4 ms·

so are there really just magic pills you can take that stop panic attacks? this guys carries them around but doesn't say if he's had to use them.

by modzu 8y ago

freakout 8y ago
No, there aren't. But physicians aren't psychiatrists and often the first treatment people get to treat panic attacks comes from their physician, and is something like a beta-blocker. By and large these are ineffective. That said, the placebo effect can be strong.
- cryoshon 8y ago
  can confirm firsthand that beta blockers are not useful for panic disorders despite being widely indicated for them. the beta blockers are intended to treat the physical symptoms of anxiety like shaking, sweating, and fast heartbeat. IMO they're a therapy which is really targeted at the doctors, who will feel better if they are able to prescribe something which theoretically helps the patient but doesn't carry any major risks like other therapies might. it turns out you can still have extreme anxiety and a panic attack if the overt physical symptoms aren't there, however. anxiety is a state of mind as much as it is a set of physical symptoms.
  - nicklovescode 8y ago
    Do you have research to support this? Propranolol for instance is psychoactive in addition to hitting plasma norepinephrine / blood pressure etc
    - freakout 8y ago
      I was on propranolol for 4 years or so because I was having panic attacks but had an irrational fear of antidepressants, which is what most doctors suggested I try. My logic was A) I'm not depressed, and B) I don't want to mess with my brain chemistry and become normal and boring. I was young. In a case of cruel irony, I actually became quite depressed during the time I was taking propranolol. (Recent studies suggest this is not coincidence.) It also had no effect whatsoever on my baseline anxiety, which remained uncomfortably high, though it did prevent me from having the actual attacks that I considered my worst symptom. At one point I stopped taking propranolol for a year. The highlight of this year was losing a prestigious international post-grad fellowship when I had a complete anxious meltdown during my final telephone interview. When it was over, I vomited. After that, I finally gave in and told a doctor to give me the antidepressants (in my case, 75mg venlafaxine). For me, the effect was immediate, and I can only compare it to a case of cured tinnitus. All of a sudden, this uncomfortable thing that I could feel at all times and that I was always conscious of possibly overwhelming me was gone. Presto. I must say I immediately felt remorseful and a bit stupid for prolonging my suffering for as long as I did by refusing to try antidepressants. I stayed on venlafaxine until a couple years after my wife and I started dating, at which point I felt like I could taper off, and I did. I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to look up how much of a pain that can be. So, my recommendation to fellow anxiety sufferers is to not be afraid to try antidepressants even though you may feel anxiety is the opposite of depression. At least don't settle for a half-cure until you've explored all your options.
cryoshon 8y ago
benzodiazepines are the effective treatment for panic attacks. they're flawed for a lot of reasons, however: addiction potential, rebound anxiety, reduction in emotionality / cognition, weakening of short term memory, somnolence, etc. the medical standard of the 2000s - present would also be pushing SSRIs as the remedy for chronic anxiety, though they're quite useless for acute panic attacks. third-line treatment might be barbiturates or similar, which would work in cases of acute panic. not sure if they are actually used however.
stef25 8y ago
Any benzo would probably work but they need time to kick in.
homero 8y ago
Yes xanax works perfectly but stops working if you use it daily and makes things worse
- addajones 8y ago
  Exactly, its just a bandaid that keeps ripping the more you use it. Meditation and positive thinking and exercise I think help best.
hrktb 8y ago
It depends on the person (some substances work better than others on someone, most doctors will recommend to try for 4~5 weeks and see if there is any effect, positive or negative). Also there can be a strong placebo effect of taking the pill.
mindgam3 8y ago
As stated in other comments, Xanax or other benzos can bring you down. Or you could go to the hospital and get injected with a nice strong sedative like Haldol. None of these approaches are particularly healthy longterm. The closest thing I've found to a magic pill after years of searching has been CBD. Smoking a high CBD cannabis strain is probably the fastest way to get it in your system in an emergency. If you're somewhere smoking isn't an option, they have tinctures you can put under your tongue. Unlike Xanax or other pharmaceutical solutions, CBD is natural, has mild to no side effects, isn't addictive, and is non-toxic i.e. it won't kill you if you overdose.

