Question:
I suffer from Severe Panic Disorder, which as you can imagine, is
very debilitating. I means that any kind of work outside the house is way
too stressful. I hardly have much of a social life because the panic
interferes with making new friendly.
What I need is the correct medication. My doctor diagnosed me with GAD;
and after 2 years I realize this is dead wrong. I hardly worry, I just have
panic attacks (many per day).
Iım wondering if anyone on here (a) has severe panic disorder, (b) what
medications are used v(including natural medicines) and at what dosage,
and (c) what is the outcome, are all the symptoms of PD treated?
Answer:
I'd get on some meds that can block panic attacks. The best in my opinion
are the benzodiazepines, which include Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan. The dose
needed to block attacks varies alot with the individual.
Most of the antidepressants are also capable of blocking panic attacks, but
take 3 to 6 weeks to start working, and tend to have more side effects than
the benzos.
By the way, it's common for people with panic disorder to also have GAD.
Welcome to ASAPM! There are many people here that have panic disorder
and will understand what you are going through. I also suffer from
panic disorder with agoraphobia and know how hard it is to do any kind
of work outside the house. Socializing can be difficult, if not almost
impossible when struggling with numerous panic attacks every day.
When you say your doctor diagnosed you, is this just a regular doctor
or a psychiatrist? If it`s just a regular family doc, there lays part
of the problem. Most family doctors lack the knowledge to diagnosis an
treat anxiety disorders effectively. Your best bet is to be evaluated
by a psych doctor that specializes in anxiety disorders. Getting
properly diagnosed and treated is very important.
When you say you don`t worry...........do you worry or anxiously
anticipate the next panic attack? A common feature of panic disorder
is worrying a lot about the "next" panic attack. The worrying about
panic attacks can almost be obsessive.
Here are some very informative links on panic disorder:
http://panicdisorder.about.com/od/pdbasics/
http://panicdisorder.about.com/library/weekly/aa052197.htm
http://panicdisorder.about.com/library/weekly/aa021997.htm
http://stress.about.com/cs/anxiety/a/panic.htm
http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/pdbasics/a/panicdefined.htm
http://panicdisorder.about.com/library/factsheets/blpdtreatment03.htm
The most common, effective treatments for panic disorder are meds such
as benzodiazepines (xanax, klonopin, ativan, valium) and/or
antidepressants, ( prozac, zoloft celexa, paxil, effexor, etc). Then
there is cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT combined with medication
can make an effective combo. Effective treatment is very
individualized......some people may do well with just a benzo while
others need both a benzo and antidepressant. Effective dosages vary
person to person, some do well on lower doses while others need the
max dose to get relief.
