Well, I am not a doctor - but I have a close friend who is a pharmacist. Plus, I have a little experience with taking meds as an agoraphobic.

Basically, there are 2 main types of medications doctors will prescribe for anxiety, panic, or agoraphobia:

1) Benzodiazepines like Xanax, Valium, and Ativan.

These are anti-anxiety meds and you experience a pleasant, calming, euphoria in about 20-30 minutes after taking them. But they can be addictive (physically) and you are likely to develop a tolerance meaning it will take more and more to do the trick as time goes on if you rely on them every day.

Another drawback with Benzodiazepines is that besides being potentially habit forming, withdrawing from them can cause the very anxiety symptoms they were meant to relieve. If you want a slower acting tranquilizer, but with fewer risks, you might ask your doctor about a drug called Buspar.

2) SSRI Anti-depressants like Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac, Luvox, etc…

You won’t feel the euphoria or relaxing feelings from these medications, but they are mood stabilizers known to block intense episodes of panic. Plus, they take care of depression that often comes with agoraphobia and anxiety disorders. I think doctors are putting people with anxiety on these nowdays because they help panic AND depression. But you don’t get the good, relaxing feeling from SSRIs.

Also, anti-depressants are known for having stronger and worse side effects than benzodiazepines, the nature of which depends upon the specific anti-depressant you take.

Whatever you do, avoid Effexor - it is an SSNRI anti-depressant that carries a major warning label about side effects. The problem is, doctors don’t always disclose this. I have heard many horror stories from people about the scary side effects of Effexor.

My position on medication is this - I found using Xanax helpful to calm situational anxiety to get through a bad time. Plus, carrying Xanax in my pocket gave me confidence as I practiced facing my fears (like going back to work or school) because I knew I could always get relief from anxiety if it got too far out of hand.

But ultimately, learning to relax and control your thinking is the way to lasting recovery from agoraphobia, Medication is not a cure and quits working when you quit taking it. My motto is “skills not pills are the answer to agoraphobia.”

Do you ever worry about the pace of your recovery from agoraphobia? Do you ever say to yourself: “At this rate, it could take forever to get my life back?”

When first trying to overcome irrational fear and anxiety it can feel like maximum efforts lead to only minimal results. If you feel this way, you are in good company.

I would be embarrassed to to tell you exactly how long it took for me to make it to the end of my driveway to get the mail without being overcome by a panic attack. I remember thinking: “If it takes this long to make 20 yards of progress, then I will be about 100 years old when I finally return to work or school.”

This sort of thinking can be demoralizing when you are working hard to overcome agoraphobia. In fact, it can make you feel like giving up. But knowing what to expect in the normal course of recovery from agoraphobia can help you avoid being derailed by discouraging thoughts and stay on the most direct path to freedom from fear.

Here are 5 Laws of Recovery from Agoraphobia that summarize what you can expect in the typical course of recovery from agoraphobia:

Law 1: The Law of Time:

It takes an average of 12-16 weeks to see significant progress if you are faithfully following a cognitive-behavioral treatment program.

Law 2: The Law of Momentum:

When it comes to recovery from agoraphobia, intitial progress will be harder to attain than later progress. In other words, things get easier and recover goes faster with time.

Law 3: The Law of Consistency:

No one heroic effort will set you free from agoraphobia. Freedom comes from practicing lots of little things every day.

Law 4: The Law of Inconsistency:

Don’t expect progress to be all forward. The road to recovery has its ups and downs, but a bad day does not mean you are further away from recovery than the day before.

Law 5: The Law of Aftershocks:

Expect to have some late panic attacks even after you are recovered. Most people do. This does not mean you will get agoraphobia again.

Medication was not a regular part of my recovery program. However, I did take Xanax on a limited basis.

I often carried two .25mg pills in my pocket to get me through a particularly panicky time. But I did not take Xanax every day.

My philosophy about medication is that pills are helpful when used on a temporary basis and combined with cognitive-behavioral methods. Medication can provide a window of opportunity to practice overcoming fear with the confidence that your anxiety won’t get too far out of control.

The danger lies in attributing too much of your progress to medication. 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 developing skills.

Ultimately, skills not pills will set you free from agoraphobia.

But don’t be afraid to use medication temporarily, and under the supervision of a doctor, if it is part of a larger recovery plan.