Reply #5: Well I'm no doctor or what have you... [View All]

I have had them and they are a pain in the ass. The last time I had one was in September, and figured after that I should probably take the medicine they had given me (Celexa). Some people leave panic disorders untreated and develop phobias of going outside in public, for fear that they'll get all panicked again.

Your doctor has prescribed you the drug Alprazolam, but as a brand name I think most are familiar with it as Xanax (correct me if I'm wrong). There are side effects, but I think it's a risk that you probably need to take if you don't want these to happen again. You could go weeks with feeling alright, but then burst into panic mode again without warning.

hope this helps

Oh and, quitting smoking would be excellent in so many many ways. My aunt felt less anxiety when she quit smoking. Oddly enough, she started to curb her anxiety... but it ended up making her more irritable/anxious while smoking than when she wasn't.