Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) consists of psychological help and counseling to enable a person suffering from panic attacks to understand, confront and eventually overcome the illness. The best results are obtained by a combination of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and using the right medication for panic attacks. CBT works by helping the patient understand the underlying reasons of the attacks and in this way, helps the natural reduction in the frequency and intensity of these attacks. While medication for panic attacks can be very effective, they also have their downside in terms of side effects and patients need to be aware of these before embarking on a course of treatment. While common anti-depressants and sedatives may help fight the problem in the short term, these are not the right form of medication for panic attacks and the system will develop a resistance to them, often leading to increased consumption and even serious overdose issues. Any for of medication of panic attacks must be taken under medical supervision to prevent this from happening and to ensure that no dependency or addiction to these drugs develops.

The first thing to keep in mind is that the medications for panic attacks are strong. These medications increase the levels of serotonin which is low in the case of those suffering from panic attacks.In the case of those prone to panic attacks, the metabolism does not produce these chemicals in adequate quantities – resulting in the body not being able to deal with the stress and increasing the stress levels and resulting in panic attacks. SSRIs promote the production of these chemicals and help in reducing the intensity of the attacks and the ability to control them. The most common SSRIs are Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft, although depending on the specifics of each case, other medications may be prescribed. Many medications will have side affects so keep you doctor informed of any that you have not been warned about. This will allow the medication to be changed if needed.

In many cases benzodiazepines like Valium and Xanax may be prescribed as additional medication for panic attacks to augment the effect of the SSRIs. In case the results are not as expected, the medication for panic attacks could be supplemented by tranquilizers like Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin and others. Ensure that you understand all the instructions a doctor may give regarding the medications and the dosage – do not hesitate to ask as many questions as you need to be sure that you will be taking the medications for panic attacks exactly as you are supposed to – not taking the medications in the proper manner could result in making the problem worse rather than helping to cure it.In the final analysis, while medication for panic attacks is very effective in controlling and even curing the condition, it must be accompanied by CBT and counseling to form a rounded and complete treatment option.

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