Does anyone take anxiety meds and has it actually helped?

Been having panic attacks for like 2 years now and finally talked to my doctor about it. He offered me sertraline but honestly I'm scared of side effects + being dependent on pills. Don't want to feel like I'm not dealing with it "the real way" but also I'm exhausted. Anyone here on SSRIs? How long did it take to feel better? Any weird side effects I should know about?