Panic Attack (or on brink of one): best pill?

[GBFast]

What do posters find is the best (ie. quickest or most-effective or longest lasting) pill or pills for stopping / easing a panic attack or avoiding one if you feel one coming on?

Need to talk to my GP about something other then diazepam, I think. Doesn't seem to work either quickly, that effectively or long-enough for me ....

[Edward_1980]

The most other obvious choice would either be Xanax or Ativan (Lorazepam). I hope you can obtain either one from your GP and that they work for your Panic Attacks.

[Kim51]

What do posters find is the best (ie. quickest or most-effective or longest lasting) pill or pills for stopping / easing a panic attack or avoiding one if you feel one coming on?

Need to talk to my GP about something other then diazepam, I think. Doesn't seem to work either quickly, that effectively or long-enough for me ....

I use lorazepam and it is really effective, diazepam doesn't touch them for me I am lucky I have a GP who lets me have lorazepam on repeat as I use it sensibly

[Dazza123]

Is there much of a difference between Lorazepam and Diazepam? Ive been on varying doses of Diazepam for 18 months now daily due to an eating/swallowing disorder, and I wondered if the Lorazepam would be better? Sorry to hijack GBfast.

[Edward_1980]

Lorazepam is stronger than Diazepam.

[GBFast]

I am trying to keep to one (Diazepam) a day - ironically, I find that I get less anxiety-ridden as the day goes on and darkness approaches. I guess that's the depressive aspect of the anxiety - and knowing the Zolpidem and 6-7 hours of relief is closer ....

[nomorepanic]

The best thing is not medication but control the breathing and calm yourself that way.

[GBFast]

Well, yes, but when the sensations also need to be dulled ....

[PanchoGoz]

You won't learn to beat panic if you stop it with a pill. The sensations can be dealt with easily if you accept them and understand them. It can't harm you.

[GBFast]

That is the ideal, obviously, but, in a crisis situation is what I was thinking - like when there is an acute cause for the anxiety, for example (which is my situation at the moment).

[PanchoGoz]

Even in a crisis situation, anxiety can't hurt you. May I ask what sort of situation you were thinking?
Anixety is a good thing in some situations, sometimes it can save your life and if you always have something on hand to stop it, you can make the mistake of dmbing down your very sharp limbic system and end up putting yourself in actual danger.

[chl_hobbs]

even if passing out through hyperventilation /excessive heart rate? in choosing that or a pill then id need the pill every time. x

[PanchoGoz]

Nope, you won't faint. Have you ever fainted in a panic attack? The only way to see it through would be to try it and face the fear. Sorry to bug you, but it's the key to getting over panic disorder, you'll have it forever if you go for a pill but no therapy or reasoning.

[Edward_1980]

I am trying to keep to one (Diazepam) a day - ironically, I find that I get less anxiety-ridden as the day goes on and darkness approaches. I guess that's the depressive aspect of the anxiety - and knowing the Zolpidem and 6-7 hours of relief is closer ....

Is Zolpidem Stilnoct/Zolnod?

[noaalessi]

From my own personal experience, the best way to stop a panic attact and to completely remove it's power is to ask for it to hit you with all it's force. That way, you control IT instead of letting it control YOU.

"It that all you've got? I'm going to give you 22 seconds to knock me out with all your might"!

What happens is, because you're controlling it, it never actually comes, it just recedes :)
After you do that, you can just shift your focus onto something else.

No meds involved.

I've got a lot of information on how to stop panic attacks on my blog, as I've tried them myself, and I've worked with them for years now. (PM Me if you want the URL)

I must confess it does take a bit of courage to take this beast by it's horns, but I was really fed up with all the attempts and meds and therapies... I just got fed up with all of it and took action.

Good Luck! :)

[GBFast]

Still needed one diazepam earlier .....

[Edward_1980]

There's nothing wrong with needing a Valium.

[GBFast]

It got me where I needed to get to and back from this morning / afternoon ....