In the definition of panic attack , it can be said that our body is anatomically and physiologically healthy, but the functioning is stimulated in different ways by false alarms. In other words, unnecessary defensive training creates distress, anxiety, anxiety, anxiety, anxiety, anxiety, fear, tension, or whatever you name it, automatic thoughts that are wrong in perception.
These thoughts should be changed and the avoidance behaviors associated with it should definitely be treated. While antidepressants or psychotherapy can be applied alone, treatment protocols in which both are used together are very effective. The most important thing in panic attacks is to distinguish the disease from other medical diseases. This happens with the tests to be done under the supervision of the medical doctor and the appropriate treatment after the examination.
Patients may generally have come to an internal medicine or surgical doctor before, or they either ask the doctor for the necessary tests after the examination to the psychiatry doctor or seek support from the relevant branch. Later, if he has a therapy-oriented training, he either does it himself or plans the treatment with the specialist clinical psychologist. The psychiatrist can take the anxiety experienced by the patient in the form of psychotherapy with appropriate medication. This is necessary for the motivation and health of the therapy in cases where the patient’s anxiety is at a very high level.
If a psychologist is consulted, it is absolutely necessary for the patient to take the treatment with a consultant psychiatrist. For example, conditions such as goiter disease, heart failure, heart rhythm disorders, asthma attack, interaction or side effects of the drugs used; Any medical illness may be missed because it will be confused with panic attack symptoms such as palpitations, tremors, shortness of breath, numbness, headache, chest pain. Apart from this, doctor’s support should be sought in cases where the therapy conditions that require drug treatment, where anxiety increases too much, cannot be established.
Medication Use in Panic Attacks
Antidepressants and some anxiolytic drugs are used as anxiety relief in panic attacks. These drugs vary according to the age, gender, work status of the patient and, if any, use with other drugs used for other diseases. Appropriate drug selection is increased from the starting dose to the treatment dose, resulting in the least side effects. Anxiety creates weight gain in some patients and weight loss in others. These should also be considered when choosing drugs. If the job he is doing is a job that requires attention, this situation must be asked to the patient when choosing a drug. If there are alcohol-substance intake, pregnancy, breastfeeding, liver, kidney and cardiovascular diseases, the appropriate drug should be selected. While antidepressants show their effects within an average of two weeks to a month, side effects are very rare after the first weeks. In drug treatment, medication should be used for a sufficient period of time so that resistance to the disease does not develop. It is important not to stop the medication before the treatment is over. It should be used for at least four months. Depending on the course of the disease, the drug may need to be used for a few years, sometimes even for a lifetime. The drug is tapered and stopped under the doctor’s control. Otherwise, drug withdrawal effects due to sudden withdrawal may be observed. These are symptoms such as restlessness, dizziness, irritability, and feeling that the disease is recurring. Sometimes the possible side effect of the drug may also worry the patient. In this case, he should definitely tell his doctor about the side effects he experienced. Side effects mostly include headache, dizziness, nausea, constipation, palpitations, dry mouth, metallic taste in the mouth, blurred vision, sexual reluctance, weight gain. Sexual function side effect is aversion in women, While difficulty in having orgasm is at the forefront, it can be in the form of sexual reluctance, delayed ejaculation, erection problems in men. These side effects mostly pass after the first weeks. If it continues, it can be switched to the drug that has no or the least sexual function side effects. If the anxiety is very severe, some green prescription drugs with anxiolytic (anxiety-relieving) properties can be used for a very short time. Later, when the anti-anxiety properties of the antidepressant drug begin to develop, it is appropriate to stop the other drug. The greatest concern of patients and their relatives in drug treatment is their false beliefs that antidepressants cause addiction. This situation delays the treatment of patients, causes the disease to progress and the development of resistance to treatment. As the drug can be released very easily, it also has mitigating effects for medical diseases caused by stress in the body. It can be said that most stomach diseases, skin diseases, cardiovascular diseases are affected by stressor factors. In this case, the importance of treatment becomes more prominent.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Panic Attacks
In this treatment, the patient is given extensive information about how the disease occurs. Then, for the reduction of anxiety, breathing exercises and automatic false thoughts that create anxiety are replaced by positive thoughts, and behavioral action plans, the combat part of the fight or fight principle, that is, confrontation and extinguishing the incident and desensitization (desensitization) treatment is applied. Many techniques can be applied as psychotherapy. These are very effective in minimizing anxiety and preventing recurrence according to the patient’s compliance.
