Panic/Anxiety Attacks: Support, Advice, Help, Treatment Options (insurance, medical, ears)

[DareToDream]

Originally Posted by Suzet2262

Hi all. I have been dealing with a panic disorder for almost 20 years now off and on. The last 6 years it has been extreme. I have seen all kinds of doctors, taken different meds, I am still on a anti-anxiety and anti-depressant. Nothing has really helped. Right now, I am in a bad cycle, I am not sleeping, my mind races all night long. I feel my heart racing all the time. I feel really scared of I dont know what, but the feeling never leaves me. I am scared that I wont be able to keep fighting this forever. I feel so hopelss right now. I dont even live a life. I forgot what it is to smile and just be calm. I stay home 90% of the time. Cant go to the movies, dinner, the mall, it is so hard for me to be in a car. I havent been on the freeway in like 8 months. We are planning a move to New England this coming year for which I am very excited about. Maybe a calmer place might help. I dont know. People take for granted how lucky they are to just go to the movies. The thought of that makes me hyperventilate, and cry, and just feel soo scared. For people that dont have this disorder, I know it is hard to understand. But your life is just sad, scared, hopeless, all the time. It sounds silly to be afraid to drive, eat out or go shopping, but the fear is there all the time. Why? I dont know but like I said, I just feel like I am at my breaking point, this isnt a life anymore. Is there anyone that has had panic attacks to the severity that I do, and has gotten better? Please tell me there is some hope out there.

Suzet - It can get better - I'm living proof of that. I started with panic attacks many, many years ago, which caused me to become severely agoraphobic for a time - just going out to the mailbox would provoke a major panic attack. I was very lucky to find help. The first was with a 'trist who knew what was going on and was able to help me understand the flight/fight response and to realize the panic attacks weren't going to kill me <g>....He left our area and I found another 'trist who knew what she was talking about and was able to help me immensely. I was on an SSRI with an anxiolytic for a period of time, which was how I was able to start getting out and doing. I now use the anxiolytic when I need to, I'm no longer on the SSRI.

Last year we moved from NYS to NH....I actually drove part of the way up - I was nervous, but did it.....last July I had to go back to NYS by myself and drove the almost 300 miles alone with no problem, so you see, you can get better.

One of the most useful things I learned was not to "fight" the anxiety/panic when it did come, but to "float" through it and let it come - when you fight the feeling, it fuels the adrenaline rush and it just keeps spiraling to the point where you're in tears and totally freaked out - if you relax, tell it to come and get you, it takes away a good portion of the fuel the panic needs. I used to picture the anxiety and panic attacks as the cartoon character, the Tazmanian Devil guy <g>....I would literally tell him to come and get me and do his worst, it was usually enough to stop the spiral.

The meds alone didn't help me - What finally got me to the point where I can go and do what I want was a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapy along with the medications - the meds took the edge off and enabled me to get out and start going places again - my first "major victory" was going to the mailbox without panic - it sounds so silly to someone who has never experienced the panic/anxiety, but for me it was major and I used that as a stepping stone to do other things. It took time, but I was able to do it.....Heck, when I was so "paralyzed" by the anxiety and panic attacks and the fear of having a panic attack, if anyone had told me I'd be moving from NYS to NH I would have laughed in their faces!

I'll shut up now, but I wanted you to know that you can get better and lead a "normal life" again - it will take time. I found that once I was able to recognize the anxiety building, I was able to relax and let it come full force...once I was able to do that, 9 times out of 10, it would not be a "full force" attack, on a scale of 1-10, it was usually a 2. Breathing exercises help, meditation helps, a lot of positive thinking helps, distraction helps. I had people telling me it was all in my head - well DUH! Of course it was in my head - my thoughts were fueling the panic! <g> I needed to learn to redirect my thoughts to positive thoughts and images.

Stress is always going to be a part of life - it's how we handle/manage the stress that makes a difference.

If I can be of any help to you whatsoever, please PM me - I know very well what you are feeling now and I know you can survive and I know you can enjoy life again - I'm living proof........

