taking meds for anxiety/panic attacks

[jesikahlaine]

Hi everyone. I am a 24yr old female..
Cut short : 4wks ive had at least 1 panic attack a day, severity varies. I feel panicky, sweat, dizzy, nauseas, feel like i need to run away from where i am, faint & light headed, need to go to the toilet, tightness in my chest. Headaches are now very frequent & taking a single panadol makes me drowsy & anxious that it will cause something bad to happen & ill die in my sleep.
I cant leave the house without my mum & when i am out i feel anxious. Dizzy. My head always feels heavy. My eyes feel heavy & hurt (booking an optometrist as i have bad eyes already). I cannot be left alone at all or a panic attack happens. I fear this is going to send me crazy ill loose control. My family is suffering becoz of this. I am not me i was so motivated and active. Now i cant leave my house. I just want the old me back where i would take my daughter for walks to the park. Walk my dog.
I am scared of meds but have been told zoloft is really good for this.
What are ppls experiences with meds helping? I am seeing a pyscologist (3rd visit xoming up) she said if i feel i need help then get meds. I am trying relaxtion techniques & getting plenty of rest. Quit smoking & cutting down on caffeine.
Im scared of the side affects u get for the first few weeks & how did u cope with them? When the meds started working how did it feel? Did u just wake up one morning & felt good or was it a feeling u cant explain?
Please any help would be great.

[alankay]

Briefly ssri's like zoloft, celexa and prozac take weeks to work and don't make you feel "different" as a person. Side effects(if any) usually go away at low/medium dosage. I recommend a trial of one in general for folks who can get enough relief via psychotherapy, natural supplements and lifestyle changes. There is no real risk of dependence.

Benzos like ativan, klonopin, valium work fast(within an hour) and kill/reduce anxiety/tension/fear well...may too well. There is risk of dependence if you use these too liberally or too long exclusively and not integrate other things into treatment(finding a root cause of anxiety, changing lifestyle, educating oneself on anxiety, learning to tolerate some anxiety, learning calming/coping skills, etc). They should be considered for severe anxiety or in situations where anxiety prevents needed functioning(dental appts., where anxiety stops normal/needed activities(shopping, travel, etc), etc. Patients need to use some restraint with these. Some want to use them too liberally as a sole means of anxiety management because they work so well in general and that's not desired or good. They are in themselves no real answer. They are to be a part of anxiety treatment and management used only when really needed and at just enough of a dose. IMHO.

Beta blockers like inderal and atenolol are for the bodily symptoms of anxiety i.e., racing heart, shaking, tremor, tics, heavy sweating. Use them as your dr rx's and are pretty safe if you have a normal heart and lungs(no asthma). Your doc will tell you if they are OK for you. They don't help much with psychological fear as do benzos. SSRI's can too if taken long enough in many cases.

Also there are other types and classes of meds for anxiety but the above are the main meds used Today that I have experience with. Examples would be Buspar, Lyrica, Wellutrin, clonidine, etc.

Natural things to try are valarian root, kava kava, Chamomile/Passionflower teas, hops extract, skull cap, melatonin, 5-HTP, St John's Wort, magnesium and Bachs Rescue Remedy. There are others too out there.

Some get help by an OTC antihistamine like benadryl or an RX for atarax(an old anxiety reducing antihistamine). Just my take on the question of meds.

As always limit caffeine and alcohol, get some light exercise, eat a healthy diet and practice slow, deep breath and progressive relaxation. Finding a good counselor to help find and address the root cause of anxiety(if a cause can be found) is often the best, first step. :) Alankay

[Sentinelle]

Hey jesikahlaine I can relate with what you feel our symptoms are very similar. I am afraid to go out fear of panic attacks and fainting in public and fear of being alone. I haven't tried meds yet I am scared of the side effects I have a med phobia. I am trying to do this naturally without meds for now but don't seem to be going anywhere. I find exercise and talking to people who understand really helps but I still get the symptoms. I hope you find your way through this hopefully medication will help you. Alankay that was very helpful thanks!!

[jesikahlaine]

Briefly ssri's like zoloft, celexa and prozac take weeks to work and don't make you feel "different" as a person. Side effects(if any) usually go away at low/medium dosage. I recommend a trial of one in general for folks who can get enough relief via psychotherapy, natural supplements and lifestyle changes. There is no real risk of dependence.

Benzos like ativan, klonopin, valium work fast(within an hour) and kill/reduce anxiety/tension/fear well...may too well. There is risk of dependence if you use these too liberally or too long exclusively and not integrate other things into treatment(finding a root cause of anxiety, changing lifestyle, educating oneself on anxiety, learning to tolerate some anxiety, learning calming/coping skills, etc). They should be considered for severe anxiety or in situations where anxiety prevents needed functioning(dental appts., where anxiety stops normal/needed activities(shopping, travel, etc), etc. Patients need to use some restraint with these. Some want to use them too liberally as a sole means of anxiety management because they work so well in general and that's not desired or good. They are in themselves no real answer. They are to be a part of anxiety treatment and management used only when really needed and at just enough of a dose. IMHO.

