Panic attacks? What drugs will VA give me?

[FrankTC]

7. Age Shouldn't Matter

Panic attacks suck, but there are many therapy options. First-line meds for help aren’t exclusively anxiolytics. Antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, or tricyclics) are first-line meds too, and for them age isn’t an issue. Panic attacks — like hell flowers that grow in the dark soil of depression — are typically correlated with depression over the life course. So treating the depression can be helpful. Especially since many physicians are reluctant to prescribe benzodiazepines due to their potential for habituation (and abuse). There are other classes of medication also, and psychological therapies can be effective too. They can be challenging (sometimes you are coached into creating panic symptoms in order to learn to master them) but nevertheless effective. Nothing works for everyone but usually something does.