Severe Panic Attacks

For most people, a panic attack may be something they experience once or twice in their life, if at all. However, a severe panic attack comes on suddenly and for no apparent reason, and can even manifest intense physical reactions. Severe panic attacks can be terrifying, and can cause a person to think that they are about to die, as they often mimic heart attack symptoms. For those who experience panic attacks frequently, may be suffering from a recognized ailment referred to as panic disorder.

Severe Panic Attacks Symptoms
A rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea and hot flushes are all severe panic attack symptoms. Different people experience varying symptoms, which include sweating, faintness, trembling, headache, chest pain from stress and anxiety, hyperventilation, abdominal cramping, chills, tightness in your throat and having trouble swallowing. In most cases, panic attacks come on suddenly, and usually build for the next 10 minutes. Among the many different forms people have experienced are panic attacks that can last for half an hour and rarely, lasting a full day. Most panic attacks leave the person exhausted, and the thought of having another one itself, can cause serious anxiety symptoms. In severe cases, people are reluctant to leave their homes, feeling that no other place is safe.

Often, there is limited knowledge of the causes of severe panic attacks or panic disorder. However, stress, genetics and changes in brain function could be the contributing factors. The changes a person experiences during a panic attack, is the body's natural response to danger. By increasing heart rate and breathing, the body readies itself to fight, or for flight. What leaves most scientists flummoxed is why these changes are experienced in situations where there is no apparent danger.

Severe Panic Attack Treatments
The good news is that proper treatment effectively controls and eliminates all the symptoms of severe panic attack. With medications and/or psychotherapy, a person is able to live a normal life. Some of the medications used to control the symptoms which may sometimes include depression are:

• SSRIs: These are medicines that fall in the category of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They include citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac, Prozac Weekly), escitalopram (Lexapro), sertraline (Zoloft), and paroxetine (Paxil, Paxil CR).
• MAOIs: The monoamine oxidase inhibitors or MAOIs are antidepressants that are used as a last resort medication, as they require strict dietary restrictions and can cause life-threatening side effects. They include selegiline (Emsam), phenelzine (Nardil), isocarboxazid (Marplan) and tranylcypromine (Parnate).
• SNRIs: These serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or SNRIs are antidepressants prescribed for mood disorders like depression and include duloxetine (Cymbalta) and venlafaxine (Effexor, Effexor XR).
• Benzodiazepines: These mild sedatives are part of the family of central nervous system (CNS) depressants. They can be addictive when consumed in high doses for a long duration. They include alprazolam (Xanax), lorazepam (Ativan) and clonazepam (Klonopin).
• TCAs: The tricyclic antidepressants or TCAs are known to have side effects that range from heart to blood sugar problems. They include desipramine (Norpramin), nortriptyline (Pamelor), and imipramine (Tofranil).

The other course of treatment is psychotherapy. It equips the patient with better understanding of the panic disorder, and equips them to deal with severe panic attacks. The main kind of psychotherapy used in these circumstances is cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps a person modify those thinking patterns that trigger fears and panic attacks. It also equips a person to change the way they react (behave), when they begin to feel anxious.

Along with these treatment, one can also join a support group for people with severe panic attacks. Other activities that are said to help and that will also bolster your overall health are exercise, meditation, yoga and getting sufficient sleep.