Treatment for Panic Attacks - Choosing Among Different Options
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Without availing treatment for panic attacks, your life turns miserable. Panic attacks can put an end to your social life, work efficiency and to your relationship with others. Still, many people consider panic attacks to be untreatable. The fact is that panic attacks can be controlled or completely cured for 70 to 90 percent patients. There is nothing embarrassing in getting treated for the unusual behavior of people during panic attacks. A number of treatment options are available for panic attack and you can learn about them from the following sections.

Panic Attack Medications
Numerous panic attack medications have been developed over time, which are helpful in treating panic attacks to a major extent. Here are some of the popular medicines suggested by the medical experts:

  • Antidepressants like Tofranil have been long used by the medical experts to treat panic attacks of different intensities.
  • Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Sertraline, Fluoxetine, Paroxetine and Citaloram are among the modern groups of medicines available for the treatment of panic attack syndrome.
  • Selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors like Duloxetine and Venlafaxine are others popular medications for effective treatment of panick attacks.
  • Benzodiazepine family of medications for panic attacks includes medicines like Klonopin and Ativan.
  • To treat the physical symptoms of panic attacks, beta-blocker medicines like propranolol are available.

It is very important to consult your doctor about the group of panic attack medications suitable for your condition. A number of factors like level of panic attacks, medical history of the patient, pregnancy and age of the patient decide the type of medicine for panic attacks.

Psychotherapy Treatment
Medications alone are not sufficient to provide cure for panic attacks. One should also consider undergoing psychotherapy as it is another popular way to get treated for panic attacks. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a widely accepted technique that helps the patient get rid of mental aspects related to panic attacks. The patient is helped to eliminate negative thoughts from his or her mind.

Panic-focused psychodynamic psychotherapy is another popular technique that helps the patients to understand the emotional aspects of panic attacks. Generally, 8-12 weeks are required for a panic attack patient to obtain the benefits of psychotherapy. Selection of the expert and experienced psychotherapist can help you make most out of these techniques.

Other Treatment Options

  • Exercises like deep breathing and yoga are effective in the treatment for panic attacks. Morning walks and swimming are some other exercises that can help a patient to control panic attacks.
  • Diet is an important element in the panic attack treatment. Foods rich in various vitamins and other nutrients should form a part of the patient’s diet. At the same time, it is important to restrict caffeine and nicotine. Also, it is recommended by the medical experts to drink a lot of water.
  • Massage and aromatherapy are other ways followed for the treatment of panic attacks.

The combination of all of the above treatment options achieves better results for the patients suffering form panic attacks. These treatments can bring in a complete reversal of the panic attack symptoms.