Hello everyone :)

[Leis]

Hi everyone!

I've been debating posting on forums in regards to what i go through (mainly because i find it intensely embarassing) but finally decided it was probably in my best interest to share with people who suffer from the same thing i do!

I am a 25 (soon to be 26) year old woman. I had my first panic attack 2 years ago at 23. I was under immense stress at the time and woke up one night sweating, shaking, feeling like i was going to pass out. I tried to sit up but felt like i couldn't walk and was going to pass out any minute (and possibly die). My boyfriend rushed me to the ER and of course by the time i got there i felt fine. I still went in and talked to the doc there who prescribed Alprazolam 0.25mg saying i should take one tab 4 times daily when i felt like i was having a panic attack.

I have taken only 3 of those tabs since having them prescribed to me because to be honest they make me feel really strange and if anything they make the panic attacks worse - the reason for this is because taking them makes me anxious in the first place I know it's pretty irrational and i feel terrible about it I did cut out a bunch of things from my diet, namely caffeine, most sugars and especially aspartame.

Since that first attack i've had a few of them on public transit but tried not to let it affect me to the point where i wouldn't be able to get on a bus or the subway. As time passed i started getting the attacks less and less. Usually i only get them at night either while sleeping or as i fall asleep (usually i get the choking symptoms, not being able to breathe properly, difficulty swallowing, etc).

Now i have one big issue coming up which is absolutely petrifying me. I have to take the plane in a couple of weeks on my own. Normally i have my boyfriend with me when i fly but on this occasion i will be taking a 7 hour flight by myself and i am terrified of having a panic attack on the plane, namely because i know if i get one i am probably going to scream or try to get off the plane. Another problem i am facing is the fact that this is an overnight flight as the more tired i get, the more likely it is for me to have an anxiety attack. Unfortunately for me, i am completely unable to sleep on planes :( Anyone have any suggestions for me?

Thanks and i look forward to sharing! :)

[juliana]

Hi Leis. I can relate to so much of what you're going through. I'm rarely getting panic attacks lately, but when I did, I felt like I was choking and couldn't swallow. There would be times when I'd be a passenger in a car and an attack would hit and I'd have to force myself to not open the door and just jump out while the car was moving.

I am still quite phobic about public transit. I often just tell myself... "I'll stay on for just one more stop, etc." Sometimes I make it all the way home on the bus, but other times I panic and get off. I find some comfort in knowing that I CAN get off, though.

I had to fly this summer. I hadn't been on a plane in 10 years -- and in that intervening time I had had 3 years of severe agoraphobia followed by almost 2 years of lingering panic attacks. I didn't know how I was going to be able to do it. I was like you. I was afraid I would freak out and demand to get off the plane.

Since your flight is in 3 weeks, cognitive behaviour therapy probably isn't going to do it for you right now (although I would suggest that you try that in the future if you aren't already). My doctor ended up prescribing me Ativan for my flight. I'm like you -- very nervous of drugs. I'm always afraid I'm going to have some weird side effect. I'm terribly afraid of something making me nauseous or sick to my stomach. I didn't want to be sick while trapped on a plane. Ativan tends to be very well-tolerated by most people though. While Alprozalam can make some people nauseous and euphoric, Ativan works as an anti-nauseant and just makes most people calm and drowsy. I took a low dose (0.5 mg) and I felt fine in the airport and on the plane. I was drowsy, but still alert enough to do all the things you need to do at the airport. It worked very well for me. I fell asleep on the plane, but had no trouble waking up just before we landed. (Yay!) It works quite quickly and wears off after about 6 hours. So, if you were taking a longer flight you would take a second dose after 4 or 5 hours.

Because I was afraid of possible side effects, I took one dose a couple of days before my flight just to make sure it was going to work for me and to put my mind at ease about negative side effects.

I ended up flying quite a lot during the summer. I took Ativan for the first few flights, but eventually I was comfortable enough to fly without taking it all. I carried it in my purse just in case, but I had conquered my fear of flying and I got to the point where I enjoyed it.

Anyway, you should talk to your doctor about possibilities. Tell him/her about your concerns and see what they recommend. I know how stressful it can be. I hope you're able to find something that works and you're able to enjoy your trip.

