Panic attacks are characterized as a sudden feeling of fear or anxiety accompanied by shortness of breath, nausea, quickened heart beat and light headedness. Panic attacks can last as long as 10 minutes, and can bring feelings of despair or even fear of death.
Sometimes panic attacks are triggered by a specific situation, but sometimes they seem to come out of the blue. There are many causes of panic attacks, and not every person has the same experience. Things like a traumatic experience, anxiety disorder or even genetics can make a person prone to panic attacks.
Why Medication Isn’t the Best Solution
Unfortunately, many doctors are quick to prescribe anti anxiety or antidepressant medications as a panic attack treatment. These drugs can be dangerous and can bring side effects like headaches, dizziness, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, nausea, insomnia or even suicidal thoughts.
Some people who take anti anxiety or antidepressant medications become dependent on them. This means that if they try to alter their dosage or medication type, or attempt to stop taking the medication altogether, they will experience withdrawal like symptoms.
For these reasons, and many others, medication isn’t the best solution for panic attacks. There are other and more effective ways of treating your attacks that will lead to long lasting and healthier results.
Preventing Panic Attacks
Simple changes to your daily routine and lifestyle can help prevent panic attacks. Getting involved in things like meditation, exercise and other relaxing activities can help you stay calm and relaxed. You may also want to try some breathing techniques, which can help you increase your oxygen and CO2 levels, helping you to stay calm and prevent an attack.
Things like caffeine, smoking and self criticism can exasperate anxiety disorder and lead to panic attacks.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
One panic attack treatment that works for some people is cognitive behavioral therapy. This type of therapy helps you identify what is causing your panic attacks and then learn to cope with those fears, preventing future attacks. Cognitive therapy deals with thought patterns and helps you learn how to adjust the way you think so you can live anxiety free and stop panic attacks from happening.
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a proven way to help you regain control of your life. Instead of living with the side effects of medication, or becoming dependent on drugs, a therapy program will help you learn to identify the cause of your panic attacks, then teach you how to stop them. learn more about panic attack treatment.
