Alcohol Abuse Advice

Combined Therapy Best For Panic Attacks

When a person exhibits signs of panic or anxiety for ten minutes or more when there is no external cause for it, they are said to be suffering from panic disorder. These attacks can last from ten minutes to a few hours. The patient might also exhibit anxiety that such an attack might occur. This too prevents them from leading a normal life. They change their habits or situations to avoid an attack.

 

Such panic attacks can be treated. Though complete cure is not possible, the incidence of the attacks can be substantially reduced. Most people need to take the medicine for panic attacks for around a year. A few might have to continue for longer, and a very few might have to take the medicines life long.

 

The best treatment for panic disorder combines both medicines and therapy. Counseling is an established method of treating this disorder. It has been found that a combination of medicines and counseling works best for most people. If you or a family member suffers from this disorder, then please ensure that you visit a qualified medical practitioner or psychiatrist as soon as possible. In fact, the earlier you go the easier it will be for them to effect a near total cure. They are the best persons to advice you on the dos and donts to be followed to lead a near normal life.

 

The medicines for this disorder are of two types. Either selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), for instance Prozac, Zoloft, or Paxil are prescribed or benzodiazepines, for instance Xanax, Valium, Ativan, or Klonopin are prescribed.

 

Panic attacks lead to troubled breathing or very fast breathing, chest pain, irregular heart beat, sweating, nausea, dizziness, and numbness.

 

They can be caused by underlying physical ailments such as hyperthyroidism, heart problems, or breathing problems. Depression or other mood disorder, alcohol abuse, using too much nicotine or too much caffeine, taking certain medicines, such as those used to treat asthma and heart problems, using illegal drugs such as marijuana or cocaine, or living with high levels of stress for a long time can also cause panic attacks.

 

Cognitive behavior therapy is prescribed for treating such attacks. One should also reduce the stress levels in one’s daily life to avoid frequent recurrence of such attacks.

 

Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises should be practiced. These help relax not only the mind but also the muscles. Yoga is another good form of relaxation as it combines the best of breathing exercises with physical exercises. Consult a good yoga practitioner to teach you specific postures for this disorder. Please do remember to consult a good physician first to see if you are fit enough to start exercising. This is important as the exercises should not add to your stress levels.

 

Group therapy and family therapy are also prescribed to deal with panic disorder. Here the entire group or family is counseled on the need to change behavior patterns to avoid panic attacks. Consciously changing thought patterns to change the way you feel is also a good way to avoid panic attacks. This can be learned through counseling.

 

Changing exercise and food habits to lead a healthier life can also reduce panic attacks. Exercise regularly so that your physical fitness improves over time. This will reduce the number of panic attacks. You should also adopt a better diet after consulting a qualified dietician. In any case it is better to eat a healthier more balanced diet.

 

Meditation, music therapy, and humor therapy are all good ways to reduce the stress levels in your body and, therefore, good ways to reduce the number of panic attacks you have to endure.

 

In brief a combination of medicines, cognitive therapy, yoga or other breathing exercises, changes in food habits, family counseling, meditation, music, humor, can all be combined to reduce the number of panic attacks you or your loved ones have to endure.

 

For all these to be most effective it is best that the patient is well informed of the disorder and offered choices. The co-operation of the patient is a must for the most effective remedy for this disorder. The idea is to relax both the mind and the muscles to avoid frequent recurrence of panic attacks.

 

Article by Beth Kaminski of AnxietyDisorderCure.com, a website with the best stop anxiety now and medication for anxiety attacks information on the web.

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