I sometimes get anxiety attacks due to PMDD (the nasty version of PMS). After two years of completely useless treatments, they decided to try me on diazepam (valium), another benzodiazepine. It's only 2mg, and sometimes I cut the tablets in half as they seem to be affecting me more strongly these days. Since I know that the anxiety is unlikely to last for more than a few days, I don't need to worry about problems related to overuse. It works very nicely for me.
Maybe try tracking how often you get these attacks, and note down possible triggers (including stress and your menstrual cycle)? Then you have better information to use when talking to the doctor. In my experience, doctors like it when you ring them up for a quick chat because you're concerned about using a drug carefully. It helps show that you are responsible, less likely to become an addict, and that you are keen on building a good working relationship with them. There's not much they can do for patients who don't take the meds (because of side effects, or fear of side effects) but never mention this to the doctor. Meanwhile, I imagine you'd be fine using it once or twice a week (jot this down too, obviously), and it's definitely better than being up half the night with an anxiety attack. I find that knowing that I have an effective treatment sitting in the bedside drawer does help the anxiety somewhat.
