Panic disorder can be treated with several types of medications including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), certain types of antidepressants, and benzodiazepines. These medications for panic disorder are intended to treat at least one of the two common forms of panic disorder. The first type is anticipatory panic, characterized by feelings of anxiety and panic before an event actually occurs, such as an upcoming test or social engagement. The other type is simply known as a panic attack and occurs during the event itself, and sometimes for no discernible reason at all. Common symptoms of panic attacks are increased heart rate, cold sweat, feeling of extreme panic, and anxiety.
It is believed certain types of SSRIs may be useful in treating panic disorder, as these drugs are designed to reduce the amount of serotonin the body produces, limiting the stress and panic reactions. Some of the most common of these medications for panic disorder include fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline. Many patients also find relief from their panic disorder symptoms by taking fluvoxamine in the correct dosages. In many cases, the correct dosages of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for each patient has to be carefully evaluated, and may require a trial and error process to find the most effective one.
Several types of antidepressants are used as medications for panic disorder as well. Those in the tricyclic family often used are imipramine, amitriptyline, and doxepin. Other patients benefit from taking antidepressants in the monoamine oxidase inhibitor category, including phenelzine and tranylcypromise. Antidepressant medications are believed to be useful for some patients because the drugs work to stabilize the stress hormones released from the brain, helping to ensure the patient is unaffected by wildly varying levels of these hormones. In some cases, these medications are used in combination with other treatments to provide the most effective anxiety relief possible.
The most common medications for panic disorder fall into the benzodiazepines category. Clonazepam and alprazolam are frequently prescribed for patients suffering from panic disorder, as well as several types of anxiety disorders. Alprazolam is considered very useful if taken at the onset of a panic attack, while clonazepam is more often used consistently to provide full time relief from the detrimental symptoms of this condition. These types of drugs are often more effective and faster acting than antidepressants, and may begin to produce results in as little as a week or two. The use of benzodiazepines can produce withdrawal symptoms when discontinued, and this process must be supervised by a physician.
