Anxiety and Panic Attacks: Symptoms and Medications

In the United States alone there are over six million adults, that are over the age of eighteen, that are affected by anxiety or panic attacks. Anxiety is the body's way of coping with stress and can help a person deal with situations that cause them to feel anxious, such as studying for tests or exams at school or dealing with a difficult issue or coworker in the workplace that may be confrontational. Panic Attacks are described as sudden surges of overwhelming fear that occur with no warning and for no reason. These attacks can be disabling to the person that experiences them on a regular basis, effecting their quality of life and the ability for them to be productive. There is a very big difference between normal anxiety or anxiousness and traumatic, debilitating sudden anxiety and panic attacks.

Common Symptoms

Anxiety and panic attacks have both emotional symptoms as well as the physical ones. The emotional symptoms of anxiety attacks are:

· irritability

· restlessness

· anticipating the worst

· feeling of dread or doom

· feeling tense or jumpy

· unable to concentrate

· looking for signs of danger

· feeling like your mind is blank



The most common physical symptoms present with anxiety are:

· insomnia

· headaches

· sweating

· nausea

· pounding heart

· shortness of breath

· tremors or twitching

· frequent urination

· frequent diarrhea

· muscle tension

· upset stomach

· dizziness or lightheaded



Anxiety and panic attacks, in the medical world, are commonly considered one in the same and they can be treated as a disorder if they occur frequently. They can produce a combination of physical and emotional symptoms such as:

· surge of overwhelming panic

· heart palpitations or chest pains

· feeling as if you are going to pass out

· hot flashes or chills

· nausea or in extreme cases vomiting

· trouble breathing

· hyperventilation

· trembling or shaking

· feeling as if you are going crazy or losing control

Effective Treatments

Research has come a long way in the treatment of anxiety and panic attacks. There are various medications and different courses of treatment have been very effective in the treatment of these attacks. It should also be noted that anxiety and panic attacks do respond favorably in a relatively short period of time. Some common medications that are prescribed in the treatment of these attacks are:

· benzodiazepines

· antidepressants



Medications are most effective when combined with behavioral therapy and/or exposure therapy. There are also some very popular self-help treatments that you can try, in addition to medical treatments, such as:

· hynosis

· biofeedback

· exercise

· relaxation techniques

One of the main courses of treatment will involve identifying an event or experience, though you may not realize that, which brought on the episodes in the first place, such as a sort of post traumatic stress disorder. This type of anxiety or panic attack is common in military that has served during a hostile encounter or war.

Professional Treatment

This information should not be used as a replacement for treatment by a medical doctor, it is for informational purposes only. Anxiety and panic attacks that are affecting your quality of life can be treated and there is help available.