Stop a Panic Attack - Continued
Two Treatment Options in the Medical Community
The first treatment option is psychotherapy and consists of a couple of different types of therapy – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy starts by teaching a patient about their disorder, and how to learn to keep track of their episodes, which can help identify their personal triggers. Breathing techniques are then learned so that the patient can effectively learn how to stop panic attacks while they are occurring. This method of therapy assumes that outside influences do not control the patient, but rather their own thoughts are in charge, and teaches the patient how to master his or her thoughts in order to overcome the catastrophic feelings they have while they are having an attack. This type of therapy is thought, in the medical community, to be the quickest way to stop panic attacks.
Exposure Therapy starts with CBT and builds on it by exposing the patient to situations that act as triggers for them. These triggers can be situations, traumatic experiences the patient has lived through, or thoughts or memories that causes a panic attack in patients. The first part of Exposure Therapy is for the therapist to help the patient figure out what that actual trigger is. This can be the hardest part of the job. Once the trigger (or triggers) has been determined, the therapist then introduces the patient to that situation, thought or memory in small doses; forcing them to face up to the very thing that causes them to have panic attacks. The theory here is that facing the fear helps the patient to overcome it.
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Medication Therapies
In addition to psychotherapy, many times certain drugs are prescribed to help the symptoms and occurrence of panic attacks. These fall into four general categories: Tricyclic Antidepressants; Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs); Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs); and Benzodiazepines.
Tricyclic Antidepressants are antidepressant drugs that lay claim to roughly twenty-something side effects ranging from those as mild as dry mouth, to those as serious as irregular heart beat and muscle breakdown. Because of their toxicity, Tricyclic Antidepressants are in the process of being replaced by SSRIs, described below.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, without going into the scientific values, increase serotonin in the body. Serotonin is an organic compound; a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and these drugs boast a whopping twenty-two side effects which can include anything from headaches to liver or renal impairment, with the most widely noted being sexual side-effects including erectile dysfunction and decreased libido.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors are prescribed primarily as antidepressants as well as smoking cessation aids. These are seriously strong drugs and usually not used unless really indicated because of the way that they interact with many foods and other drugs (sometimes causing death).
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Benzodiazepines actually act as hypnotics in high doses, and the Drug Enforcement Agency classifies them as depressants that can cause amnesia, hostility, irritability and disturbing dreams. They have been shown, however, to help control panic attacks, but the long-term effects cannot be overlooked.
While these are some scary facts about drug therapies, many people have found them to be very effective when trying to stop panic attacks. Doing your homework before starting any type of therapy is critical, and you should discuss with your doctor all concerns you have about drug therapy before you start.
