Feel like I can't catch my breath

[antoinette7774]

I started working about 2 years ago and within 1 or 2 weeks I felt like I couldn't breath. I went to three Doctors each said it is anxiety and I was completely in denial that it was possible that anxiety could make me feel like this.

Well two years on and I still feel like I can't catch my breath and I am acutely aware of a need to gasp for breath every three minutes. I feel very alone with my symptom and I am hoping someone else has had a similar experience and has some insight into how I can stop this.

I am convinced there must be something wrong with my lungs but I've had a chest xray, spirometry, CT scan and apparently I have a peak flow of air similar to a man. But the thoughts of not being able to breath plague my thoughts. I have been put on Cymbalta which made me depressed so I got changed to 100 mg Zoloft been on it for three weeks with zyprexa 5mg and Karma when required.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Ant

[Crush]

I started working about 2 years ago and within 1 or 2 weeks I felt like I couldn't breath. I went to three Doctors each said it is anxiety and I was completely in denial that it was possible that anxiety could make me feel like this.


Starving for air is one the main symptoms people get including my wife (women seem more prone to this I dont know why).

Trust me there is nothing wrong with you. Every once in a while you will give a big breath to get that air in.

Anxiety is tensing certain musles. It's like clenching your jaw on your insides. It's in voluntary.

What can make it go away are some medications. But to prove that it's your anxiety, try having a glass of wine. If that doesn't work have another. Then notice your breathing. All this will do is prove you have tense muscles, but it's not the long term solution to the problem.

Your issue isn't breathing, it's the anxiety. a symptom is the breathing. You also probably have a bit of OCD along with it thinking you are sick or there is something inside of you.

I highly recommend very light doses of a mild SSRI like Citalopram. This will eventually 'stop the worrying' and as a side effect, lower your anxiety and your breathing will return to normal. It's a slow process to get back to normal. Months and months but you will get there.

Only then you can prove to yourself that it really is anxiety that was causing this.

[antoinette7774]

Thanks for your advice. I have been on citilopram for depression but it made me more depressed so started on zoloft which seemed to be working until this week maybe i need a higher dose. It is very interesting that it may be OCD my sister has it and also that women get it the breathing thing more often maybe it is hormonal because i had a baby a couple of months before i started working. I will try the wine if nothing else it may chill me out a bit LOL.

[Captain Deep Breath]

Trust me, you're not alone...

You want to know if it's your lungs? Drink a 6 pack of beer and tell me if you still have problems breathing. It's likely all in your head and alcohol will calm you down and calm your nerves... until the next day anyway so don't overdo it.

This is a good test because if you had lung problems you would have lung problems while under the influence too...

I find i have absolutely no anxiety when i drink, so it has to be all in my head and not physical.

[TheOneandOnly]

I find i have absolutely no anxiety when i drink, so it has to be all in my head and not physical.

As much as people say alcohol is bad for depression and anxiety.. I feel just like you. When im buzzed/getting drunk, I have zero anxiety, no physical symptoms.. nothing...

[antoinette7774]

Hi All
Thanks for your help. Well I tried some wine and it was greatly improved I think cause I've had the problem for so long it will probably take a while to get better. I had pretty much convinced myself I had emphysema (was a bit of a pot head in my younger days) I had a panic attack and the problem of breathing just escallated after that I completely panicked about it and got really scared. Doctors think it is anxiety and I guess I have to learn to accept what they say.

I go walking everyday and I don't have any problem breathing but when I'm sitting around I do have the breathing thing. Until recently the zanax didn't help but I found in the last few months when I'm totally out of breath I have a zanax and it slows my breathing rate down a bit.

I think I have to give up on worrying about going back to my old self and just learn to accept that I have anxiety and a symptom of it is breathlessness and I probably will feel like this forever. I am doing meditation every day and have for about the past 4 months as well as the walking not sure if it is helping or not but I will keep doing it.
Thanks again Ant

[og_Sarah]

I've suffered from Anxiety for my whole life but was not diagnosed until I was 10, I did therapy for a year before they put me on medication, they don't like putting kids on medication. But alas with me going to school every day crying and crying at night because I was always worrying about school and people and my family. One of the biggest things that I have Anxiety about is my family, I'm always worrying if something happening to them. My therapist thinking its probably partly due to the fact that I'm an Army brat and my dad was gone alot so i was always worried about him, so with him being gone me and my mom bonded alot. But anyway back to the point they put me on 100mg of Zoloft and I improved alot, pretty quickly and taking that and doing therapy helped alot. They teach alot of ways to help. After a few years of taking the Zoloft seemed to stop working they tried bumping me up to the highest dose 200mg and I started blacking out so I swithched to a couple diffrent things. I finally would up on Wellbutrin and it worked really well. Then after a few years of that it seemed to stop working and went back to taking the Zoloft and was good for awhile and I was only on 50. And I ran out of meds and was trying to lose weight so I stopped taking my meds altogether and was fine until about 6 months ago and i had to come of from mississippi to Florida without my family because my mom had to stay with my granda who was really sick. That is when the whole not being able to catch my breath thing started. I had always just had the sick to my stomache pain, light headedness, the sweats. But I couldn't breathe, couldn't sleep, I just felt like I couldn't function. be sitting at work and it would get quiet and I would feel the panic starting. Needless to say I called my doctor and started 200mg of Zoloft immediatly and got a perscription of Ativan which is like Xanax but you don't feel as sleepy. The whole not breathing thing lasted for about a month, even once my mom got home. I was also convinced that i was sick. I'm a smoker so of course I was convinved it was lung cancer, it wasn't. After talking to my doctor he told me the not breathing thing is actually hyperventilating. You becom so panicy that you hye, so your heart is racing and your body is trying to get enough oxygen. Thats all it is and of course with our Anxiety we start worrying about the breathing and it just makes us panic about it and we continue to hyperventilate. So long story short we are fine. I was doing really well until my mom had to go back and take care of my grandpa over a month ago and about a week ago i started hyperventilating again and it sucks so I really understand what your going through,or were going through. The thing that I've found that helps the best is talking to someone about it and just distracting yourself. I started making jewlery and I start a movie and do that, it works. Also getting a good book that you don't have to think to much and really lose yourself in helps. At night I listen to nature sounds, I tried music but I would end up singing along so it didin't work. The nature sounds like ocean waves relaxes you and distracts you. Hope that helps. Sorry that it was so long. Good Luck!