How Panic Disorders Can Lead to Drug Addiction

If you live with a panic disorder, you know what it’s like to feel trapped inside your own body. Your heart pounds, your chest tightens, and the sensation of fear can strike at any moment. When panic episodes recur, you may find yourself looking for any way possible to relieve the symptoms. It is in these moments that the door to drug misuse and addiction can swing open for many.

Let’s explore how panic disorders can lead to drug addiction and why it’s important to seek help for both. Understanding the relationship between panic disorders and drug use can help you spot early warning signs and protect yourself or a loved one before things go too far.

The Desire to Escape Panic Attacks

It’s common to experience panic attacks out of the blue, even without an identifiable trigger. Once they start happening regularly, the fear of when and where the next one will strike can become almost paralyzing. The natural response is to find a way to make that fear go away. For some people, that can mean self-medicating with substances like alcohol, prescription medications, or illicit drugs.

Substances often provide a sense of numbing relief, even if only temporarily. Over time, the brain begins to associate drugs or alcohol with a sense of safety, calmness, or control. This can reinforce continued use, even in the face of consequences. This is how addiction can start.

Self-Medication That Spirals Out of Control

Self-medicating with drugs and alcohol is one of the most common ways people develop an addiction after being diagnosed with a panic disorder. On the surface, it can seem like simple logic: if something relieves the fear, why not use it? However, drugs and alcohol don’t get to the root of the problem; they simply mask symptoms temporarily. In many cases, they will eventually exacerbate panic symptoms, not provide relief.

Tolerance also builds with each use, meaning you need more of the substance to experience the same effect. As a result, symptoms of panic disorder will often get worse as substance use increases, leading to a downward spiral.

Prescription Drugs and Misuse

It’s not uncommon for someone with a panic disorder to be prescribed an anti-anxiety medication. Benzodiazepines are one of the most widely prescribed classes of medication for anxiety disorders. When used as prescribed and closely monitored by a doctor, these medications can provide real, substantial relief.

However, these drugs also have a high risk of dependence. Self-increasing your dosage or taking the medication more often than prescribed can lead to misuse and eventually addiction. People may also use these drugs alongside alcohol to amplify their effects, which is especially dangerous. A combination of the two slows the body’s systems to hazardous levels and creates a high risk for a severe substance use disorder.

Panic Disorders and Addiction Affect the Brain

Panic disorders change the way your brain’s threat response system operates, sending false alarms even when you are in no real danger. Addiction also has a significant impact on the brain, especially areas tied to reward, impulse control, and stress response. These changes in brain chemistry can become mutually reinforcing.

Your brain is already set to be on high alert for threats, which is why a substance that helps you relax can seem like such a lifesaver. As addiction takes hold, your brain’s ability to control emotions and handle stress is further impaired, which increases anxiety. The resulting increased risk of panic attacks leads to more substance use, creating a destructive cycle.

Social and Emotional Impacts

Panic disorders can lead to drug addiction through social impact. Panic can cause people to isolate themselves from friends, family, and the world around them. You might avoid public spaces, crowds, driving, or even leaving the house. This isolation makes someone more at-risk for addiction since they lack an emotional or social support system. This can lead people to turn to substances to self-medicate.

In addition to the social withdrawal, the experience of panic attacks themselves can be embarrassing or frustrating. You might feel like no one understands or is available to help when an attack strikes. Drugs and alcohol can seem like the only place to turn for comfort when you feel you can’t turn to anyone else.

Masking the Underlying Disorder

One of the scariest aspects of panic disorder and drug addiction is the fact that the addiction can mask the original disorder. Someone might get help for their substance use disorder, but without also treating the panic disorder, it continues to cause emotional distress. Conversely, if a doctor only treats the panic disorder without addressing the addiction, the substance use will continue to undermine efforts at getting better.

The only way to break this cycle is with integrated treatment that addresses both issues simultaneously.

Ending the Cycle When Panic Disorders Lead to Drug Addiction

The good news is that both panic disorders and addiction are entirely treatable. With professional support, you can break the cycle, retrain your brain, and develop new coping skills. Treatment typically involves a combination of therapy, medication management, and healthy lifestyle strategies. If you or a loved one is struggling with panic attacks and finds themselves turning to drugs or alcohol to cope, reach out before it goes any further. You don’t have to keep struggling with this alone. The connection between panic disorders and addiction is common and entirely treatable with the right support.

When you’re ready to explore your options and get started on the path to healing, Willow Ridge Recovery is here to help guide you through the process.