Panic attacks themselves are a malfunction of natures fight or flight response. A panic attack includes a sudden overwhelming surge of fear that comes with out any real warning or obvious reason as to why. It can not be explained to those that have never felt if, but it is far more than the average feelings of being anxious or stressed as most people experience throughout their lives. Around 1 in 75 people may get full blown panic disorder which are panic attacks more the 2-3 times per week without any known cause.

Again talking about the flight or fight response that occurs naturally to help keep us from harm, telling us to run away or prepare to defend ourselves from a situation of danger. These feelings in the right circumstances are vital to our survival but in the case of a panic attack they appear for no reason, rising out of no where to confuse a person tremendously as to what is happening. Panic attacks can even happen when you are asleep maybe having a vivid dream of being attacked or falling off a building.

The feelings of dread with shortness of breath along with all the other symptoms tend to pass in a few minutes but can last up to an hour as the body cannot sustain the response of flight or fight for any longer. However, subsequent attacks can follow and make it seem like one long continuous panic attack. This can be detrimental to ones well being and cause problems in sleep and daily functioning. Panic attacks in themselves are not dangerous to one’s physical health, but over time upset can occur such as stomach problems, migraines and a variety of disorders.

In worst case scenarios suffers of panic attacks can feel so overwhelmed that they turn to drugs, excessive alcohol or other harmful activities to help numb the intensity of their attacks. Also people that suffer from long term, reoccurring panic attacks or panic disorder are more that twice as likely to commit suicide. So to say panic attacks have no danger is a misnomer, it is all about how and whether a sufferer treats their symptoms. But many treatments but traditional and alternative are available and many therapists can help patients handle their symptoms.

Developing phobias are also common place with panic attacks, as the attacks are so terrifying that people avoid the things or places that tend to trigger them such as crowds, driving or other people. Fear and embarrassment go along hand and hand with panic attacks as well. Many people will stay away from people to avoid feeling ashamed and uncomfortable in case they may have a panic attack in their presence. The three main phobias the develop with panic attacks are agoraphobia, a fear or leaving home and being trapped in public places; social phobia, an extreme fear of people or public and a fear of looking stupid or foolish there; and simple specific phobia, which can be of anything.

We are taught that which does not kill us makes us stronger, but is that always the case? With out acknowledgement and treatment, panic attacks can lead to serious disorders and phobias as well as seriously compromise to ones life. Once you suffer a panic attack you want to do all possible to prevent another one from occurring. So you may avoid situations that in any way resemble the one you were in while the panic attack happened. This situational avoidance in very common in panic attacks sufferers especially with ones already experiencing the more severe from or panic disorder, which is basically long term, frequent panic attacks.
As an example, someone may have a panic attack while driving and begin to avoid driving, prolonged fear and avoidance of driving may result in an actual phobia of doing it. This can be said for many, many things that a panic attack sufferer may see as a cause of panic attacks and eventually their quality of life will greatly diminish. In the worst case scenario of phobias people develop full blown agoraphobia, a fear of going outdoors or leaving home all together. They develop so many phobias that they believe staying inside is the only option to avoid all situations that may provoke an attack.

Aside from phobias other side effects of panic attacks are: a greater propensity to abuse drugs and alcohol, less time spent on hobbies friendships, more time spent in the emergency room, increased suicidal feelings and even a greater risk of suicide, decreased physical and emotional health, being less financially dependent and having trouble being very far from home. All these problems and many more can be experienced by someone suffering from panic attacks and are especially severe if panic disorder comes into play.
The treatments for these side effects are varied and include medication and therapy along with exercise and changes in habits and thinking processes. The easiest way is to avoid them from ever happening by getting treatment for your panic attacks right away and not waiting for them to progress to states of phobia or terrible depression. Be wary of some medications not carefully prescribed to you by a knowledgeable doctor as they have been known to actually make panic attacks worse or cause other symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms in these medicines are known to be especially harsh.
Try natural calming exercises and natural sleep aids to sleep at night and try deep breathing and anti anxiety to go on through your day and control your panic attack symptoms. If you need to see a therapist do not be ashamed, talking to someone about your problem can help you to overcome it and a therapist can help you with things that have worked with other patients and slowly get you on to the road of healing yourself. Medications if properly prescribed can also work to alleviate those symptoms, so you do not get to the point of phobias or further disorders.