How to Deal with Panic Attacks

Have you ever experienced a time when fear seemed to overwhelm you for no apparent reason? You could be driving your car, having lunch or even be at your job when you heart begins to pound uncontrollably and you wonder if you are having a heart attack! This my friend is probably a panic attack! How to deal with panic attacks will probably be the next thought that goes through your mind, and rightfully so.

About Panic Attacks

Many people around the world are interested in how to deal with panic attacks. Anxiety disorders or panic attacks are reported by about one third of the American population that is a lot of people! Thankfully, there are many options when it comes to how to deal with panic attacks.

Medications

The first line of defense for many people is the use of prescription medications. These have been shown to have immediate affect on a panic attack, calming the nerves and alleviating the fear. Commonly prescribed drugs for coping with panic attacks include:

Lorazapam
Xanax
Ativan
Valium
Klonopin

These drugs are a class of medication known as tranquilizers; they begin to work immediately and are good for intense debilitating panic or anxiety disorders. The problem with these drugs is they are highly addictive and prone to abuse. For this reason, doctors are shying away from prescribing them except in extreme situations.

Anti-depressants are becoming more commonly prescribed answers in how to deal with panic attacks. This is an off label use of these drugs, however there is little chance of dependency or abuse. The down side to these types of drugs is they take much longer to work. Anti-depressants need to be administered for up to 6 weeks before you will see any real results, this means they are useless for treating the sudden symptoms of a panic attack. Once you have taken the drugs for a few weeks they will effectively control your symptoms. Some people are not very fond of taking medications everyday like this and will opt for more natural treatment plans and coping skills instead.

Natural

When you are weighing all the possibilities for how to deal with panic attacks, you might want to consider natural treatments in conjunction with or instead of medications. These methods focus more on how to get through a panic attack once it begins or how to prevent them in the first place. Many times, it is very beneficial to use both strategies in learning how to deal with panic attacks.

Natural treatment plans can include breathing exercises, positive thought processes and meditation. It is helpful to learn how to control your breathing through exercises so that when it feels as if everything is out of control you can focus on the gentle and deep in and out motion of breathing. This helps to calm you by focusing your attention and balancing blood oxygen levels.

Overall

The main thing to remember when searching for how to deal with panic attacks is to seek help. You are not alone in this disorder, there are many people suffering the same things you are and much research has been done to come up with viable treatment. Do not suffer panic attacks or anxiety issues alone.

We have additional information on this subject you may be interested in reading: anxiety panic attack and what are panic attacks

How To Deal With Panic Attacks

how to deal with anxiety and panic attacks

How to Deal with Panic Attacks

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