[Dolfan]

You do not have to live with this forever. Years ago, my wife had panic attacks and depression. She did several things to overcome this.

1) She removed herself from the source of the problem (toxic people in her life)

2) She kept a journal of her struggles

3) She worked on reducing the stress in her life and focused on positive endeavours

4) She relied on God to help her get through

Although she used to be on medication, she has been off of it for almost 10 years now and has not had an incident since.

There is hope for you too!

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by dennis s

..


I forgot a very important point. DON"T EVER,...... EVER,....... EVER drink alcohol. ............EVER!!!!!!!!

That is SPOT on correct. I used to have panic attacks years ago (worst feeling in the world) and through observing what I did prior to these I found the culprit - alcohol. I would always have a panic attack the DAY AFTER imbibing the night before. I think it has something to do with how alcohol affects your blood sugar, aside from the generally lousy feeling you have the next day. I never have them unless I drink, which I avoid these days.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by june 7th

While I would agree that xanax is a good medication for anxiety, and does help with occassional insomnia, I am not so sure about it not having any side effects...People need to be closely monitored on benzodiazapines, as they are highly addictive!!! There also seem to be other non-addictive medications for anxiety that work well, without the risk of dependancy, or addiction. You do not want to suddenly stop taking a benzodiazapine, as that could prove VERY harmful; people have gone into withdrawal and died.

Hopefully one's doctor would have a complete history and prescribe accordingly. I am not saying it is a "bad" medication, but you have to be very, very careful...

And yet another post I completely agree with..

Back when I was having panic attacks really bad over 15 years ago, my doctor prescribed xanax (low to medium dosage). Up to that point in my life, I never had been exposed to any type of addictive narcotic in pill form. I had heard about addiction but didn't really understand the whole concept; drug addiction was completely foreign to me.

Anyway, within minutes after taking that first xanax I thought I was in heaven. The anxiety just melted away and I felt like I could truly be myself. The prescription was for 90 days or something like that and I took two xanax a day for the remainder of that period. I took the last pill during the day and stayed over at a friends house that night. I was supposed to take one that night as well, but since the prescription ran out I figured that was that.

Well, I woke up the next morning feeling really strange. Kind of disconnected. It was raining outside and I was in a bed that the headrest faced the window. I just stared outside at the rain and felt so weird, kind of like a trance. A little later, my friend came in and said she was going to work. I told her that I felt kind of sick and asked if I could stay there after I called in sick at my place of work. She said "no problem" and left for the day.

Within an hour I began to feel really, really bad. My muscles started cramping, my chest felt like it had an elephant sitting on it, and I had these intense feelings of panic. I could hardly move or function; it felt as if I had to will myself to breath or I would die of suffocation.. It was my end, or so I thought. And it probably would have been if I hadn't been able to call my friend and ask her to get me to the doctor.

She arrived within minutes to drive me to the doctor but those minutes felt as if they were hours. The drive to the doctor seemed to take forever as well. It was the most indescribable pain, both emotionally and physically, and I had absolutely no strength; I could hardly even walk. She seriously considered calling 9-11 and I wasn't in any position to argue.

Once I got in to the Doctor's office he gave me a shot of xanax immediately because my blood pressure was out of control and I was about to have a seizure. All of this was due to withdrawal, serious withdrawal - I could have died.

The Doctor chastised me about quitting the medication cold-turkey. He explained that people can die from a sudden stoppage of the medication and I believed him. Once I calmed down, I chastised him as well and informed him that he never instructed me to the dangers of these pills, and now I was an addict.

Over the course of the next several weeks, I slowly weened myself off those pills by taking just a little less of them each and every day. I would break them into pieces to do this. But I did it slowly; those pills are powerful stuff. Even just weening myself off these pills was hard. I would go through little "miniature" withdrawals each and every day. I dealt with it because the thought of being addicted so heavily to such a tiny little pill scared the life out of me. And I was only on a 1/2 milligram per day dose!

