I am right down the street from you in San Diego, Welcome to forum, meds help to clear your mind to work on the issues that give you Anxiety/Panic attachs, but that is all they do, they will make the symptoms less but not a cure, takes allot of work on your part, to see why your body is getting Anxious at times it should not! best of luck. Also almost forgot as for side effects some people get them some do not, if you are a suggestable person I would say don't even look or read about the side effects of any medication in to much detail. any medication even down to Tylenol can have major side effects, everyone is different, but for the most, side effects will come and go, just goes by how much you can tolorate at the start.
I think SSRI's can be very helpful. Acute panic attack usually need to be controlled first. Klonopin at low doses is excellent. i would only take it long enough for the anti-depressant to kick in (four to six weeks).
anti deppressants are great meds for anxiety. Benzodiazapines (xanax, ativan, klonopin, valium) are highly addictive and other meds can work just as well.neurontin zoloft and celexa are all prescribed for anxiety. Talk to your dr about meds but remember there are other options like excersize good eating habits and therapy. Hope it helps.
Hello omar_s,
I'm sorry to hear that you are having to deal with this. I too was doing very well dealing with anxiety issues, I had even stopped all meds for over 2 years and then...it was back. Meds can be tricky with anxiety but through trial andd error you and your doctor can find what workd best for you. I dealt with severe anxiety for 10 years before I found what worked for me, don't get discouraged, that was a long time ago and docs are much better these days treating anxiety. That is if you find a good one. I can tell you I have probably tried everything there is, from anti-depressants to anti-anxieties. About 7 years ago I started taking Klonopin and it was the drug that worked best for me. I took it on a regular schedule and went from daily attacks to maybe one a week within a few months. Eventually I had an attack maybe once every three months. I eventually weaned off with my docs approval and went 2 years attack free and no meds! well, I recently started having bad attacks again and the doc put me on xanax. The xanax (for me) works on an as needed basis. I take one when I feel an attack coming on and it really helps relieve the symptoms. I don't really feel comfortable taking the xanax for a long period of time so if it continues will probably go back to klonopin. I certainly can't say this will work for you, I am only saying it worked for me. You really need to consult your doctor and make sure to ask a lot of questions. All of these meds have side affects, you just have to find the one that fits you best with the least side affects. Also, if you start one and don't like it, please do not stop taking it wothout talking to your doc as it can be very dangerous. Please understand, I am no doctor, just someone sharing my experience. Hope you find something that works for you, this is hell to live with! Good luck :-)