nihil,
I can't believe that your doctor would not give you some sort of benzo at least until the SSRI has a chance to kick in. I didn't even ask my doctor about Ativan he just gave me the prescription for that and zoloft and every month I get the scripts renewed. Personally I haven't noticed the Zoloft working any wonders (I take 50mgs a day) and I still get panic attacks. Are you treated by a psyciatrist or a general physician?