I’m Having Panic Attacks Daily: Can You Help?

Many people who experience anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), have regular panic attacks as a symptom. For many people who suffer from them, panic attacks can occur at any time, and they can interfere with their health and well-being.

If you suffer from panic attacks, our providers at Alpha Care Medical can help identify the causes and help you live well again. In this blog, we explain how to identify panic attacks and how treatment can help.

Identifying panic attacks

Panic attacks involve intense fear that isn’t necessarily linked to any real-world danger. Sometimes, that fear can set in with no identifiable cause. Although the situation may not be threatening, you might feel like something bad is about to happen or that you won’t survive the incident.

Furthermore, panic attacks can cause a number of physiological symptoms, such as a rapid heart rate, sweating palms, and lightheadedness. Other symptoms can include the following:

• A sense of fear or doom
• A sense of a loss of control
• Hot flashes
• Chills
• Abdominal cramping
• Feelings of detachment

It’s important to know that various symptoms felt in a panic attack can be caused by other issues, such as heart problems. Our team can fully evaluate you to rule out other potential causes for your symptoms.

Treating panic attacks

It’s important to know that more than 10% of Americans have panic attacks from time to time, and individual panic attacks often aren’t linked to panic disorder. With panic disorder, attacks are frequent.

However, if we evaluate you and diagnose you as having panic disorder, there are a number of things we can do to help you get better. For example, we may recommend psychiatric care, which may or may not involve medications.

If we think medications might help you, we might recommend antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. For example, we might recommend benzodiazepine, which can help level out mood by altering the chemistry inside the brain. 

We may also recommend psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This form of therapy can give you the space to express your underlying emotions, and, at the same time, help you identify panic attack triggers so you can avoid or manage them.

If you're experiencing panic attacks and want help, we can give you a thorough evaluation and discuss your next steps. To learn more, book an appointment online or over the phone with Alpha Care Medical today. We have locations in Seaford, Millsboro, Harrington, and Dover, Delaware.