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Suggest Treatment For Anxiety And Panic Attacks
Question: i am having extreme anxiety attacks and panicking a lot went to several doctors ant they suggested me to see a phyiactrist to help me percribed me some medication ive been calling around and i do no think i can wait this long im freaking out i can not even have a conversation with my mom. my body is shaking and i just been getting worse. I am angry and i have a slight form of OCD i need help please help me
Brief Answer:
SSRIs is treatment of choice
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing to us,
Lexapro is escitalopram, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) and an antidepressant. It is used for alleviating anxiety as well. For adequate response with this drug, it has to be taken for an adequate duration of 4-6 weeks at an optimal dose. If there is inadequate response despite this, there are other SSRIs that your doctor can prescribe like sertraline and paroxetine that are found to be more useful in anxiety. As these drugs take at least two weeks to start acting they are usually prescribed with benzodiazepines for the initial few weeks to give instant relief from anxiety till the SSRI can start working.
It would be advisable to wait to meet the psychiatrist, and in the mean while you may try out some relaxation techniques, meditation or yoga etc. If you are unable to do it yourself then you may visit a trained therapist/ psychologist who would teach you relaxation techniques and other non-pharmacological ways to deal with the problem. If that fails then you may request your doctor to prescribe benzodiazepines.
Hope this helps,
Dr A Rao
SSRIs is treatment of choice
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for writing to us,
Lexapro is escitalopram, a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) and an antidepressant. It is used for alleviating anxiety as well. For adequate response with this drug, it has to be taken for an adequate duration of 4-6 weeks at an optimal dose. If there is inadequate response despite this, there are other SSRIs that your doctor can prescribe like sertraline and paroxetine that are found to be more useful in anxiety. As these drugs take at least two weeks to start acting they are usually prescribed with benzodiazepines for the initial few weeks to give instant relief from anxiety till the SSRI can start working.
It would be advisable to wait to meet the psychiatrist, and in the mean while you may try out some relaxation techniques, meditation or yoga etc. If you are unable to do it yourself then you may visit a trained therapist/ psychologist who would teach you relaxation techniques and other non-pharmacological ways to deal with the problem. If that fails then you may request your doctor to prescribe benzodiazepines.
Hope this helps,
Dr A Rao
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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