I still think though (especially since Paxil and other SSRIs take several weeks to work) that prescribing them in isolation was a bit inappropriate. I mean if you'd said it was a problem of months or years, that would have made more sense... Ah well, they doctors do love to overprescribe the SSRIs....

Giving up weed is a VERY good idea because it can be a major contributor to panic and anxiety problems...

..persons/ideas/expectation that they HAVE to "please"
& yanno, Measure Up To Expectations & so on.

Insomnia, I'm not completely disagreeing with you/rubbishing the CBT & such idea(s), mind -- just thought I'd get that out there straight away, in case I offend BUT
HOWEV:
There are some folk for whom the initial prospect of CBT, or certain other varieties of counselling/ intervention ( imo, particularly those which might have "group" components) , actually exacerbate the panic attacks and ratchets up the anxiety factor exponentially.

Smtms it's helpful to get the person -- even fairly young & even (older, imo)peds patients -- on a small dose of something that settles them down a bit & helps w/the panic, before they can think calmly enough to properly go into any CBT/counselling/group or w/e setting, without it actually causing sequential heightened panic

That's not everybody, of course. So believe me, I take your meaning and agree that if it can be managed a good CBT/p-doc & such is often the way forward.

Just that, for a few folk, they need to get themselves settled a bit first? Am I making sense at all?

BTW you haven't lived till you've had a panicking anxiety-attack-having kid kick you in the everywhere -- including face --whilst you're driving them to therapy appointment
Too much pressure apparently?

Anyway
Everybody is a BIT diff, yeah. Not everything works for all of us, nor should it.
Finding what works for you might be a bit of a journey. IMO: It may help as said above, to do a Pros-n-Cons list/What's The Worst That Can Happen? agenda maybe; see if that settles your anxiety somewhat? If you feel able for it?

(But. Please. Break it down into manageable units...GOOD CBT DOES help with that, so do other things smtms )+
And pls keep the "WORST THAT COULD HAPPEN??" end of it w/in at least somewhat realistic boundaries, OK? BC I had a client & then later a fam member, who went waaaay out there in imagining all sortsa sci-fi/horrorshow stuff. Helped the panic/anxiety/doom-n-death obsessing not one whit, made it worse by miles. Poor thing.

So yeah. I've now done just exactly what Seventeen says I do.
Oh fukn wellz

xo
Chyia (btw thank your stars that you can sleep! That's key.)

yeah i guess it must be hard for a doctor to decide weather to give them or not.

like i mean how could you tell if it is just a bit of a one off or will last for months / years? Do you think that someone should have to wait and suffer with horrible anxiety and the depression that can come from it for months/years before they get the chance to see if it can be helped with medication? Especially seeing as in the uk a waiting list for cbt can be up to a year long! Which is a horribly long time to wait and have to deal with feeling like **** and live your life normally?
Or like chyia said, what if you're even too anxious to attend something like CBT. its a hard one!

If you could go to cbt or a therapist for a few sessions after the first couple of doctors visits so they can see how serious it is (which will never ever happen for panic attacks because of the waiting lists) it should probably be decided if medication is a good idea after this imo.
But seeing as the wait will most likely be a lot longer than a few weeks i guess i can totally see why medication is given before for a lot of people. Especially the ones who keep coming back to the doctor upset.

I don't know, it's just such an annoying thing to get. I hate it. I don't think anyone who hasn't had recurring panic attacks for months/years knows how horrific and actually disabling it can be.
It's good doctors do have meds for it and are willing to prescribe them!

Do you reckon the oversubscription to ssri's is mainly for depression though? There are plenty of people i know (including my younger sister and plenty of friends) who have just said they felt bad(not even for months)... and 'wanted to die' and been given them straight away.. on a first or second appointment. its like as soon as someone says they want to kill themselves, you get an ssri thrown at you with no doubt about it.

I had to wait a long time before anyone prescribed me anything for panic attacks(in the uk and also i guess it depends on whos your doctor so that's unlike earthcrosser75.) and i had a much ****ter time for years than her short experience of being 'depressed'.