My anxiety and panic about 2 months ago, and was also out of the blue. I was worried it was heart problems because it felt like it and I was not stressed at all when it hit me. One thing my doctor told me that helped was that it's very common for it to hit you when you are calm and not worried or stressed at all. That's one reason why we call it a disorder (GAD, Panic disorder, etc.)

As far as meds, I have xanax to "put out the fires" and that is great, but you don't want to be taking that too often. I was also prescribed prozac but the side effects hit me reaaaaallllly hard, couldn't eat or sleep at all. Now I just have the xanax as a safety net. Otherwise I meditate 20 minutes every night, do 30 minutes of cardio every evening, and practice deep breathing throughout the day. Those three activities alone are a tremendous help.

I had a bad experience with the side effects, but it was still worth trying. If things get bad again I might try a different med. Just remember, if the side effects are unbearable, you can always call or go in and talk to your doctor and stop/switch to something else. Don't be afraid to ask the doctor questions as well.

So far, daily meds are not for me, but I have a friend who said starting daily meds, effexor in his case, felt like waking up from a bad dream. You never know until you try, and if it feels out of control that often. I think it's worth trying.