WHAT IS A PANIC ATTACK?


TYPICAL SYMPTOMS OF A PANIC ATTACK ARE SHORTNESS OF BREATH, ACCELERATED HEART RATE, THE PERCEPTION OF ONE'S PERSONAL SPACE CLOSING IN, THE FEELING ONE IS DYING, SWEATING, NUMBNESS AND TINGLING IN THE BODY'S EXTREMITIES, DIZZINESS AND NAUSEA, HEADACHE, BLURRED VISION, SYNCOPE (PASSING OUT). A FULL BLOWN PANIC ATTACK MAY BE LIKENED TO THE TRAUMA SOMEONE EXPERIENCES IN AN AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT. PANIC DISORDER OFTEN RUNS IN FAMILIES, BUT ALSO HAS A DEFINITE ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENT. PEOPLE EXPERIENCING PANIC ATTACKS FOR THE FIRST TIME QUITE OFTEN ARE SEEN IN EMERGENCY ROOMS AS THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON AND BELIEVE THEY ARE HAVING A HEART ATTACK. A PERSON WHO HAS PANIC ATTACKS IS DIAGNOSED WITH AN ACTUAL DISORDER IF THE EPISODES ARE SEVERE ENOUGH TO CAUSE A SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTION IN THE EFFECTED PERSON'S LIFE. PANIC DISORDER VARIES IN SEVERITY. SOME PEOPLE WITH PANIC ATTACKS EXPERIENCE THEM AS LITTLE MORE THAN MINOR ANNOYANCES, WHILE OTHERS HAVE GREAT DIFFICULTY FUNCTIONING AT ALL ON A DAILY BASIS. THE MOST COMMON TRIGGERS FOR PANIC ATTACKS ARE BEING IN CROWDS, BEING OVERWHELMED BY STRESSORS , AND DRIVING. HOWEVER, SOME PEOPLE HAVE PANIC ATTACKS WHICH OCCUR "OUT OF THE BLUE" EVEN WHEN THINGS IN THEIR LIFE ARE GOING WELL AND THEY ARE IN FAMILIAR, PEACEFUL SURROUNDINGS. WHILE THERE ARE COMMON SYMPTOMS OF PANIC ATTACKS, THEY ARE ALWAYS EXPERIENCED SOMEWHAT UNIQUELY BY INDIVIDUALS.


TREATMENT FOR PANIC ATTACKS PART 1


WE WILL BEGIN WITH MEDICATION AS TREATMENT FOR PANIC ATTACKS. ALTHOUGH THIS SHOULD BE THE SECOND CHOICE AFTER PSYCHOTHERAPY, BECAUSE SO MANY PHYSICIANS USE MEDICATION AS THE FIRST CHOICE IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE GETTING INTO WHEN YOU TAKE PILLS FOR PANIC. FIRSTLY, THERE ARE THE BENZODIAZEPINES --KLONOPIN, VALIUM, ATIVAN, TRANXENE, AND THE LIKE. THESE ARE ALL ADDICTIVE MEDICATIONS. THESE MEDICINES ARE OFTEN MORE EFFECTIVE INITIALLY BEFORE THE BODY BUILDS UP TOLERANCE AND THE PANIC ATTACK SUFFERER OFTEN ASKS FOR A HIGHER DOSAGE. THESE ARE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DEPRESSANTS, AND ARE QUITE DANGEROUS WHEN TAKEN WITH ANOTHER CNS DEPRESSANT --ALCOHOL. BENZOS WORK FOR SOME PEOPLE, HOWEVER IF ONE MUST GO THE MEDICATION ROUTE THESE REALLY SHOULDN'T BE THE FIRST CHOICE.

A SECOND CLASS OF MEDICATIONS WHICH ONE MIGHT BE PRESCRIBED FOR PANIC ARE ANTIDEPRESSANTS. THERE'S A LONG LIST TO CHOOSE FROM, INCLUDING PROZAC, PAXIL, ZOLOFT, REMERON, CELEXA, SERZONE, WELLBUTRIN, EFFEXOR AND CYMBALTA. (THESE ARE ON AND OFF LABEL USES) THESE HAVE A LOWER SUCCESS RATE FOR TREATING ANXIETY THAN BENZODIAZEPINES BUT ARE SAFER AND MORE TENABLE IN THE LONG RUN.

