Depression Learning

Can Drugs used for Panic Disorders and Depression do Harm?

Panic disorders are very stressful on the mind and body. You can literally make yourself sick with panic attacks; therefore, many well meaning doctors prescribe drugs to stop you from panicking. The problem here is that there are lots of people walking around taking drugs for panic disorders that are severely depressed. There are many kinds of drugs to help reduce panic attacks; there are beta blockers, such as Inderal and Tenormin, then there are tricyclic antidepressants, such as Effexor and Elavil.

If you have panic attacks your doctor might have prescribed one of the above mentioned types of medications, or you might be treated with benzodiazepines, such as Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax, or you might be given monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) such as Nardil, and Parnate. Then again, you might be given selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. You might even be given a mixture of any or all of these medications.

Many people in the medical field want to help their patients feel better, but often they don’t feel better because they are so drugged up they can’t get out of bed in the mornings. Many of the drugs given for panic disorders have side effects that cause depression symptoms. Some doctors are beginning to believe that less medication is better treatment for anxiety and depression. Medications to treat panic attacks can cause sleepiness, insomnia, depression and anxiety. Yes, a medication you take for panic attacks can give you anxiety. Some people have tremors, dry mouth, and dizziness, and weight loss, loss of libido, mania, and heart palpitations.

Some doctors believe in the body’s ability to heal without any help from anxiety and depression drugs. Many of these same doctors believe that the side effects from these drugs can cause lasting damage to your organ systems. Many individuals have suffered organ damage from the chemicals in anti-anxiety and depression drugs. Many of the drugs to treat anxiety and depression cause liver and kidney damage. If you are on medications for anxiety and/or depression, your doctor may need to do blood levels at least yearly to keep track of the functioning of your internal organs.

It is possible that some people with panic attacks could be treated without so much medication. Some people with liver and kidney disorders can’t take medications, because those medications have a tendency to cause liver and kidney problems. Psychotherapy does help people with panic attacks. Some counselors actually take their clients out of the office environment and introduce them to the things that make them anxious. The more you face what you fear, the less you will begin to fear it. For instance, if you panic when you even think of going outside of your apartment, you are making your panic disorder worse by feeding that fear. By facing your fear and going outside your home or apartment, you will find out that you will not die. Many people with panic disorder have the irrational fear that doing what they fear will cause them so much fear that they will die. However, with the help of their therapists, many people can begin to live normal lives without panicking so much. The individuals, who face what they fear, feel their anxiety and let it get to as high as it can, and then the anxiety will begin to deescalate. These individuals learn to feel the anxiety and let it pass without drugging themselves to the point that they have to stay in bed all the time. Medications do have their place to treat anxiety and depression; however, for people who have impaired kidneys and liver, it might be more beneficial to them to try facing what they fear and get over it, rather than taking drugs that may make their organs even worse than they are.

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