There are many drugs for anxiety attacks available these days.  These medications definitely bring relief to many people.  If you suffer from anxiety attacks, you may find them helpful.

Before I tell you a bit more about medications for anxiety problems  I want to be up-front about a bias of mine.  I believe these drugs are only part of the answer to be used for a limited time to help while other treatments have a chance to take effect.

The good news is that with proper therapy, almost everyone can free themselves from the suffering of panic attacks.

These days, a physician will usually prescribe a drug for these problems that falls into one of two classes: sedatives or antidepressants.

Most of the first class of drugs prescribed are derived from Valium.  The different specific drugs vary mostl in how quickly they start to work and duration of action.

Different drugs work best for different people.  Everyone has a different response to a given medication.  A therapy that is extremely effective for one person may cause significant side effects for someone else.

These drugs work quickly, so they can help if a person is going into a situation that they have had problems before.

The other type of drug used is an antidepressant.  The most common antidepressants are serotonin uptake inhibitors.  

Serotonin is a chemical that is released in the brain as part of the way one nerve cell (neuron) communicates with another.  

Decreased serotonin levels may be a couse of depression and anxiety.  Serotonin uptake inhibitors increase the levels by slowing the reabsorption of the chemical after it has been released.

Most people have heard of Prozac.  It is a serotonin uptake inhibitor.  There are many others today.  They all have their own benefits and risks.

Sometimes finding the medication that works the best is as much art as science.

One thing Prozac-type medications have in common is that they don’t work immediately.  Usually, it takes at least one or two weeks to start to see results.

Obviously with that type of time frame, these aren’t drugs to take only when you feel an attack coming on.

There are a few other classes of drugs used, but only rarely.  These drugs either aren’t as effective as the ones already mentioned or have way too many side effects for most people to tolerate.

Even though the types of medicatons I mentioned here are generally well tolerated, you still should find out about the side effects of antidepressants used to treat panic disorders.  That link takes you to a page with more information.

Again, remember that it is best practice to use medication as part of an over all treatment plan using other forms of therapy.   Drugs can be useful, but they aren’t the whole answet.

Some people taking these medications develop a psychological dependence.  

As I’ve mentioned, a person will use other forms of psychotherapy as well as the medications.  As they get better, they may tend to attribute all of their progress to the medication and not the other treatment they have been using.

This might make them resist stopping the medication for fear of the attacks returning.

This is where it’s important for you to work with the prescribing physician.  

Even before you start taking the medication, talk with your therapist about how long you’ll be on it and how you’ll come off it.

Use drugs for anxiety episodes prudently and they can be a great help.

Find out more about anxiety attacks and what you can do about them at Panic Attack Release.