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Medicines for Anxiety Attacks

Anxiety attacks are overwhelming surges of fear during which your heart pounds and you find it difficult to breathe. While anxiety attacks are not dangerous, they can lead to panic disorders if left untreated, often causing sufferers to withdraw from normal, day-to-day activities. Fortunately, a variety of medications and treatments can help manage and reduce anxiety attacks.

  1. Signs and Symptoms

    • Determine whether the signs and symptoms you experience are indeed anxiety attacks before seeking medication. People experience anxiety attacks in different ways: one might have an intense attack without any identifiable cause while another might have an anxiety attack immediately before a party or other public function. The one persistent system experienced across the board is a severe fear or worry regarding situations that are not threatening. This may be accompanied by irritability, sweating, nausea or restlessness, as well as insomnia, fatigue or headaches. If you experience these, you should consult a doctor.

    Talk Therapy

    • While not a medication per se, consulting with a therapist is essential to anxiety-attack treatment. Therapists who treat anxiety disorders can work with you until you figure out the cause of, or at least the type of, anxiety disorder you are experiencing and help you develop a course of treatment. If you want to identify and challenge the thinking patterns that lead to anxiety attacks, cognitive behavior therapy might be a good choice. Exposure therapy is an option for people ready to confront, in a controlled environment, fears that lead to anxiety attacks.

    Beta Blockers

    • Beta blockers like Inderal and Tenormin control symptoms associated with anxiety attacks, including rapid heartbeat and trembling. Unlike other anti-anxiety medications, beta blockers have few side effects. Those they can cause include light-headedness, fatigue, insomnia and nightmares.

    Benzodiazepines

    • Benzodiazepines like Xanax, Klonopin and Valium effectively reduce anxiety-attack symptoms in roughly 75 percent of patient prescribed them, according to the Linden Center, a research institute that developed the Linden Method for treating anxiety disorders. Benzodiazepines work by slowing down the movement of unbalanced chemicals in the brain. Side effects of these drugs include drowsiness, low moods, irritability, appetite changes and decreased libido.

    Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors

    • Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, or MAOIs, such as Nardil and Parnate have been successfully used in treating anxiety attacks. Side effects of MAOIs include increased appetite, insomnia, weight gain, dry mouth and low blood pressure.

    Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors

    • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRIs, such as Prozac, Zoloft and Paxil are usually prescribed as antidepressants, but they also are used to help lessen the symptoms and frequency of anxiety attacks. These types of drugs restore the balance of serotonin in the brain. Side effects may include nausea, agitation, headaches and decreased libido.

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