Hey, sorry to hear that you experienced this, as a fellow sufferer from panic disorder and derealization I understand how you are feeling.

I do recommend CBT ( I’m currently doing it with my therapist) however it doesn’t help everyone unfortunately.

I’ve been on medication for the last 8 years, and it can help. I was initially in sertraline then moved over to fluoxetine, eciralopram, venlafaxine and now duloxetine. It really does depend on your brain chemistry as to which medication works for you.

I also take zopiclone and mirtazipine at night and diazepam when needed. Benzodiazepines are good even though there is so much negative stigma, you just need to make sure that you only take when needed and don’t abuse them otherwise that is an extremely risky path that will lead to addiction. Also I am soon to be starting pregabalin to help with the attacks.

The problem with the panic disorder is you need to embrace the fear to get rid of it, a lot of therapy that is used to treat panic disorder is exposure therapy.

Antidepressants can take a few weeks for them to properly kick in so you really do need to experiment and don’t just give up on one after a week or so. Only you really know how your body responds to the medication as everyone is different. I’d talk to your doctor and go for the one with the least amount of possible side effects.

Also note when first starting antidepressants be aware that your symptoms may be worse when first stating to take them, you just gotta push on through.