Medication For Panic Disorder?

[Deleted member 37343]

I was just wondering if other people on here have Panic Disorder and what your experiences were with taking medication for it..

One session my therapist suggests I go speak with a doctor to discuss medication to help with symptoms but then the next sessions she says I don't need any medication what so ever..

As much as I don't want to take medication, I'm starting to become a bit open to at least some anti-anxiety meds or something to stop me from being stuck in my head.. I'm just tired of having 2-3 hour panic attacks at 3 in the morning and then I have to be getting ready to leave the house at 7:00am.

My compulsions are still terrible and they really make living a bother.. sometimes I have good days, but other days my compulsions take over and my fingers are raw and/or my mouth/gums/lips are all chewed up so I can't even do basic oral hygiene which is really disgusting and I'm worried I'll get a form of cancer due to my compulsion. Sometimes I have no choice but to not eat for days because it hurts to much to put anything in my mouth or everything hurts to touch when my fingers are raw..

I was also wondering about the steps toward getting prescriptions. Should I speak with a psychiatrist first or should I go through my primary and get suggestions?

 

[Eagle3]

I went through a psychiatrist for my meds, at the request of my then-therapist. She was right, a good dose of Buspar brought the anxiety down enough to function. My lips stopped turning blue so much! I've been on the stuff for almost 2 years now, and I'm finally getting to the point where I can tell when I'm anxious and when I'm not, thanks to both the meds and therapy. I do take Lorazepam as needed for acute panic attacks or severe insomnia, and my GP was fine with prescribing that, but now my psychiatrist handles all my psych meds. Its easier this way I think. We've started discussing the possibility of weaning off the Buspar, but not until I'm a little better at handling my anxiety levels.

 

[Friday]

Psychiatrist. Hands down. There are hundreds of psychiatric meds alone, thousands of everything-else meds. You want a cardiologist prescribing & monitoring the medication for your heart, and a psychiatrist prescribing and monitoring the medication for your brain.

On the not able to eat for days bit? Not only will that make panic & anxiety worse, but there's an easy fix. Meal replacement shakes. Either a straw between your teeth if you can close your lips, or knock it back like a beer at a frat house, barely even touching the sides of your throat, if you can't.