Is this definitely an anxiety attack?

[Princess x]

I was put on Oxazepam (a benzodiazepine, ant-anxiety drug) for mild-moderate anxiety without attacks about Thanatophobia (Fear of death/dying). Took these for about 1 month, once a day then suddenly stopped without being told to taper.

I then went into sudden withdrawal and was having recurring (i hope ..) anxiety attacks. I was very ill, stomach cramps, vomiting, lethargy, aching muscles, headache but the worst symptom .. anxiety attacks.

I had to go up to the hospital at midnight as i was worried thinking this was some sort of heart problem or respiratory depression. The doctor told me this was benzodiazepine withdrawal and i could either go "cold turkey" or he would prescribe me some diazepam (valium) to taper from. With having a baby to look after the tapering method was really my only option.

I have been trying to avoud taking these and haven't been tapering as directed to. I went all day today without any and tonight had another 'attack'. So i took 2mg Diazepam. Right now I am feeling very strange and worried.

My question is, please could someone try and 'confirm' what I am having is an anxiety attack and not some other underlying health problem.

I will try and describe the attack as best as i can.

Firstly, for the past 5 days I must have had 6-12. They are usually unprovoked. By unprovoked I mean no conscious anxiety or worrying about anything specific.

I have this strange feeling in my throat. Sort of like a very very mild choking, not enough to make me gasp or anything, just enough to make me aware of the sensation.

My heart races, usually about 90. I feel short of breathe. Actually I don't know if that is the best way to describe it but my breathing definitely changes.

I feel helpless and feel like "this is it, im going to die". I feel like I'm literally about to die and even think about the procedure of going to a&e and having CPR.

The intensity has diminished but I am not feeling a little anxiety. Would it be wise to take another 2mg diazepam, I cannot cope with this feeling, it's driving me mad.

[worrier123]

if im honest i think u should ley off the drugs, drugs are only a temporary fix they cant cure anxiety they just block it out for abit but it wil always be there unless u get to the root of ur anxiety and change the way ur subcontious thinks, its not the easiest to do and im stil currently trying the same for my anxiety problems, we need to change the way we think and not automatically go to ´panick´mode....easier said than done though! the symptoms u are feeling is deffinatly anxiety but i know what u mean by thinking its something much worse and u picture the worst happening and have negative thoughts running through ur head which in tern makes everything worse.....its horrible. the best advise i could give is to leave the drugs alone and fight anxiety on ur own with the help of maybe counceling, people from here, self help books ect. i always think i have heart problems, the slitest weird feeling like a smal pain or a pulpertation wil get me worrying and il think theres something really wrong which wil of course bring on panick, iv not mastered it completly but what i do now is when this happens say for example a chest pain due to some trapped wind(which i get alot) il think shit what was that, was that right, im scared, what if this time it is something bad....i just say to myself as if im talking to another person- calm down, theres no need to panick ul just make urself worse if u panick, its just trapped wind u get it al the time and u know u do so stop it!! so thats what i do and touch wood it does seem to go away, dont get me wrong i stil always feel abit not right sort of thing but i dont actually have panick attacks anymore just bad anxiety.....id love to know or find out what it is that has made me so health contious.....its horribel i know. but al the best sweet and try try try not to worry so much, hope i helped a little sorry if i didt :) x

[forwells]

Howdy Princess x :D


I was put on Oxazepam (a benzodiazepine, ant-anxiety drug) for mild-moderate anxiety without attacks about Thanatophobia (Fear of death/dying). Took these for about 1 month, once a day then suddenly stopped without being told to taper

Bloody unreal . When are doctors going to see that drugs do not fix problems .


Ok your addicted to benzos and thats not a good feeling , i know as i was there for 4 months .

Your doctor is correct , you are withdrawing but it is not your fault , it is the fault of who ever gave you the Oxazepam to begain with . These benzos are not a long term answer and are used short term and this one should only be taking a few times . I shall explain

Benzos are addictive , meaning the longer you talk them the more you need to get the same effect. But the problem with these ones is the are short life 4-12 hours . I dont know how many you were taking or when but this is what happened with me and i was pretty much the same as you .

Ok you wake and take talbet 1 at 6 oclock , tablet 2 at 12 o clock and tablet 3 a night time . Now after a while your body needs these tablets , they are addictive remember . But because they have a short half life you start to get low on dose before you take the next one . So in reaility you are already in withdrawal even though taking the tablets .

Though out the day you have raises and falls and this is were the symptoms are coming from . In the end i would know that at 5 pm i would start to get the panics .

But there is good news . Valium has a long half life about 36 hours .
If you take the valium it will stablizes the level in your body . You will not dip and raise over every 6 to 12 hours .

So what do you do . You take the valium do not fear them it is not the benzo that is the big problem here but the one you started on . I started on Lexotan which is the same . So you take the valium for a few days and let it build . You take the equivalent in valium to what the first one was. Then after a few days you take 10% less and do this every three days if you can handle it .

As i said you are much like i was . I cut the first one i was on by 15% and would be on the floor in pain for two days after doing this twice i just could not do it again . I also started on valium and started cutting down using it . It took me about a week and no side effects what so every from doing it . You are best with the 10% but if you do it once and feel fine for 2 days then you may be able to go to 15 or 20 % . You have to do this on feeling .

Dont worry to much about it , Benzos suck but you can get off with little effect if you do it right . I dont think you have been on them long enough for them to be a big problem.

I disagree with your doctor on cold turkey. There is no reason for it as you can use one benzo to get off another and that is what they do with people that have been on them for years .

And when you get off them go and talk t someone about your fear of death. Do worry about that to much either we all have that one . Some just hide it better .

cheers kev :)