Everybody in the world knows what it’s like to feel anxious every once in awhile. You get butterflies in your stomach before a first date. You start sweating before a big job interview. Your heart pounds when you almost get into a car accident. Those are all perfectly normal anxieties – but what if you experienced anxiety chronically? What if you felt tense and anxious all the time, usually with no real reason? That’s what someone with an anxiety disorder experiences every day.

Symptoms Of anxiety disorder

Someone with an anxiety disorder will usually exhibit the same symptoms, no matter what specific type they have. They’ll get a headache, start sweating, and experience muscle spasms. They’ll also experience heart palpitations which make them dizzy, light-headed or out of breath. They may also suffer from hypertension, or chronically elevated blood pressure. People suffering from hypertension are in danger of suffering from strokes, heart attacks, heart failure or even arterial aneurysms, so you can imagine just how dangerous it is for someone to experience those symptoms all the time without treatment.

Anxiety disorders comes under chronic conditions. A person can begin experiencing symptoms suddenly after an event triggers them, or it can be present from an early age. The disorders flare up in times of high stress. Almost all patients diagnosed with an anxiety disorder are also diagnosed with clinical depression, and vice versa. The two always seem to go hand in hand.

Causes Of Anxiety Disorders

Numerous clinical studies have suggested that there is a correlation between anxiety disorders and difficulty in maintaining balance due to malfunctions in the region of the brain known as the parabrachial nucleus. The parabrachial nucleus coordinates signals from the amygdala, the part of the brain involved in regulating emotional reactions – such as fear. There is a well-known connection between unusually high levels of SK2 potassium and anxiety as well.

There are a lot of biochemical factors that come into play as well. Low levels of a neurotransmitter called GABA which reduces over activity in central nervous system and this results in anxiety. Even chronic exposure to things like paint or varnish can cause the disorders.

Types Of Anxiety Disorders

There are many types of anxiety disorders. General anxiety disorder occurs when a person suffers from long-term anxiety that is not focused on anything in particular. Brief attacks of intense terror and dread are experienced by people who are suffering from panic disorder. Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a place or situation where getting away is difficult or embarrassing~Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a place or situation where person thinks that getting away is difficult or embarrassing}. Most other phobias are classed as anxiety disorders as well. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and separation anxiety are all anxiety disorders.

It’s Not Easy To Deal With Anxiety Disorders

People with anxiety disorders suffer symptoms nearly every day. However, with treatment, it is possible for them to live more normal lives and start overcoming the fears that are holding them back.

Those who have had an anxiety attack know what it is and how it feels. They know the terror of the heart racing in their chest, and the other symptoms, which combined leave them concerned for their life. They may have been in to the doctor and told it is “all in your head”  - and they’ve worried that it truly was all in their head and they are losing their mind.

For those who haven’t had an anxiety attack, this is a foreign subject. It’s time to learn more.

What causes an anxiety attack?

First, there are both physical and mental symptoms of an anxiety attack. Both can be debilitating. They can last from only a few seconds to a half hour or longer. (The average attack lasts thirty minutes.) They can be mild, or so intense that a trip to the emergency room seems in order.

The physical symptoms range from sweating and chest pains, inability to catch the breath, racing pulse, shaking or hot flashes or chills. Feeling dizzy, or faint, is also a common symptom to an anxiety attack.

The mental symptoms can be just as hard to deal with. Sufferers report feeling like they’re going to lose their mind, they are losing control, going crazy, or going to die. While they aren’t likely to die from an anxiety attack, the terror of an attack can be literally paralyzing. The feeling of fear, panic, and dread can leave the sufferer feeling like they’re either going to go crazy or actually die. .

What Causes Anxiety Attacks?

Anxiety attacks can be causes by several things. First, heredity or genetics plays a part. If you have relatives or ancestors who have suffered from anxiety attacks, you are more likely to have them also. But those without such connections can also have them.

The way in which one is raised can influence a propensity to have a panic attack. Studies show that those who are raised with a fearful outlook on life and their surroundings are more likely to have this disorder, as are those who have a very passive communication style.

Other physical conditions can also have an impact. Those who have obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, a vitamin B deficiency, or even labyrinthitis may induce panic or anxiety attacks.

Anxiety attacks can also be caused by chemicals introduced into the body.  These include “heavy duty” drugs, like Ritalin, anti-depressants, and all SSRI drugs, but also nicotine, alcohol, and even caffeine.

Mental issues can also trigger anxiety attacks. Things like phobias, previous panic attacks, or a significant loss or life change (like the death of a spouse) can cause an attack to occur.

Panic attack medication has developed and come a long way in helping people who suffer from panic attacks manage their symptoms and their underlying root causesThe stress and anxiety of these panic attacks is quite severe and one of the prime causes of their recurrences is the fear itself of another possible attack.Medication alone can be a palliative and offer some temporary relief, but when used in conjunction with good therapy can provide benefits of a long lasting and more significant order.

Therapy approaches the behavioral aspects of panic attacks, such as reacting to different stimuli or situations, whereas panic attack medication focuses on the biological, or more specifically, the chemical behavior of the brain.

There are several different types of panic attack medication available and many of them are quite recognizable including Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. These medications can help ease the symptoms of panic attacks and reduce the fear that sufferers often have about enduring another one in the future. These medications are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. They are anti-depressants and are commonly prescribed to help deal with depression.

They work by acting on the neurotransmitters in the brainand aid in blocking particular events which are precursors of depression, or when treating panic attacks, the fear receptors that tend to cause the heart to increase its rate or breathing to increase, frequently observed symptoms (or conditions) which occur just before a panic attack is experienced.

SSRIs are not the first medications available to help ease the conditions or symptoms of panic attacks. TCAs, or tricyclic antidepressants were earlier prescribed as panic attack medication, but SSRIs have been proven to be safer and more effective in long-term control of the symptoms.

Tofranil, Anafranil, and Norpramin are three of the most common TCA medications.Sometimes, however, a TCA panic attack medication will be more effective than its SSRI counterpart, as long as it is taken under the close supervision of a qualified and licensed medical professional. TCA side effects cover a wide range from minor (insignificant) to life-threatening (dangerous). Under no circumstances is it generally recommended for a pregnant woman to use any of these medications as all will pose a potential threat to the unborn child.

Also, medications that help reduce or alleviate the symptoms of anxiety and stress, such as Xanax, Valium, or Klonopin, are useful in treating panic attacks or panic disorders. These are recommended to be used more to deal with an immediate set of symptomswhile SSRIs have to be taken over a period of time. SSRIs must build up a level of sustainability in our bodies before their effects can be measured, whereas TCAs will act immediately and wear off in time.

With the use of SSRIs as a panic attack medication, it usually takes 6-8 weeks for their effect to be noticed on the panic attack occurrences. If no improvement is noted, a dosage adjustment or change in medication may be prescribed. Most of these medications are intended to be used for a year or longer before being reduced. These decisions concerning prescription medicine for panic attacks should only be made by a licensed and qualified practitioner. In any case, it should be understood that medication alone may ameliorate certain symptoms, but only when combined with effective therapy will the true value of treatment be found to be most effective, combating the ailment itself and not just the symptoms.