Question:
Dear Doctor,
I'm a 49 yr. old female that has had panic disorder for almost 15 yrs. I was on 6mg. Xanax and 100mg. of Zoloft for about 10yrs. I quit cold turkey 14 months ago. It was extremely difficult and I wouldn't recommend quitting that way. But I have had an incident happen that has brought back some of the anxiety and was wondering what if anything I could take to help ease the anxiety without having to worry about becoming addicted to something again. My Dr. doesn't seem to understand panic anxiety disorder that much, so I would love your opinion.
Thank you.
Dr. Heller's Answer:
Panic disorder is a recurrent problem, it’s unlikely to go away completely. While some patients respond to alternative medicine treatments such as acupuncture, most need medication. The high SSRI dose (Zoloft 100mg) is an excellent choice and usually prevents most attacks after a few months. Xanax is effective for the attacks but can be very addicting.
You should see a physician knowledgeable about panic disorder, whether that physician is a psychiatrist, GYN, Family Physician or an Internist.
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