winkthehouseelf
09-06-2012, 09:04 AM
Hello! I just wanted to introduce myself and tell a little about where I'm at and what led me here. I'm a 25 year old female in Florida :)
I had my first panic attack when I was about 14. I was sleeping and woke up thinking surely I was having a heart attack and needed to be rushed to the hospital. I was sweating, couldn't breathe and had a horrible sense of disorientation/dizziness while stumbling my way to my mother's room. I was obviously terrified and couldn't get myself to calm down for quite a while. I remember her telling me when it was over that this was something she had also and I'd just have to learn to live with it. Who was I to argue? Luckily, at that time I didn't have much anxiety and the panic attacks I did have would only come once every other month or so.
About 5 years later is when everything ramped up a bit, so to speak. My panic attacks came about once every 2 weeks (usually at night) but sometimes out of nowhere. I've never to this day noticed a specific "trigger" for them. I aways had a low-moderate level of anxiety (difficulty sleeping/staying asleep, pressure in my chest, thoughts running wild, etc.)
Up til now I've always lived with the "learn to deal with it" advice I got so many years ago. My daily anxiety over the last few months has shot through the roof and so I've finally decided to see someone professionally (new insurance - or should I say good insurance!). So, last week I tried calling around to PCP's in my area who seem to "specialize" (yes I use the term loosely) in mental health cases. It seems the earliest anyone could get me in for a new patent appointment and consultation was 3-4 weeks out. My husband suggested I try going to a walk in facility. As my luck would have it (I really try to present a calm and collected facade - which I fail miserably at about 40% of the time) I had a near breakdown while talking to the doctor. I don't know if it was nerves, or just a feeling of defeat having always tried to "soldier on" on my own.
Anyway, he gave me a two week script for .5mg Xanax 3 times a day as needed (though verbally told me to definitely take 2 daily and if I felt overly anxious to take the 3rd). I have things that I really love and loathe about this med.
Things I like: I feel calm, able to focus, I have noticed I have a less defeatist take on situations, I was able to handle a situation the other day where my emotions normally would have gotten the better of me without coming off as a crazy person like I usually do :D
Things I dislike: They dont last long enough. Maybe it's just me? But the feeling of being on edge comes back after about 4-5 hours if I'm lucky. They also make me exhausted! As in 30 minutes after taking them I have to force myself to stay awake or I'll wind up taking an unexpected hour long nap. If I do wind up taking all 3 doses in a given day I'm down for the night by 9:30/10:00 (because of my husbands work schedule our sleep schedule is usually midnight to 8:00 or 8:30).
Anyhoo, jumping back a bit. I was advised by the doctor at the clinic to have a follow-up appointment with my PCP in a week, but if they couldn't get me in then to come back and see him. I called the PCPs office on Tuesday and (wonder of wonders!!) after being told I was given meds they were able to work me in on Friday (tomorrow). Now though I'm really spazzing out about this appointment. I don't really know ANYTHING about the medicinal treatment side of things. I'm afraid of being told "take this" and it just not being the right thing for me. Or worse, being told the other doctor was wrong to give me anything to begin with and just send me on my way.
I'd love any opinion or advice! And If you've made it this far, thanks for reading my rambling :)
I had my first panic attack when I was about 14. I was sleeping and woke up thinking surely I was having a heart attack and needed to be rushed to the hospital. I was sweating, couldn't breathe and had a horrible sense of disorientation/dizziness while stumbling my way to my mother's room. I was obviously terrified and couldn't get myself to calm down for quite a while. I remember her telling me when it was over that this was something she had also and I'd just have to learn to live with it. Who was I to argue? Luckily, at that time I didn't have much anxiety and the panic attacks I did have would only come once every other month or so.
About 5 years later is when everything ramped up a bit, so to speak. My panic attacks came about once every 2 weeks (usually at night) but sometimes out of nowhere. I've never to this day noticed a specific "trigger" for them. I aways had a low-moderate level of anxiety (difficulty sleeping/staying asleep, pressure in my chest, thoughts running wild, etc.)
Up til now I've always lived with the "learn to deal with it" advice I got so many years ago. My daily anxiety over the last few months has shot through the roof and so I've finally decided to see someone professionally (new insurance - or should I say good insurance!). So, last week I tried calling around to PCP's in my area who seem to "specialize" (yes I use the term loosely) in mental health cases. It seems the earliest anyone could get me in for a new patent appointment and consultation was 3-4 weeks out. My husband suggested I try going to a walk in facility. As my luck would have it (I really try to present a calm and collected facade - which I fail miserably at about 40% of the time) I had a near breakdown while talking to the doctor. I don't know if it was nerves, or just a feeling of defeat having always tried to "soldier on" on my own.
Anyway, he gave me a two week script for .5mg Xanax 3 times a day as needed (though verbally told me to definitely take 2 daily and if I felt overly anxious to take the 3rd). I have things that I really love and loathe about this med.
Things I like: I feel calm, able to focus, I have noticed I have a less defeatist take on situations, I was able to handle a situation the other day where my emotions normally would have gotten the better of me without coming off as a crazy person like I usually do :D
Things I dislike: They dont last long enough. Maybe it's just me? But the feeling of being on edge comes back after about 4-5 hours if I'm lucky. They also make me exhausted! As in 30 minutes after taking them I have to force myself to stay awake or I'll wind up taking an unexpected hour long nap. If I do wind up taking all 3 doses in a given day I'm down for the night by 9:30/10:00 (because of my husbands work schedule our sleep schedule is usually midnight to 8:00 or 8:30).
Anyhoo, jumping back a bit. I was advised by the doctor at the clinic to have a follow-up appointment with my PCP in a week, but if they couldn't get me in then to come back and see him. I called the PCPs office on Tuesday and (wonder of wonders!!) after being told I was given meds they were able to work me in on Friday (tomorrow). Now though I'm really spazzing out about this appointment. I don't really know ANYTHING about the medicinal treatment side of things. I'm afraid of being told "take this" and it just not being the right thing for me. Or worse, being told the other doctor was wrong to give me anything to begin with and just send me on my way.
I'd love any opinion or advice! And If you've made it this far, thanks for reading my rambling :)