so are there really just magic pills you can take that stop panic attacks? this guys carries them around but doesn't say if he's had to use them.

by modzu 8y ago

so are there really just magic pills you can take that stop panic attacks? this guys carries them around but doesn't say if he's had to use them.

freakout 8y ago

No, there aren't. But physicians aren't psychiatrists and often the first treatment people get to treat panic attacks comes from their physician, and is something like a beta-blocker. By and large these are ineffective. That said, the placebo effect can be strong.

cryoshon 8y ago
can confirm firsthand that beta blockers are not useful for panic disorders despite being widely indicated for them. the beta blockers are intended to treat the physical symptoms of anxiety like shaking, sweating, and fast heartbeat. IMO they're a therapy which is really targeted at the doctors, who will feel better if they are able to prescribe something which theoretically helps the patient but doesn't carry any major risks like other therapies might. it turns out you can still have extreme anxiety and a panic attack if the overt physical symptoms aren't there, however. anxiety is a state of mind as much as it is a set of physical symptoms.
- nicklovescode 8y ago
  Do you have research to support this? Propranolol for instance is psychoactive in addition to hitting plasma norepinephrine / blood pressure etc
  - freakout 8y ago
    I was on propranolol for 4 years or so because I was having panic attacks but had an irrational fear of antidepressants, which is what most doctors suggested I try. My logic was A) I'm not depressed, and B) I don't want to mess with my brain chemistry and become normal and boring. I was young. In a case of cruel irony, I actually became quite depressed during the time I was taking propranolol. (Recent studies suggest this is not coincidence.) It also had no effect whatsoever on my baseline anxiety, which remained uncomfortably high, though it did prevent me from having the actual attacks that I considered my worst symptom. At one point I stopped taking propranolol for a year. The highlight of this year was losing a prestigious international post-grad fellowship when I had a complete anxious meltdown during my final telephone interview. When it was over, I vomited. After that, I finally gave in and told a doctor to give me the antidepressants (in my case, 75mg venlafaxine). For me, the effect was immediate, and I can only compare it to a case of cured tinnitus. All of a sudden, this uncomfortable thing that I could feel at all times and that I was always conscious of possibly overwhelming me was gone. Presto. I must say I immediately felt remorseful and a bit stupid for prolonging my suffering for as long as I did by refusing to try antidepressants. I stayed on venlafaxine until a couple years after my wife and I started dating, at which point I felt like I could taper off, and I did. I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to look up how much of a pain that can be. So, my recommendation to fellow anxiety sufferers is to not be afraid to try antidepressants even though you may feel anxiety is the opposite of depression. At least don't settle for a half-cure until you've explored all your options.

cryoshon 8y ago

benzodiazepines are the effective treatment for panic attacks. they're flawed for a lot of reasons, however: addiction potential, rebound anxiety, reduction in emotionality / cognition, weakening of short term memory, somnolence, etc. the medical standard of the 2000s - present would also be pushing SSRIs as the remedy for chronic anxiety, though they're quite useless for acute panic attacks. third-line treatment might be barbiturates or similar, which would work in cases of acute panic. not sure if they are actually used however.

stef25 8y ago

Any benzo would probably work but they need time to kick in.

homero 8y ago

Yes xanax works perfectly but stops working if you use it daily and makes things worse

addajones 8y ago
Exactly, its just a bandaid that keeps ripping the more you use it. Meditation and positive thinking and exercise I think help best.

hrktb 8y ago

It depends on the person (some substances work better than others on someone, most doctors will recommend to try for 4~5 weeks and see if there is any effect, positive or negative). Also there can be a strong placebo effect of taking the pill.

mindgam3 8y ago

As stated in other comments, Xanax or other benzos can bring you down. Or you could go to the hospital and get injected with a nice strong sedative like Haldol. None of these approaches are particularly healthy longterm. The closest thing I've found to a magic pill after years of searching has been CBD. Smoking a high CBD cannabis strain is probably the fastest way to get it in your system in an emergency. If you're somewhere smoking isn't an option, they have tinctures you can put under your tongue. Unlike Xanax or other pharmaceutical solutions, CBD is natural, has mild to no side effects, isn't addictive, and is non-toxic i.e. it won't kill you if you overdose.