I guess the thing is that we are all different and respond to different
drugs differently.
Therefore there isnt a single solution that is great for everyone, even
though we might all have the same disorder.
Some people prefer benzos or other pills they can take in response to
an attack of anxiety or panic (whether that be several times a day, a
couple of times or week, or even less frequently), other people prefer
an ongoing, once a day or even once a week solution that keeps them
in the same state of mind, more preventative rather than reactive.
Unfortunately the only way to learn about this is to try things, upon a
dr's advice of course.
Dr's are more keen on, and more likely to prescribe SSRIs now a days
as you dont build tolerance to them. Some people have reported bad
reactions to SSRI anti-depressants, but generally the incidence of bad
experiences is very low - about 1 in 10,000.
With benzos, the more addictive properties (especially tolerance) has
meant that some people (only some) tend to abuse them (willingly or
unwillingly) and this has led to long term addiction, law suits, and all
kinds of health problems.
Many people in the medical field believe that panic tends to be a
consequence or reaction to anxiety, and anxiety is inter-related with
depression, hence anti-depressants can be a very effective treatment.
As you start to feel better consistently on the anti-depressants, your
anxiety reduces, you are less down and out and thus less anxious, and
you stop panicking. In terms of brain chemistry they argue that
despressed and anxious people tend to find it difficult to retain
serotonin, and the drugs restore this chemical balance.
Many people, including myself, have found or are finding this to work
really well, at minimal cost. My SSRI, luvox, took about 4 weeks to
become fully effective, and its helped me to feel consistently good. I
seem to draw from my own positivity and this has resulted in a lot less
anxiety - i havent had a panic attack for almost 2 weeks now which has
been great. I had a couple of minor side effects at first - occasional
migraines, dry mouth and very thirsty, feeling edgy and a little "high",
but these feelings do wear off, at least they
