Question:
I need some help and wonder if anyone out there can help. My husband
suddenly developed panic attacks and is quite frightened by all this. We
had it diagnosed right away away and that is helpful. He also saw a
psychiatrist . My husband is quite worried and usually bedtime brings it
on. He is afraid that he can't sleep and then takes a pill so he won't
get into the worry. But he's afraid of becoming deependant and we are
both losing sleep over this. He is not computer literate but asked me to
find others to talk to about this. He would like to know:He is 48 yeas old.
1.what brings this on.
2.will it pass in time?
3.How long will it take?
4.what medications do people take, if any
5.do you have other methods of getting this under control.
Answer:
Once panic attacks start they usually stay, though the are cyclic
sometimes there will be few sometimes many. The best treatment is an
antidepressant (helps with the PA's) and an antianxiety medication
(preferably a benzo)
For me and my birth family (Panic disorder can be genetic) We have had
great results with imipramine an antidepressant (seems to stop the PA's)
Benzos are another matter, here are the top 3.
Xanax, will stop a panic attack period,the only problem is it doesn't stay
in tour system long 4-5 hr..
Valium, works well, has the longest duration 24-72 hrs. If he has difficulty
sleeping this will do it if you take it at night, and since its long lasting
only need to take it once a day.
Klonapin, good for 12hrs usually take 2x a day. many have found relief with
that.
Dependency is another issue. As the saying goes :Better addicted to a
benzo then my house" most here have some form of agoraphobia from the PA's.
Many have gotten of benzos it just takes weaning of
I assume that he is taking one of the benzodiazepins
(Xanax,Valium,Klonapin etc). They have the potential to be addictive,
but that takes a while. Has the Pych. suggested an anti-depressant?
These also have an anti-anxiety effect and are not addictive in the
normal sense, but do take 4 weeks plus to have an effect. Benzos can be
taken until then.
Find the answer and I guarantee you will get the Noble Prize for
Medicine. I posted some info. under 'Re: Gaba A reply in 6 parts etc'
which is my (lay) attempt to explain some of this. Although I've tried
to combine several theories into a coherent whole, how well I've done
will be revealed over the next few days-watch the thread for the input
of others.
Its estimated that as many as 40-50% of people will have at least one
PA sometime in there life. Most don't have a repeat episode, or have
just a few, and get on with living. However, in 1 to 10% of cases PAs
become a chronic condition which takes longer to overcome and some of
us are stuck with it for the rest of our lives.
How long is a piece of string? The fact that you have gotten help early
is a good sign, but only time will tell. Probably months rather than
days or weeks.
How long is a piece of string? The fact that you have gotten help early
is a good sign, but only time will tell. Probably months rather than
days or weeks.
Cognative behaviour therapy (I don't know much about it, but sure
someone else will provide info.) is claimed to have similar success
rates as medication.