So let this be a lesson to anyone taking the benzodiazapenes. They have their purpose, and work wonders - but never, ever stop taking these things cold turkey after taking them for an extended period of time.

Cheers,

[Lisa_from_Debary]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

And yet another post I completely agree with..

Back when I was having panic attacks really bad over 15 years ago, my doctor prescribed xanax (low to medium dosage). Up to that point in my life, I never had been exposed to any type of addictive narcotic in pill form. I had heard about addiction but didn't really understand the whole concept; drug addiction was completely foreign to me.

Anyway, within minutes after taking that first xanax I thought I was in heaven. The anxiety just melted away and I felt like I could truly be myself. The prescription was for 90 days or something like that and I took two xanax a day for the remainder of that period. I took the last pill during the day and stayed over at a friends house that night. I was supposed to take one that night as well, but since the prescription ran out I figured that was that.

Well, I woke up the next morning feeling really strange. Kind of disconnected. It was raining outside and I was in a bed that the headrest faced the window. I just stared outside at the rain and felt so weird, kind of like a trance. A little later, my friend came in and said she was going to work. I told her that I felt kind of sick and asked if I could stay there after I called in sick at my place of work. She said "no problem" and left for the day.

Within an hour I began to feel really, really bad. My muscles started cramping, my chest felt like it had an elephant sitting on it, and I had these intense feelings of panic. I could hardly move or function; it felt as if I had to will myself to breath or I would die of suffocation.. It was my end, or so I thought. And it probably would have been if I hadn't been able to call my friend and ask her to get me to the doctor.

She arrived within minutes to drive me to the doctor but those minutes felt as if they were hours. The drive to the doctor seemed to take forever as well. It was the most indescribable pain, both emotionally and physically, and I had absolutely no strength; I could hardly even walk. She seriously considered calling 9-11 and I wasn't in any position to argue.

Once I got in to the Doctor's office he gave me a shot of xanax immediately because my blood pressure was out of control and I was about to have a seizure. All of this was due to withdrawal, serious withdrawal - I could have died.

The Doctor chastised me about quitting the medication cold-turkey. He explained that people can die from a sudden stoppage of the medication and I believed him. Once I calmed down, I chastised him as well and informed him that he never instructed me to the dangers of these pills, and now I was an addict.

Over the course of the next several weeks, I slowly weened myself off those pills by taking just a little less of them each and every day. I would break them into pieces to do this. But I did it slowly; those pills are powerful stuff. Even just weening myself off these pills was hard. I would go through little "miniature" withdrawals each and every day. I dealt with it because the thought of being addicted so heavily to such a tiny little pill scared the life out of me. And I was only on a 1/2 milligram per day dose!

So let this be a lesson to anyone taking the benzodiazapenes. They have their purpose, and work wonders - but never, ever stop taking these things cold turkey after taking them for an extended period of time.

Cheers,

Thank you for sharing your painful story...that is exactly the reason why I don't want to take Xanax...I had a short term script for it when my Father died but it was only about 2 weeks worth of the medication and I didn't take it regularly.

They can what you experienced rebound of the original symptom, it can be worse once y ou stop taking the medication...I had it when I stopped taking sleeping pills after my Father died...I went almost 36 hours with no sleep.

[gracemycat]

I've also learned that caffeine will increase number and severity of panic and anxiety attacks. My attacks came on a year after my husband attacked me with a knife. He also fiddled with the gas supply to the furnace so that if I had lit the pilot light, it would have exploded. It took a year for it to surface that the one I trusted most in the world wanted me dead...Now after the ****** husband, I find it really difficult to trust anyone and hard to be around belligerent people. The smell of alcohol also sets of a panic attack...
The deep breathing exercises are useful, for about 2/3 of the time. Usually I just try to get away from the cause. I am on meds, Celexa at night and Wellbutrin in the am. Occasionally clonazepam when it gets really bad...
Am on long term diability, will never be able to work again as a medical laboratory technologist.
The meds are better for me than sitting huddled in a corner all day, afraid to answer the door or phone,.
Good luck to you. Most of all, counselling has helped, both in groups and with my psychiatrist.

