Anyone who’s ever experienced an anxiety attack before knows just how horrible they can be.  People who suffer from an anxiety or panic disorder also understand just how debilitating the condition can become. It affects not only the anxiety sufferer but family, friends, and everyone around them.  Anxiety disorders can result in a disruption of daily life that can literally rip a family apart.

Modern medicine has created many different drugs to control anxiety and panic disorders. These drugs fall into several categories including MAOI’s (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors) and SSRI’s (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). SSRI’s such as Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, and Luvox are the most commonly prescribed. While effective for anxiety in many patients, antidepressant treatments usually come with a cost.

Antidepressants are powerful prescription drugs that commonly produce negative side effects such as nausea, headaches, diarrhea, weight gain, sedation, and sexual dysfunction.  Antidepressants are frequently addictive making them tough to quit once these side effects occur. Antidepressant drugs have even been linked (in rare cases) to suicide in young patients prompting the Food and Drug Administration to require a ‘black box’ warning label be placed on these drugs.  Prolonged usage of antidepressants can result in a higher drug tolerance in users leading to increased dosages to receive the same desired effect.

Fortunately, there are many effective natural remedies for anxiety available as safer alternatives to antidepressant drugs.  These drug-free anxiety remedies generally fall into two categories – cognitive behavioral treatment and herbal dietary supplements.

Cognitive behavioral treatment can involve the participation of a psychotherapist or psychiatrist who have one on one sessions with the patient.  This is called cognitive behavioral therapy. This approach focuses on changing the patient’s thinking patterns and developing coping mechanisms such as slow breathing techniques.  Patients learn how to detect faulty fight-or-flight response mechanisms within the body that are triggered during anxiety attacks.

Other cognitive treatments are anxiety self-help techniques without the help of an anxiety counseling professional.  Many people suffering extreme anxiety symptoms prefer this treatment method to avoid the fear of an appointment somewhere. These techniques involve relaxation exercises that calm both the body and the mind – such as breathing exercises and yoga. These techniques can be quite effective to ease anxiety symptoms.

The second category of natural panic attack remedies are dietary supplements. Natural herbal supplements offer effective treatment for anxiety problems without the risk of side effects or drug addiction. Natural remedies have been around for centuries and used successfully in treating anxiety all over the world symptoms.

Most anxiety professionals agree that the best anxiety treatments involves both anxiety medication and cognitive techniques.  Because of the growing awareness of the potential antidepressant side effects there is now a growing trend towards more natural medicine alternatives.  Natural remedies for anxiety such as select herbs and vitamins can not only offer anxiety relief, but can boost one’s overall immune and nervous system creating more resistance to stress which can accumulate leading to increased anxiety.