While prescription panic attack treatment options are often utilized, if you suffer from panic and anxiety attacks it is important to educate yourself about all of the facts regarding various treatment options before making a decision.  

One of the important facts to understand about any treatment method for panic and anxiety attacks is that each one has advantages and disadvantages. Certainly, the fact that prescription medications tend to work faster than other alternative methods is an advantage. Natural methods, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, can require time and dedication to recovery. Such methods do not work overnight. As a result, out of sheer frustration, many people turn to prescription medications as a way to rid themselves of their symptoms and try to regain control of their lives.  

Before considering prescription medications as a form of panic attack treatment; however, it is important to understand the full story; including relevant risks. There are actually two different classifications of medications that are frequently used in the treatment of anxiety and panic. Antidepressants are one such option. While the risks of this group of medications are actually less than other medication options, it should be understood that antidepressants are actually the slowest working of both classes of medications.  

The Valium group of medications tend to work much faster in assisting with the management of symptoms related to anxiety and panic; however, they tend to be more addictive. This means that unfortunately your body becomes accustomed to them over time and a higher dose of medication is therefore required in order to obtain the same benefit you experienced when you first began taking the medication. This type of tolerance development surprisingly only takes about two to three weeks to appear.  

Prescription panic and anxiety medications also produce numerous side effects which should be considered including possible weight gain when taken long term as well as dizziness and interference with sexual function.  

It is also important to note that while prescription medications might work faster in the management of some panic and anxiety disorder related symptoms, in order to continue seeing those results you must continue taking the medications in most cases. Studies have shown that approximately 80% of people who gradually taper off such medications will experience panic again.  

Before making a decision regarding which treatment route would be best for your anxiety and panic it is important to make sure you get all the facts and understand that there are alternatives to medications. All natural methods; which may take some time to achieve to full benefits, produce no disturbing side effects. In addition, they have been proven more effective at assisting individuals in becoming panic free for longer periods of time than medications.  

Such natural methods for panic and anxiety treatment include deep breathing exercises, relaxation exercises and learning to identify the triggers for your anxiety and panic.  

In seeking panic attack treatment options, the most important first step is educating yourself about the advantages and disadvantages of each choice.

One of the most difficult parts of overcoming anxiety panic attack problems is the inability to understand what is causing the attacks. Quite frequently, many people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks feel that their attacks come from completely out of the blue. It is not at all uncommon for an individual to be going about a normal activity and feel an attack begin for what seems to be absolutely no reason. To make matters even worse, in some cases, the attacks may only appear under the same conditions but generally they increase in frequency and broaden under the circumstances in which they occur.   This can create a number of problems including the expansion of the panic and anxiety attacks into other conditions, including exclusive behavior such as agoraphobia.  

In order to head off such potentially dangerous problems it is imperative to determine the source of your anxiety and panic in order to achieve recovery. One way to do this is to create a type of map or timeline that traces the history of your attacks. You can use a plain sheet of paper or even a poster board for this project. The first step is to write down when you first began to notice signs of discomfort that are associated with your anxiety and panic attacks. These symptoms might have included: 

• Chest pain

• Dizziness

• Fear of losing control

• Feeling out of touch

• Sense of doom

• Heart palpitations

• Sweating

• Trembling

• Hot/cold flashes

• Stomach discomfort

• Numbness

• Difficulty breathing

• Hyperventilation

Think back as far as you can remember and try to recall when these symptoms first appeared. Remember, that this might have been some time ago. Even if you did not experience a full panic attack, write down when you first began to notice the relevant symptoms. Next, write down any major events that may have occurred in your life during this time period. As you move down the timeline toward the present time, write down anything major that went on in your life during times when you experienced other attacks. As you complete this exercise you will likely begin to see a pattern that has likely triggered your panic and anxiety attacks over time.  

Remember that the events which have occurred in your life may not be causing your attacks on their own but rather the way they make you feel and the fears they cause to arise inside you could be the actual culprits for your attacks.  It is important to keep in mind that this exercise is not a complete cure all for anxiety panic attacks.

It will take time and dedication to recovery from anxiety and panic attacks; however, this exercise can help you to identify triggers which may be causing your attacks so that you can learn how to make positive changes in your life that can affect recovery.  By taking the time to map your map your experience with anxiety panic attack problems and identifying major events which may serve as triggers, you can begin to recover.