Beta blockers like inderal and atenolol are for the bodily symptoms of anxiety i.e., racing heart, shaking, tremor, tics, heavy sweating. Use them as your dr rx's and are pretty safe if you have a normal heart and lungs(no asthma). Your doc will tell you if they are OK for you. They don't help much with psychological fear as do benzos. SSRI's can too if taken long enough in many cases.

Also there are other types and classes of meds for anxiety but the above are the main meds used Today that I have experience with. Examples would be Buspar, Lyrica, Wellutrin, clonidine, etc.

Natural things to try are valarian root, kava kava, Chamomile/Passionflower teas, hops extract, skull cap, melatonin, 5-HTP, St John's Wort, magnesium and Bachs Rescue Remedy. There are others too out there.

Some get help by an OTC antihistamine like benadryl or an RX for atarax(an old anxiety reducing antihistamine). Just my take on the question of meds.

As always limit caffeine and alcohol, get some light exercise, eat a healthy diet and practice slow, deep breath and progressive relaxation. Finding a good counselor to help find and address the root cause of anxiety(if a cause can be found) is often the best, first step. :) Alankay

Thanks for that Alankay :) i was given diazepam/valium 2mg to take during an attack, but dont like them. I took them once at home after an attack i was so excited thinking 'these tablets are going to help & make this feeling subside'. I was becoming drowsy off the tablet but it also felt like i had diareah. I needed to sit on the toilet but wanted to sleep so it made me more upset that the tablet wasnt doing what i was so excited it was going to do. my attack had gone on for hrs & made worse becoz i had no idea what was going on. 3 days in a row i had these symptoms, the 3rd day an ambulance was called becoz i thought i was losing control i couldnt see speak properly constipated head ringing, every possible symptom i had. My poor 4.5yr old daughter was in the loungeroom listening to me screaming & crying begging my partner to make it go away. I did have a severe one yesterday but now im able to tell myself it will pass & they do go away. I think that day i MADE it stay all those hrs becoz i was so upset & scared. I went to the hospital that night & stayed there til 4am. The dr gave me 5mg of diazepam & said i need not worry i am in hospital now & they will monitor me. It did calm me down & i went to sleep for about 40mins. The dr said my body was in a crisis right now & offered for me to stay in hospital to calm down but i couldnt stand the thought of my daughter being away from me & that set off another attack. I stayed at the hospital til 4am had another 2mg, 8am woke up at home had another 2mg 2pm another 2mg. Nothing was helping i was so on edge i called the mental health team who came & visited me i was in tears they suggested a stay in hospital too. I called my mum & she come to pick me up. I koved home that day & never went back to my house. I ended my lease & this week will be our last week packing before the lease is over for good (hoping this will eleviate some stress). I was taking anxiety aid a natural remedy from the chemist. Has a flower (cant remember the name) that helps with sleep etc i think it helped a bit. Im thinking now im a bit more calmer then i was when 1st taking them that they might have a better effect now.? I dont want to take meds but feel i have no choice at the moment to help me. But then im scared ill stop taking them & anxiety will kick back in. Stuck in a rut ! What did u take alankay?

[jesikahlaine]

Sorry for the long read too. I just feel like i need to explain my whole story & it makes me feel a little better too.
Could u plz tell me ur story with anxiety/panic?

[jamus75]

May need to try a different benzo. I take Ativan and have a lot of the same issues. I only take 1 mg when attacks come and it always works for me. A lot of it is just knowing I have them and just taking them calms me down. Might want to try it for panic situations.

[Ahlstrom]

Definitely get or trial a SSRI like Alan mentioned, my Lexapro pretty much keeps me from not having constant panic attacks. I think sadly for me it's necessary, luckily we don't like in the middle ages without this kind of medicene, i'd be in the looney bin.

And I agree with jamus, try some different benzos. All of them are going to make you drowsier and sleep more, but I think that's better than having panic attacks.

[jesikahlaine]

Definitely get or trial a SSRI like Alan mentioned, my Lexapro pretty much keeps me from not having constant panic attacks. I think sadly for me it's necessary, luckily we don't like in the middle ages without this kind of medicene, i'd be in the looney bin.

And I agree with jamus, try some different benzos. All of them are going to make you drowsier and sleep more, but I think that's better than having panic attacks.

My thing is i cant be drowsy i have a 4yr old i cant just go sleep it off. Taking anti depressant/anxiety, will this help stop the opanic attacks?

[jesikahlaine]

Im also getting a little better talking myself out of a panic attack - im also seeing a pyscologist. But would definetly love this lump in my throat & nauseas feeling ive had for 3 days to go away !