Anxiety and panic attack thread....

[babygrant]

Who else out there suffers from anxiety and panic?

[MissGuided]

I used to. I'd wake up in the middle of the night having to flush my face with water. Naive of me, I thought it was nothing. The doctor ended up diagnosing it as anxiety from stress, gave a prescription, and sent me on my way. The side effects were horrible and I immediately stopped taking them.
Since then, I knew I had to get a grasp on it. If I couldn't get rid of the stress, at least I could control how I reacted to it before my health got worse. It wasn't easy, but I learned to accept things in life and change what I had the ability to control.
I feel I caught it in it's earliest stages as I no longer experience attacks.

[Salley]

I did for many, many years where functioning was difficult, and even impossible in some situations. Fortunately, it's much milder these days, and no longer impairs my life. It took a bit of work to get to this point.

[EagleRiverDee]

I started having panic attacks- debilitating ones- when I was 21. Now, at 38, I have them far less frequently and for the most part I can talk my way through them. I still have them, but I rarely take meds. I have a script for Valium to help me fly, as I'm terrified of flying, but other than that I do ok. It helps to get exercise, I've found, and take deep breaths. Don't be afraid of meds if you need them- I took Buspar for a while (which actually helped me quit smoking) and took Zoloft for a week but was unable to tolerate the side effects.

[babygrant]

I am on 10 mg cipralex and have a bottle if Ativan but have only ever taken it twice. I have a lot of dizziness associated with my anxiety so I find that's
A big trigger. I get dizzy and get scared that I am going to pass out which triggers anxiety. I know that my diet really isn't helping my anxiety because my diet is pretty bad....but it's hard to change. That's a new years resolution. And exercise. I really love to go out and walk but it scares me when I get dizzy.

[novangel]

I had it very bad for the last 3 years, but I'm going through "recovery" as we speak which is why I now want to try to lose weight again. Unfortunately, cardio was triggering panic attacks because the feeling of my heart beating fast scared me. I found that I had to take a lot of breaks (or stop completely) but I am going to try again. I hope I can do it.

[geoblewis]

I've had them for a couple years, in the middle of the night. Stress related panic compounded by approaching menopause. Happens just as I'm about to fall asleep. I freak, thinking I'm going to die. Haven't seen anyone for them, but I have done some work cutting stress from my life. It worked for a while, but some of the stressors have creeped back in and I've got to get after that again.

[chantellarae]

I have had problems with anxiety and panic attacks for years. As a child I was afraid to leave my parents' side in public. In my young adult years I had difficulty engaging in social events and now I still have trouble working up to leaving my home. Shrinks and medication aside, the only real solution I've found is forcing myself into uncomfortable situations, the same way people who are afraid of heights deal with it by skydiving.

You didn't mention what triggers your attacks, but slowly reintroducing yourself to tough situations may help. If they seem to occur on their own, even though you recognize that nothing has changed, it's probably a good time to consult with a professional. I had a similar problem when I returned from Iraq the first time and I was able to control it through repeated meetings with a therapist.

Hopefully, this was somewhat helpful.

[hmw]

I’ve somewhat gotten my anxiety attacks under control on my own, meds didn’t help they just made me sick to my stomach. I‘ve learned that mine derive from being overstressed. I’ve always found that cool water slows the attacks down, or just being alone so that I can think. Just try slowing things down when you feel dizzy spells coming on, maybe taking time to sit down for a few minutes will help. If your not getting enough water dehydration will make you dizzy so make sure you’ve got lots of water to drink!

[babygrant]

Originally Posted by chantellarae

You didn't mention what triggers your attacks, but slowly reintroducing yourself to tough situations may help. If they seem to occur on their own, even though you recognize that nothing has changed, it's probably a good time to consult with a professional. I had a similar problem when I returned from Iraq the first time and I was able to control it through repeated meetings with a therapist.

No trigger is definitely my thoughts. I am so afraid to die. So afraid of leaving my kids. It makes me so anxious and depressed thinking about it. I fear just dropping dead. Afraid I will die with my kids here and they won't know what to do. The lost goes on and on. Aside from being overweight, a blood clOttong disorder and anxiety I am healthy. No reason to fear death..... Argh

[kristenmarieg]

I suffer from disabling panic attacks ... I have tried medication with horrible side effects. I'm 25, and have been dealing with anxiety my entire life but the panic disorder the past 4 years ... it's horrible, it really limits my life.

[shiningthru]

Im new to the forum and I think this one of my biggest issues. And it really effects my food choices. Esp when I cant sleep. Im glad to be on this site now and get some support. I so want to lose weight and get back into a functioning lifestyle. I tried lexapro a couple of months ago for about a month and had horrible side effects. My doctor took me off of it. It actually made my anxiety worse. She said that it is a rare reaction but can happen to some people. That was the first time I had ever tried anything like that so it was a little discouraging. She has now suggested that I try zoloft but Im not really ready to try anything else yet. I do want to try to get on a good food plan and exercise plan and need support to help me stick to it. Thanks for this thread.

[babygrant]

Everyone doing today?

Foggy, dark, dreary day today. Hard To get going. Had a doctors appointment and she has bumped my cipralex up to 15 mg/day Abd wants me to slowly incorporate niacin supplement worming up to 1 gram. She has also prescribed strenuous exercise and a healthy diet (hehe, love my doctor). .

[rozenfrost]

Hey there babygrant, I'm doing good, I hope the increase helps out .
I'm surprised to see other people on here that get panic attacks at night, the attacks wake me up out of a dead sleep. The only other thing that triggers them is trying to drive, I've tried many things with no luck. I have good friends and family that understand and don't mind doing the driving.

[babygrant]

Originally Posted by rozenfrost

Hey there babygrant, I'm doing good, I hope the increase helps out .
I'm surprised to see other people on here that get panic attacks at night, the attacks wake me up out of a dead sleep. The only other thing that triggers them is trying to drive, I've tried many things with no luck. I have good friends and family that understand and don't mind doing the driving.

I've actually spoken to a few people who get panic attacks at night. I used to wake up and gasp for air, racing heart, feeling of doom, but thankfully night time is my safe time. I know as soon as I fall asleep I'm good! Have you tried putting a cd player or something in your room with some quiet music, just put it on repeat and turn it off in the morning? not sure if that would help, but it's the only thought I have.

The driving phobia is one I am defenitely somewhat familiar with. I can drive ok by myself, but I get a bit of anxiety (about a 6 out of 10) when with my children. I'm so afraid to lose them and with so many car accidents and such in the past few weeks on the news it just scares me. Nobody seems to understand why I won't drive in the snow or icy roads, but to me it's just not worth the risk.