Amber Nipper

This is a great question to ask your prescribing provider. A psychiatrist would be the best professional to seek these services from. Call your insurance company and they can help direct you to a psychiatrist in your area that accepts your insurance. However, if you are prescribed an antidepressant (typically these are SSRIs or SNRIs) then yes, these are medications that you would take daily. It is also important that if you want to stop the medication to have your prescribing provider help you slowly lower the dosage, as antidepressants sometimes have unpleasant side effects if stopped abruptly.

Depression and anxiety tend to affect similar neurotransmitters in the brain. Therefore, the impact of SSRI's and SNRI's (typically the first line medications used) tends to regulate mood and reduce anxiety, including panic attacks. These types of medications tend to take 4 to 6 weeks before you feel them working, and doses are tapered up slowly. It is also important that they are taken as prescribed (typically one to two times a day), as stopping these medication abruptly or missing more than a day can contribute to unpleasant side effects. There are other medications that can be used as more short-term (as needed) needs as well. I recommend consulting with a psychiatrist to identify which medication may be best for your individual needs. To connect with a psychiatrist you can contact your insurance company and they can direct you to some in the area that accept your insurance.

Yes, there are plenty of medications that have been shown to be effective with anxiety/panic attacks. I recommend you speak to a prescribing provider. A psychiatrist is preferred. Contact your insurance company and they can help direct you to a psychiatrist in your area that accepts your insurance.

The effectiveness for therapy versus medication for anxiety varies depending on your individual needs. However, most research shows a combination of medication and therapy to be most effective in the majority of cases.

That is based on your needs. If you feel that medication may be needed, a psychiatrist will be beneficial. If you are seeking therapeutic services (individual/group therapy), you would want to seek out a psychologist or masters level clinician.

A proper evaluation is recommended to clarify diagnosis, as many, particularly anxiety disorders have overlapping symptoms. I recommend seeking out a psychological evaluation with a psychologist. We conduct these types of assessments at our office.

Depression and anxiety tend to affect similar neurotransmitters in the brain. Therefore, the impact of SSRI's and SNRI's (typically the first line medications used) tends to regulate mood and reduce anxiety. These types of medications tend to take 4 to 6 weeks before you feel them working, and doses are tapered up slowly. There are other medications that can be used as more short-term (as needed) needs as well. I recommend consulting with a psychiatrist to identify which medication may be best for your individual needs.

Consultation with your prescribing provider is recommended.

Consultation with your prescribing provider is recommended. If you would like a psychological evaluation for diagnostic clarification and specific support and treatment recommendations that would be helpful for you, seek out a psychologist. We provide these evaluations at my office.

There are different professionals you may want to seek if you are experiencing panic attacks. If you would like a psychological evaluation to clarify diagnoses, identify what may be contributing to them, and what kind of support and treatment may be helpful, then consultation with a psychologist would be helpful. We do these evaluations at our office. If you feel that you are clear on diagnoses and would like medication to help, then consulting with a psychiatrist would be beneficial. Additionally, seeking out a mental health therapist to meet with regularly and help you talk through your experience and identify coping strategies is recommended.

Depression and anxiety tend to affect similar neurotransmitters in the brain. Therefore, the impact of SSRI's and SNRI's (typically the first line medications used) tends to regulate mood and reduce anxiety. These types of medications tend to take 4 to 6 weeks before you feel them working, and doses are tapered up slowly. There are other medications that can be used as more short-term (as needed) needs as well. I recommend consulting with a psychiatrist to identify which medication may be best for your individual needs.

I do work with patients who experience depression, as do others at our office. At this time our individual therapy openings are limited, but we have group therapy openings that would be very beneficial as well. The Adult Process group or Life Improvement groups are ones I would recommend to begin.