I have been taking oxcarbazepine since Friday and I’ve been…

I am sorry to hear that, and unhappily have to confirm that most psychiatrists don't do that, which is shocking but true, and it should never be that way. these are very powerful drugs so it makes no sense to alert and openly discuss their side effects, short and long-term risks and problems they could cause.

Al doctors would first also ensure you have no allergic reactions or medical problems that could interfere or suffer because of the use of drugs, otherwise, the chances for finding out later about additional problems is very high.

Please educate yourself about each of the drugs you use or are planning to use, and always be mindful about the pros and cons, and confirm with your primary care physician if any of those substances is not recommended because of any medical condition you may have.

Having the concrete knowledge or allergic reaction to some substances and about the health of the liver and other organs is important since many of these drugs affect core vital organs.

Then what I suggest you do is instead of using psychiatric drugs to numb symptoms, look for professional psychotherapy to work on your rehabilitation from anxiety/panic, that way you would not only be anxiety free, but healthier and with fewer worries in your life, and no side effects for sure.

As a young person, the last thing you want to do is to add extra potential issues affecting your body and mind, you want to effectively address and resolve problems, so you develop healthier and happier, more resilient and balanced. Psychotherapy could empower all of that.

Does it make sense?

I am very sorry to hear that. Most times there is a painful or very distressful situation triggering or causing these episodes of anxiety.

Most times people who suffer from anxiety develop the condition during adolescence, or after a traumatic or overwhelming situation. It could also arise as a result of chronic stress, which debilitates the person's mental and emotional strength leading to a constant state of tension and fear.

Anxiety itself is not abnormal or something bad, but an essential mechanism we all need in order to survive, to identify what could hurt us, and to prepare for effective coping. Problems arise when this mechanism gets distorted, gets triggered by the wrong situation or for no good reason, or its intensity is excessive.

It is believed that most people who suffer from it do have a genetic predisposition making them more vulnerable, and experience life issues which are painful or hard to handle, leading to the development of anxiety disorders, including panic, phobias, and OCD, as the most common ones. this intense and sudden overwhelming fears you describe here seem to be of that nature.

But having or not a genetic predisposition, just makes us more vulnerable, there must be situational conditions leading to the development of anxiety problems for them to appear, and the lack of necessary support would turn them into chronic conditions. But this does not mean there is no hope, people do rehabilitate from anxiety disorders every day, it is tough but real. It requires consistent work on developing better anxiety and stress management skills, learning more effective ways to cope and to approach our emotions, besides of working on life issues causing stress.

many medications used for epilepsy and seizures are also used for anxiety. Then please, if you also suffer from depression, you do not want to afford not receiving the necessary support to work on your rehabilitation, please get psychological therapy ASAP. Do you feel suicidal in the present?

Please be aware that you need both, professional psychotherapeutic support, and help from your support system, meaning mature, healthy and caring people close to you, from family to close friends. This is very important for your rehabilitation to be effective and solid.

So please get the support from your loved ones, get individual and group psychotherapy, or at least individual therapy and join a support group for depression and anxiety, and focus on everything you can do with the support from your loved ones to rehabilitate from anxiety and depression.

For sure you can make the panic attacks stop and feel better too, but you need to take consistent action allowing your loved ones and professionals to support you, no pill can do that for you, so please consider my recommendations and take actions right away. I will refer you to the website for them to provide you with information about local resources for suicide prevention, OK?

Before I leave, do you have any other questions for me?

Yes, tell me.

Do you have any more questions or could I refer you back to receive this information from the website?

Thank you. Please take good care and consistent actions with the right support. I would refer you now to the site for that information. Please rate the answer if possible. Thank you.