Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder - Medications
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
- Topic Overview
-
Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Treatment
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
Medicines for panic disorder are often used to control the symptoms of panic attacks, reduce their number and severity, and reduce the anxiety and fear linked with having another attack. Medicines work best if they are used along with counseling and home treatment, such as relaxation exercises.
Medication Choices
Medicines used most often to treat panic attacks include the following:3
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac, Zoloft, or Paxil
- Benzodiazepines, such as Xanax, Valium, Ativan, or Klonopin
Medicines sometimes used to treat panic disorder include the following:
- Antidepressants with mixed neurotransmitter effects, such as venlafaxine (Effexor)
- Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), such as Tofranil, Norpramin, or Anafranil
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), such as Marplan, Nardil, or Parnate
What To Think About
Panic disorder is best treated with both medicines and counseling such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, which focuses on modifying certain thinking and behavior patterns.
Your symptoms of panic disorder should start to improve within a few weeks after beginning medicines. If improvement is not seen within 6 to 8 weeks, a higher dose or another medicine may be needed.
Most medicines used to treat panic attacks need to be continued for a year or longer and then may be decreased gradually over several weeks.1 If you have panic attacks again while medicines are being stopped, the medicines may be continued for at least a few months more. Some people may need to stay on medicines for a long time to keep symptoms under control.
You may also need to be reevaluated for other conditions linked with panic disorder, such as depression or substance abuse. Having one of these conditions makes treatment more difficult.1
Taking medicines for panic disorder during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects. If you are pregnant, or thinking of becoming pregnant, talk to your doctor. Medicines may need to be continued if your panic disorder is severe. Your doctor can help weigh the risks of treatment against the risk of harm to your pregnancy.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: September 15, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Lisa S. Weinstock, MD - Psychiatry | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
