“What treatment can help manage panic attacks?”

Hi there. I'm sorry to hear you are having panic attacks so frequently. When panic attacks are starting to interfere with your everyday life, that's a good sign that it's time to get some help. There are a few ways we help to manage panic attacks. Most of the research suggests that a combination of medication and talk therapy works the best for the majority of people.

With the medication route, your provider might prescribe you a fast-acting anti-anxiety medication to help your panic attacks feel more manageable in the moment. These are medications you take right when you feel a panic attack coming on or feel particularly stressed. Another alternative is to prescribe a daily, longer term medication that is meant to be longer-acting and lower your overall levels of anxiety throughout the day.

Talk therapy can also be very beneficial. In talk therapy, you can learn tools to help you navigate panic attacks, such as breathing techniques, grounding techniques, or other mindfulness techniques. Talk therapy is also a great place to discover if there are things in your life that are contributing to your anxiety. Personally, I think this can be especially helpful to make sure we are getting to the underlying cause of your anxiety.

Feel free to check out my video response to your question on TikTok @drkristinewberry.

Seeking mental health treatment such as therapy may be a good way to help figure out the root cause while also learning coping skills to combat the symptoms. Medication may also be helpful with this as well.

My best recommendation is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and medicines like Ativan, Zanax and Buspirone.