THERE ARE VARIOUS OTHER MEDICATIONS HELPFUL FOR PANIC ATTACKS SUCH AS PROPANOLOL AND LIBRIUM. ANOTHER INTERESTING CLASS OF MEDICATIONS WHICH MAY BE HELPFUL WITH PANIC SYMPTOMS, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE NOT ALWAYS OFFICIALLY APPROVED FOR SUCH, ARE THE SECOND GENERATION ANTI-PSYCHOTICS, INCLUDING ZYPREXA, RISPERDAL, GEODON, AND SEROQUEL. ALTHOUGH THE THOUGHT OF TAKING MEDICATIONS ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED FOR SCHIZOPHRENIA FOR PANIC ATTACKS MAY SEEM STRANGE, IF PSYCHOTHERAPY ISN'T WORKING AND YOU HAVE EXTREMELY SEVERE PANIC ATTACKS, AND THE ADDICTIVE BENZODIAZEPINES AREN'T SOMETHING YOU WANT TO GET INTO, AND THE ANTIDEPRESSANTS AREN'T EFFECTIVE, AT LOW DOSAGES THE ANTIPSYCHOTICS ARE A CREATIVE AND OFTEN VERY HELPFUL TREATMENT FOR PANIC ATTACKS, IF YOU CAN TALK YOUR PHYSICIAN INTO PRESCRIBING THEM
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Saturday, April 25, 2009

PANIC ATTACK MEDICATIONS

NOT NECESSARILY DO YOU NEED THEM DOCTORS SAY. HMMMMMMMMMMMMM.......................................................... IT'S MORE OF A MIND GAME, THEY SAY. PLEASE. THIS IS NOT ALL MADE UP I MY MIND.!! THIS IS A TRUE CONDITION!! SOME SAY TAKE VALIUM. I WOULDN'T NECESARILY GO THAT FAR! BETA BLOCKER ARE A CRUTCH. I READ. THEY MAY CAUSE YOU TO BE LIGHT-HEADED, DROWSY, SHORT-TERM MEMEORY LOSS, DECREASE YOUR HEART RATE, INSOMNIA AND DIARRHEA, COLD HANDS AND FEET, DEPRESSION, AND NIGHTMARES!! OH ME!! SUCH DRUGS ARE-PRPRANOL AND ATENOLOL.

TRICYCLIC ANTIDEPRESSANTS TREAT SEVERE DEPRESSION. THEY ARE ALSO FOR THOSE WITH ANXIETY DUE TO THE PANIC ATTACKS. DRUGS FOR THIS ARE: TOFRANIL, NORAPRAMIN, PERTOFRANE(FOR PANIC AND DEPRSSION SYMPTONS). PLUS ELAVIL, DOXEPIN, FOR OCD CLOMINPRAMINE, AMD VENLAFAXINE ALSO FOR OCD AND DEPRESSION. MAOI'S WORK SUPPOSEDLT ALSO. MORE OF THESE INCLUDEPHENELZINE(NARDIL AND TRANYLCPROMINE. SSRIs ARE A NEWER TYPE TO HELP. SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDE HEADACHES, INSOMNIA AND SEXUAL DIFFICULTIES. PLUS AGITATION. OF COURSE THEIR IS PROZAC AND PAXIL. BUSPIRONE IS FOR THOSE WITH MILD DEPRESSION AND OTHER SOICIALIZED PHOBIAS LIKE OBESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER. SIDE EFFECTS FOR THIS ARE HEADACHES, DROWSINESS, AND DIZZINESS. ALTHOUGH PEOPLE NEED TO NOT TAKE THES DRUGS OR BECOME DEPENDANT ON THEM. I GUESS THEY ARE NEEDED. I JUST TAKE AN IBUPROFEN AND SEEM TO BE OKAY. ALSO A HUG FROM MY HUSBAND WORKS. C

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Did I tell Y'all...

IBUPROFEN WORKS FOR ME. IT HELPS TO CALM ME DOWN FROM MY PANIC ATTACKS. TRY IT FOR YOURSELF. THAT'S IF YOUR STOMACH CAN TAKE IT. C