Getting to the heart of panic disorder
Mr. P suffers anxiety spells and feels faint, breathless, and near collapse. Numerous doctors could not find the cause. Are these episodes panic attacks, or something more serious?
FOLLOW-UP: A PANIC-FREE FUTURE
Over the next 4 weeks, Mr. P has stopped taking alprazolam and begins to understand that his episodes were secondary to cardiopulmonary dysfunction. No longer afraid of developing a panic attack, he is going out more often.
Mr. P recently told us that he started a part-time job, decreased his smoking to a half pack/day, and has a plan to quit smoking completely. He adds that he is using his CPAP machine regularly and has remained free of panic-like episodes. He limits physical exertion to avoid cardiopulmonary symptoms.
Related resources
- Raj A, Sheehan DV. Medical evaluation of panic attacks. J Clin Psychiatry 1987;48:309-13.
- Jones DR, Macias C, Barreira PJ, et al. Prevalence, severity, and co-occurrence of chronic physical health problems of persons with serious mental illness. Psychiatr Serv 2004;55:1250-7.
- Alprazolam • Xanax
- Citalopram • Celexa
- Paroxetine • Paxil
Dr. Khan is a speaker for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals.
Dr. Grimsley reports no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.
