Tag: Panic Attack

Understanding Anti Anxiety Medications

This article explains a few things about beauty, and if you’re interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don’t know.

Anti anxiety medications might offer particular quick solution to your anxiety problems. These types of drugs include traditional anti – anxiety drugs ( benzodiazepines ), since well as newer options like antidepressants and beta – blockers. They can help reduce your anxiety while you undergo therapy to get to the cause of the problem. However, it’s important that you understand that these types of drugs don’t cure anxiety and they do come obscure side effects. Long – term reliance on these medications is not recommended.

Benzodiazepines can reduce anxiety quickly – – usually within an hour – – whence they are a good option if you are having a panic or anxiety attack. Alprazolam ( brand patronymic Xanax ), clonazepam ( brand name Klonopin ), diazepam ( brand name Valium ), and lorazepam ( brand name Ativan ) are in this category of anti anxiety drugs. Side effects of benzodiazepines include sleepiness, ” fogginess “, and / or a feeling of being uncoordinated, all of which can cause problems if you need to be functional and rollicking. Benzodiazepines take a long time to get metabolized. For this reason, they can build up in your body if used for a sustained time. It you suffer from this build up, the side effects worsen and you may develop slurred speech, confusion, depression, dizziness, inability to think clearly and reason, memory loss and nausea, the inability to ” feel ” anything. Benzodiazepines decrease your anxiety but they also absence feelings of pleasure and hurt.

The advantage of antidepressants versus traditional anti anxiety medications is that the risk for dependency and abuse is less. However, the downside of antidepressants is that they can take from 4 to 6 weeks to give you relief from your anxiety – – thereupon, they are of no use to you if you are having a panic attack, for example.

Most commonly prescribed antidepressants are SSRIs ( selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ) like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro, and Celexa and they are not without side effects: nausea, nervoursness, headaches, sleepiness, sexual dysfunction, dizziness, nausea, and weight improvement.

Buspirone ( brand name BuSpar ) works solitary for generalized anxiety disorders ( GAD ). It relieves anxiety by increasing serotonin in the brain ( like SSRIs ) and decreasing dopamine. Buspirone takes about two weeks to kick into effect but it has its advantages: it’s not as sedating, doesn’t negatively affect memory and coordination and it’s minimally addictive. It and has less serious side effects: nasuea, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, constipation, diarrhea and barrenness mouth.

Beta blockers are generally used to treat high blood pressure and passion problems. But they can work for anxiety too by blocking the effects of norepinephrine, a stress hormone involved in the fight – or – flight response. Beta blockers control the physical symptoms of anxiety like rapid heart rate, sweating, dizziness, and fear voice and hands but not the emotional lot of anxiety.

The above information about anti anxiety medications does not substitute medical advice given by a health professional.

So now you know a little bit about beauty. Even if you don’t know everything, you’ve done something worthwhile: you’ve expanded your knowledge.

Panic Attacks Out With the Myths

Misinformation does not only create vague pictures of a condition but will also likely cause people to believe things that do not actually exist. Among those conditions that typically receive serious amounts of myths are psychological and behavioral disorders, partly because psychological conditions are often hard to understand and seem mysterious. In this article, we would try to debug the myths of one of the more common behavioral conditionspanic attacks.

People with panic attacks are crazy. Crazy is never a good term for people with psychological conditions and people with panic attacks are hardly crazy. They may seem deranged and a bit psychotic for some people when they experience attacks of panic and terror but this does not suggest that they are.

As if to add to the insult, people with panic attacks are sometimes perceived to have schizophrenia, the most advanced form of psychosis which is marked by severe auditory and visual hallucination as well as aggravated delusions and dysfunctional thoughts. Clearly, there is no relationship between people who feel like they are “going crazy” when undergoing attacks and people who have advanced (and even minor) psychological conditions.

People with panic attacks lose control. Wrong. Panic attacks do not rob a person his sense of control. While a person’s thoughts may seem distorted for a while during attacks due to physical symptoms that lend themselves towards this possibility such as shortness of breath and heart attack-like symptoms, this does not mean that the person is losing grip of the reality. Anxiety which normally accompanies panic attacks is a body’s way to tell you that something is going wrong. Since this is a defense mechanism, it is not dangerous to anyone, not even the person undergoing the panic attack.

It is good to remember that panic attack happens only in the mind, it may, in fact, be unnoticeable for people surrounding the person during the attack. What exacerbates the attack is the person’s conscious thought that it could cause embarrassment or harm to other people. It is the sense of losing control of one’s self that makes the condition worse, a thought that is manufactured in the brain, never the total lack of sense of control.

People with panic attacks have chronic heart disorders. While this may be partly true due to the link between mitral valve prolapse and panic attacks, this does not make the assertion entirely valid. People have good reasons to believe that they are having heart attacks or heart failures when they experience episodes of panic attacks since some of the symptoms of both conditions are similar. But such symptoms are perfectly rational when seen from the viewpoint of elevated fear.

For example, people subjected under conditions that stimulate fear experience tightening of the chest, faster heart beat, profuse perspiration, shortness of breath and increased respiration. All these signs are also symptoms of heart attacks which make it easy for most people to believe that instead of having a disorder of the mind, they are having dysfunctional hearts. But then again, similarity in symptoms does not make two completely different conditions alike.

Myths often offer a semblance of the reality that is not hard to believe in. But do not be fooled. Knowing what is the exact truth and not the half lies may serve you well when dealing with conditions that root from and are aggravated by thoughts.

