. Panic occurs when this system is over-reacting or when is unnecessary. During a panic attack, the nervous system reacts as if you really are in a life threatening situation. This response can cause worrisome physical symptoms and feelings.
Cure Anxiety and Panic Attacks - Treatment
Panic disorders can be controlled by medication (antidepressants) and counseling (behavioral therapy). Effective treatment reduces the number and frequency of panic attacks, decreases anxiety and improves quality of life.
If anxiety have a specific causal factor (drug reaction) then it does not necessarily need treatment, and stopping it after removing the cause is the right way to do it (stopping medications under your doctor supervision). Sometimes anxiety may continue after removing the causative factor and may cause panic disorder.
Initial treatment
In general, initial treatment includes:
1. Counseling:
- behavioral therapy, which focuses on changing patterns of thought and behavior (is the most effective therapy to cure anxiety)
- exposure therapy, a type of behavioral therapy, which is based on confrontation with the object or situation that causes fear. It is effective in treating panic or anxiety linked to a particular place or situation.
2. Medications
The most common drugs used to cure anxiety and panic attacks are:
- selective serotonin inhibitors: Prozac. If these drugs are ineffective or can not be administered because of side effects you may try other antidepressants.
- antidepressants with neurotransmitter effects combined
- benzodiazepines: Xanax, Valium are prescribed alone or combined with an antidepressant.
Ongoing treatment
It consists of continuing or changing initial measures taken, counseling and medication.
During initial treatment, short-term medication may be prescribed to deal with immediate symptoms. Short-term medication, most likely will stop when you start the long-term medication and when the overall health improves.
Is better to continue monitoring the patient to discover whether there are other problems associated with panic disorder (depression, drug or alcohol problems). These situations will require treatment.
An important part of maintenance therapy is the administration of drugs according to the prescription.
Often people who feel better after a while, give up treatment, believing that it is no longer useful. Along with stopping medication the symptoms returns, so it is important to continue the treatment plan. Recurrent anxiety and panic can range from mild to severe and may persist for years.
There may be long periods without panic attacks or times when they are common. Even after stopping treatment, the attacks seemed to be under control, they may return. It is important for a person to identify warning signs and factors that trigger this state of fear and seek treatment sooner so you can cure anxiety and panic attacks from the beginning.
Cure anxiety and panic attacks with natural treatments
Trying to cure anxiety and panic attacks using drugs and counseling are not the only existing treatment. There is another way to do it and this is a natural technique to stop panic attacks and end general anxiety and the results are visible in minutes.