Mycatgrace

[anafar7ana]

Hi ..I read about ur problem and I have the same fear. It all started when I was diagnosed with Diabetes back in March. Its wasn't as intense back then. At first the Dr's thought it was from my Thyroid problem, a gioter they believed. But after having a Barium Swallow, they found nothing wrong with my swallowing. I understand the feeling you described. I fear the thought of breathing in while swallowing. I have actually almost choked a few times. I realize that it gets worst the more I think of it. The problem seems to be getting worst. I am at the point where I rarely eat maybe 5 teaspoons of something a week. I have lost over 65 pounds. I can't even swallow my Thyroid pills anymore. The Dr had given me some Lorazepam, but that doesn't seem to help anymore. I find that I can at least drink some soup when I am very relaxed. Also I find that I am close to choking when someone is talking to me, or someone walks into the room. Its so hard. I cry sometimes because I am hungry. I have yet to go to a Psychiatrist. I hope that its only anxiety and not some other hidden problem. Let me know if you have any other information about this. I am glad that I am not alone out there.

[Plainsong]

Hi anafar7ana,

Your situation doesn't seem like fun at all and even though I still have the base problem, i.e. can't eat "naturally" my situation has improved a lot.

First thing, remember that you can never choke on anything liquid! Also it's practically impossible to actually choke to the point of dying, the number of people suffering this fate is extremely small and mostly elderly with weak lung power. The risk is basically non-existant, I also rationally understand this but need to reprogram myself to understand this on all levels.

It's actually possible to get the energy you need through liquids alone. I don't think that this is a permanent solution, but while you are working on the base problem you can make sure that you don't get malnourished at least. Also, if you don't get enough energy everything will feel more difficult.

I live in Japan so there's plenty of energy drinks available here and I also drink soups, eat ice cream, egg yellows and I have stopped the rapid weight loss I had when this was at its worst. I feel mentally and physically well now and that makes it easier to deal with the problem but a month ago it was much more difficult since I could go days without eating hardly anything.

I'm working on the base problem and even though the progress is slow it feels like I'm on my way to start eating normally.

I did take some mild psychopharma but since this problem, for me, is not directly tied to overall anxiousness (I think this was the trigger but even now that I feel well, this problem remains) I have stopped taking them.
I would recommend you to visit a councelor and/or psychiatrist that can help you to work on this problem and also make sure that you don't feel alone in this.

For me, I decided pretty early on that I wasn't going to hide this and have been very open about my problem with colleagues and friends so they understand that I have some difficulties eating.

I'm not a therapist or anything, just a person that has a similar problem as you and my first recommendation would be to try and get rid off the panic about this and the best way would probably be to try and have energy drinks, eat ice cream (for fat and calcium) and egg yellows for protein. Remember, you just simply can't choke on liquids, it's not possible.

It might take time to get rid of this problem but getting stabilized will make it easier to deal with it. Let me know if I can help with any kind of advice!
/Peter

[MainStreet]

Have you had your thyroid levels check recently? You might have a hyperactive thyroid and not even know it. Your symptoms are very familiar to me.

[akire]

It sounds like you do not have a swallowing disorder, but rather issues with anxiety. Those of us with anxiety will worry excessively that things will go wrong, I always obsess about blood clots. I wouldn't be rushing to see any medical Dr. regarding your swallowing, but concentrate on dealing with the anxiety. I'm sure there are other things you worry about, too. As far as your (normal) swallow, place your had on your throat and do a dry swallow. You will feel your adam's apple elevate, which is closing off your airway. Also your epiglotis is at the base of your tongue and covers your airway when you swallow. Often people choke because they are talking when they are eating and not expecting food to accidently drop into their airway, there their adam's apple didn't elevate and their epiglotis didn't flap. So the next time you are imagining yourself choking, just remember that your body has many ways to protect you from choking. You won't choke and I won't get blood clots :0) Best wishes....