Welcome to the board. I look forward to getting to know you better!

[Leis]

Wow thank you so much for your response!!! That was the most useful answer i've ever been given! I'm actually flying out on this wednesday coming and have an appointment with my doctor this friday.
I'm hoping she'll prescribe me something like that. I will also try it out before i leave to see how i react to i, that's an excellent idea!

You are right about Alprazolam though. The feelings i got from taking that were very strange, which is one of the reasons i stopped taking it. I used to feel slightly euphoric while my consciousness told me that feeling was absolutely not normal, which usually brought on even more anxiety.

If my doctor does prescribe me Ativan, should i take them while on the plane or beforehand? And if beforehand then how long before? I'm a bit scared of being drowsy while waiting :oops:

Looking forward to your response! :D (And once again thank you!)

[juliana]

Hi Leis. I took a tablet of Ativan about 30 minutes before arriving at the airport. It takes between 15-45 minutes for the effects to hit. It's a sublingual tablet -- dissolves under your tongue and is absorbed quickly.

I was worried about having a panic attack in the airport because I was phobic about crowded places and having to stand in lines where I couldn't leave if I had an attack. I was alert enough to do all of that stuff, but felt relaxed about it while on Ativan.

If you have no fear of airports, and just need something to calm you on the plane, then you would probably take it 30 or 45 minutes before getting on the plane. Talk to your doctor about it. He'll probably have very specific instructions for you.

I hope all goes well. Keep us posted!

[Leis]

Hi and once again thank you for your quick reply!

I am usually okay with crowds or airports in general. The only real worry in the airport for me this time will be that i'm leaving my boyfriend behind. But usually the weathered traveller side of me takes over at that point and just does what needs to be done. It's in the plane itself when i have nothing to do that i'm scared i may have an attack. Not to mention the fact that i have serious nightmares 3 or 4 times a night of planes crashing usually about a week before i leave which really doesn't help. I know plane crashes are very rare but it may be that i have developed a slight phobia :(

Either ways i will keep you posted on what my doctor says. Although i'm not sure how to approach the subject. I just changed doctors to her and she doesn't have my medical history. I guess i'll just take the (still full) bottle of Alprazolam i have to show her i'm not an addict lol

[juliana]

Good luck with the doctor. My doctor told me she commonly prescribes Ativan for people who have a fear of flying. She just gave me a prescription for 10 tablets for my first trip in the summer. Since you're just asking for a prescription for a small amount for a specific purpose, the doctor will probably have no problem with prescribing you some.

[Leis]

Hello again!

So i went to see my new doctor and showed her the Alprazolam i had been prescribed which she immediately told me i should not be taking. As soon as i mentioned flying and panic attacks she told me she would give me a prescription for Ativan! So here i am now, with 20 Ativans (although i doubt i will ever have to use that much).

When do you recommend i take one to try it out? At night or during the day? I am a little weary of possible side effects which i know you understand but what must be done must be done!

Let me know! Thanks!

[myra]

I would do it on a day you don't have to work in the evening.

I'm really sensitive to medications and the only side effect I had from Ativan was mild sleepiness (I could stay awake..a case of the "yawns") and I was really hungry! I guess that's better than being nauseous!

[Leis]

Alright so i took a .5mg dose of Ativan on Saturday night around about midnight. I was so scared of having bad side-effects from the medication but kept telling myself that any faintness or whatever symptoms i felt at that time were just my panic and not the actual medication since it was unlikely it had kicked in after only 5 mins.

Eventually after about 25-30 mins i started feeling drowsy-ish. A little slow mainly. Kinda hard to describe but i'm sure most people know what i mean. Had a bit of a "brain fog" but other than that i was able to function and do what i needed. Went to sleep about an hour after taking it and i swear i have not slept so deeply in about 2 years!

My only problem with it was that at around 6:30-7 AM i woke up briefly from one of those "sleep" attacks. I'm not sure what they're called but i usually wake up very suddenly feeling very panicked for about 10 seconds then fall straight back asleep. I don't know if it was the medication wearing off that triggered that or what :( I just hope it wouldn't happen on the plane because i normally scream when i wake up like that :(