There seems to be a lot of confusion about medication for agoraphobia and I get emailed lots of questions about this topic.
So here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about medication: Can you recover from agoraphobia without taking medication? The answer to this question is yes.
Medication can only mask the symptoms of agoraphobia, but cannot offer a long-term cure.
The bottom line is that medication stops working when you stop taking it.
To achieve a lasting recovery from agoraphobia you need to build the skills necessary for staying calm and confident in phobic situations.
Can medication help you recover? Although it does not offer a cure, medication CAN help you recover from agoraphobia.
In fact, the combination of medication with cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered by some researchers to be the most powerful treatment.
Medication can provide temporary relief of anxiety or panic symptoms while you build the skills you need to confront fear successfully.
Then you can cut back on the medication as you gain confidence in your own ability to enter feared situations.
In my own recovery from agoraphobia, I often carried two .
25mg tablets of Xanax in my pocket.
Although I didn't actually take this medication on a regular basis, carrying the pills allowed me to practice confronting my fears with the confidence that I could always calm my anxiety if it got too far out of control.
Which medications work best for agoraphobia? There are two classes of medications that are most frequently prescribed for agoraphobia: 1.
Benzodiazepines, which are tranquilizing agents like Xanax, Ativan, and Valium which calm the symptoms of general anxiety.
2.
SSRI Anti-depressants like Zoloft and Paxil which block episodes of intense panic.
Always consult your doctor before taking a medication and keep in mind that different medications work differently with different people.
There is no magic pill for agoraphobia and these medications should be part of a larger recovery plan.
What are the dangers of medication? In general, benzodiazepines are potentially addictive and SSRI anti-depressants are known for having nasty side effects that vary with the drug and the individual.
But the biggest danger of medication may be giving it too much credit for your progress toward recovery.
People who attribute their progress to medication are less likely to make a complete and lasting recovery from agoraphobia than people who attribute their progress to skill development.
This idea is well supported by research.
Ultimately, skills not pills are the answer to agoraphobia.
Medication cannot teach you to be less fearful.
Only the confidence that comes from knowing you have developed the skills to successfully confront your fears will set you free to live again.
So here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about medication: Can you recover from agoraphobia without taking medication? The answer to this question is yes.
Medication can only mask the symptoms of agoraphobia, but cannot offer a long-term cure.
The bottom line is that medication stops working when you stop taking it.
To achieve a lasting recovery from agoraphobia you need to build the skills necessary for staying calm and confident in phobic situations.
Can medication help you recover? Although it does not offer a cure, medication CAN help you recover from agoraphobia.
In fact, the combination of medication with cognitive-behavioral therapy is considered by some researchers to be the most powerful treatment.
Medication can provide temporary relief of anxiety or panic symptoms while you build the skills you need to confront fear successfully.
Then you can cut back on the medication as you gain confidence in your own ability to enter feared situations.
In my own recovery from agoraphobia, I often carried two .
25mg tablets of Xanax in my pocket.
Although I didn't actually take this medication on a regular basis, carrying the pills allowed me to practice confronting my fears with the confidence that I could always calm my anxiety if it got too far out of control.
Which medications work best for agoraphobia? There are two classes of medications that are most frequently prescribed for agoraphobia: 1.
Benzodiazepines, which are tranquilizing agents like Xanax, Ativan, and Valium which calm the symptoms of general anxiety.
2.
SSRI Anti-depressants like Zoloft and Paxil which block episodes of intense panic.
Always consult your doctor before taking a medication and keep in mind that different medications work differently with different people.
There is no magic pill for agoraphobia and these medications should be part of a larger recovery plan.
What are the dangers of medication? In general, benzodiazepines are potentially addictive and SSRI anti-depressants are known for having nasty side effects that vary with the drug and the individual.
But the biggest danger of medication may be giving it too much credit for your progress toward recovery.
People who attribute their progress to medication are less likely to make a complete and lasting recovery from agoraphobia than people who attribute their progress to skill development.
This idea is well supported by research.
Ultimately, skills not pills are the answer to agoraphobia.
Medication cannot teach you to be less fearful.
Only the confidence that comes from knowing you have developed the skills to successfully confront your fears will set you free to live again.