Causes Of Anxiety Attacks

Most migraineurs (about 85%) have some degree of anxiety from mild to severe. Why is this? Well the receptor sites that are responsible for migraine are called 5HT receptors. Guess what the anxiety ones are..yes you got it..the same ones. Both types are subsets of the 5HT receptor in the brain, and when one is firing off, the other fires off. This is why symptoms of mild anxiety attack may cause a migraine.

Many parents might be surprised to learn that anxiety attacks in children are not uncommon. At times we may have trouble realizing that children can be afflicted with adult syndromes.

Unfortunately, as a headache profile worsens and you have more and more migraine headache symptoms you may start to have increased anxiety, even outside the migraine phase.

Generally, there are four basic causes of anxiety:

• Psychological where a combination of external and internal stressors become overwhelming.

• Genetic. Up to 50% of people with panic disorder have at least one relative with anxiety.

• Biological. Numerous studies support the theory of dysregulation of several receptors in the brain incluing GABA, seratonin and norepinephrine.

• Medical. Cardiovascular illness such as a heart attack can cause anxiety, as can any chronic disease.

There are other causes of anxiety, some of which will respond to lifestyle changes. These include:

• chronic fatigue and sleep disturbances
• nutritional deficiencies
• malfuctions in brain chemistry
• migraines
• surges in adrenaline
• hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
• marijuana use
• high levels of caffeine and/or nicotine

Why Do I Have Anxiety Attacks?

Many times I will see patients with mood complaints and in reviewing their history, many members of the family also have the same problems.
There are also different types of anxiety and anxiety attack symptoms including:

• generalized anxiety disorder symptoms
• short of breath and anxiety
• tightness in chest with anxiety
• adult separation anxiety
• some drugs might help, like beta blockers

Tests For Anxiety

One thing to remember with causes of anxiety attacks is to keep an open mind. Treatment can involve many venues such as psychotherapy with a counselor, psychiatric services to monitor medications and lifestyle changes such as regular exercise. Symptoms of mild anxiety may respond to natural remedies for anxiety.

There are two medications I recommend for mild to moderate anxiety, Paxil or Lexapro. Both of these drugs can ease symptoms and Lexapro is quite nice in that it begins to work in about 10 days. Sometimes patients will ask me 'Can seroquel be used for anxiety?