People with depression, anxiety and panic disorders benefit from counseling, but usually need medication to control symptoms as part of their overall treatment. Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that causes unexpected and severe anxiety or panic attacks. Certain medicines that were designed for depression also work to treat anxiety disorders, which also include generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress and phobias.
SSRIs
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, or SSRI, antidepressants treat both depression and anxiety disorders. For example, Fluoxetine treats panic attacks and depression; Escitalopram treats depression and anxiety symptoms by restoring the balance of serotonin and other brain chemicals--it improves moods, decreases nervousness and lifts energy; Citalopram treats depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder; Paroxetine works for depression, panic attacks and general anxiety disorders, including obsessive-compulsive behavior and post-traumatic stress; and Sertraline is used for depression, panic attacks, social phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post-traumatic stress. Venlafaxine is a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor closely related to SSRIs. It treats depression and generalized anxiety disorder by balancing serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain.
Tricyclics
Trigyclics are an older class of antidepressants, and work well for anxiety disorders, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. For example, Imipramine treats depression, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Tricyclics have more side effects than the newer SSRIs, including dizziness, dry mouth and weight gain, which are usually corrected by changing the dosage.
MAOIs
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors, or MAOIs, are the oldest class of antidepressants, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. MAOIs such as phenelzine, tranylcypromine and isocarboxazid treat panic disorder and social phobia, in addition to acting as an antidepressant. MAOIs may have side effects of increased blood pressure when taken with fermented or aged foods such as cheese and red wine, medications, birth control pills, pain relievers, or cold and allergy medications.
Anti-Anxiety Drugs
Benzodiazepines treat anxiety symptoms and have few side effects, which may include drowsiness, the National Institute of Mental Health explains. People suffering from panic disorder can take the medication for up to a year without becoming dependent on the drug. Lorazepam works to fight panic disorder, and alprazolam works for panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Clonazepam treats general anxiety and phobias. Buspirone is a newer drug that treats generalized anxiety disorder. It may cause side effects such as headaches, nausea and dizziness. Buspirone needs to be taken for two weeks before anti-anxiety effects are seen.
