Panic symptoms include sense of fear and dread, shaking, shortness of breath, tension in the chest, fear of losing control, sweating, racing heart, feeling dizzy, unsteady or fainting, numbness or tingling, and fear of dying.
Anxiety symptoms include feeling restless or keyed up, easily fatigued, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension and sleep disturbance such as insomnia or restless sleep.
Both psychotherapy and medication can help to treat these very common problems. Often, people self-medicate with alcohol, marijuana or other drugs.
The most effective treatment is to learn and apply relaxation techniques. Slow deep breathing or progressive muscle relaxation are two common therapies. Biofeedback muscle training is another helpful treatment as is meditation. Cognitive-behavioral therapy focused on thought clarification and coping strategies is also effective. Helpful medications include Paxil, Zoloft and Prosac for panic attacks. Ativan, valium, klonapin are helpful for short term anxiety treatment but can become addictive if used for more than a few weeks. Buspar is a non-addicitive anxiety medication that can be helpful for some people.
Herbal medicines such as Kava and St. John's Wort have been shown by recent studies to be effective reducers of anxiety.
A medication only treatment plan is a serious mistake. The environmental stressors that trigger anxiety and panic must be addressed as well. Dependency on medication often leads to higher dosages over time with diminishing results. Relaxation techniques are very effective but take practice to learn. Once learned they greatly enhance your sense of personal control. Medication can be use to to help get you through the learning period.
If you have been on Valium, Klonapin, Ativan or Xanax for more than three months you should be concerned about the potential for dependency and addiction.
