But because he is in the care of the therapist, the patient can learn to interpret the symptoms and feelings without spiraling into panic. Such treatment enabled MacNeill to get on a plane to visit relatives in Kansas, he says. He's looking forward to opening up his life with other travel. MacNeill didn't try any drug therapy, but many patients respond well to treatment with antidepressants, including older ones like imipramine, or the newer, safer ones like Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft. The combination of drug and behavioral therapy proved best in the study carried out by Barlow and reported in JAMA .
Panic disorder is chronic, though, and patients often relapse if treatment is stopped.