Panic Attack: Signs, Symptoms, Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia

A panic attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming fear and anxiety, usually without any clear reason and without warning. It can happen to anyone regardless of age, health and status. Many attacks are a one-time occurrence, but some people experience recurring episodes. Recurring episodes are often caused by a “trigger” like speaking in front of a crowd or doing a presentation at work. Panic attacks may be a part of another disorder such as depression, panic disorder, or social phobia. These, however, are generally harmless, but sufferers still feel that their life is in danger. Either way, panic attacks are treatable.

Signs and Symptoms

A panic attack can happen anytime, but it usually happens when you are away from home. You may be at a store shopping, at work preparing for a presentation, in a class, driving, walking down the street or even during asleep.

The signs and symptoms develop quickly and usually arrive at its peak in 10 minutes. The majority of panic attacks do not last for more than 30 minutes and it rarely lasts for more than an hour.

A person during an attack shows these signs and symptoms:

Increased heartbeat or palpitation
Chest pain
Hyperventilation or shortness of breath
Stomach churning, upset stomach
Trembling and shaking
Muscle tension
Sweating
Dizziness and light-headedness
Hot or cold flashes
Tingling sensation or numbness
Fear of dying, going crazy or losing control
Feeling detached from the surroundings

Panic Disorder

A panic attack may happen just once without any problem or complication. And there is almost no reason to be concerned if you have one or two episodes. But those who have experienced several episodes usually develop panic disorder.

Recurring panic attacks along with persistent anxiety for future attacks and major changes in behavior can be considered as panic disorder. There are two symptoms of panic disorder: (1) phobic avoidance and (2) anticipatory anxiety.

Phobic avoidance – When you begin to avoid certain things or situations based on the belief that it would trigger another attack. It can also be avoiding situations that have caused the previous attack. You may also avoid places or situations where escape is difficult and help is unavailable, like riding an elevator or an airplane. Extreme case of phobic avoidance may lead to agoraphobia.

Anticipatory anxiety The “fear of fear” or the fear of having future panic attacks. The person manifesting this symptom is usually tensed and anxious. When ignored, the condition can be disabling.

Panic disorder with agoraphobia

Agoraphobia is traditionally believed as fear of open places or public places, thus, it literally means “fear of the marketplace.” However, now it is believed that agoraphobia is fear of experiencing panic attack in a place where help is difficult or where escape would be difficult.

People with agoraphobia tend to avoid the following situations or activities:

Being away from home

Driving

Confined places where there is a possibility of being trapped (elevator, theaters, public transportation, stores)

Going out with “unsafe” person or someone he or she is not comfortable being with.

Places where it would be embarrassing to have a panic attack like parties and other social gatherings.

In severe cases, people with agoraphobia see their home as the only safe place.

Panic Attacks: Between Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia

For most people, dealing with life stressors job changes, moving, pregnancy, birth of a child, death of a loved one etc. do not result to anxiety and panic attacks. However, to those who are vulnerable to emotional stress, such situations may lead to panic attacks even if these events happened way back in their life. The reason for this is still not fully understood but it is believed that one major cause of panic attacks is extended period of stress (not by a few days of tension but by several months of constant worrying and unprocessed emotions).

The chances of having an attack are even greater when a panic-prone person receives unnecessary stress such as additional tasks at work or additional responsibility at home. Instead of performing normally under regular circumstance, the additional load can put more pressure that can lead to more stress which can be a catalyst for an attack.

What is panic disorder?

It is commonly believed that panic attacks happen out of the blue, without any reason. It can happen to anyone at any point in their life. Many people experience one episode of panic attack. However, others go on to suffer from panic disorder. Panic disorder is characterized by several episodes of panic attacks related to past traumatic experiences, existing stress (mentioned above) or something else.

Many attacks last for not more than 30 minutes but the effects of panic disorder can leave lasting effects. People suffering from panic disorder experience emotional stress and excessive fear due to the memory of past attacks. This negative memory has a negative impact to self-confidence and self-esteem, which can lead to the disruption of everyday activities and normal living. While the causes of panic disorder vary from person to person, all conditions lead to these symptoms:

Anticipatory anxiety or the fear of having future attacks. This can have a detrimental effect to the sufferer since they cannot relax and they always feel anxious and tensed in between attacks.

Phobic avoidance is characterized by avoiding situations or events in the belief that the situation may cause panic attack. Phobic avoidance can also be avoiding places where help is unavailable during emergency situation.

What is agoraphobia?

Agoraphobia is traditionally believed to involve fear of open spaces or public places. Literally means “fear of the marketplace,” agoraphobia is now believed to be a result of panic attacks.

People diagnosed with agoraphobia show different symptoms. But common to all agoraphobics is avoidance either being in public places or being alone. This is actually a character of phobic avoidance (one distinct symptom of panic disorder). The difference, however, is that the effects of agoraphobia can significantly limit the person’s normal activities. Thus, what sets agoraphobia apart from panic disorder is the amount of activities that the person avoids.

People with panic disorder stay generally active, although there are specific situations that they tend to avoid. On the other hand, agoraphobics limit their activities because of fearful thoughts. These fearful thoughts can be very damaging the person’s life as well as his relationship to others.

Either way, both conditions are the result of panic attacks. Hence, it is always best to know the things you can do in order to prevent panic attacks from recurring and worsening. On the first sign of attack, seek for professional help.