Anxiety and sleeping problems, pounding heart beat

[ryancr500]

I have been having anxiety problems for about 3 months. It started as if my heart had been injected with adrenalin and it started beating out of my chest in the middle of the night. I Totally freaked out that night thinking 'this is the end' . The next day I arranged to go to the doctor the asap. Unfortunately, I had my morning at my office meeting that I had to attend.....I had to pretty well run out with intense anxiety (with cel phone to my ear to appear busy). Sleeping the next few nights was nearly impossible. I felt as though I couldn't breathe, heart pounding...being concious of each breath and feeling as though I wasn't able to breath without concious effort. The only way I managed to sleep was to have the window wide open, breathing cold fresh air. I would also wiggle my feet in order to take my mind off my breathing. The doctor did blood work,ekg, pee in a cup test etc. All returned negative. Prescribed Cipralex 5mg for anxienty and zopiclone for sleeping
The first few weeks of Cipralex were really difficult. The medication caused increased anxiety, I was unsocial, numb towards my wife, and I could barely face clients... I actually had to flee one social get together.
Now that I've been on Cipralex for 6 weeks or so, I still feel anxious. I can attend social functions, but I'm not very social. I can work, but the bare minimum. What bothers me the most is that I'm still having the sleep issues. I have to take zopiclone every night just to get to sleep.
I've tried taking 1/2 a pill and I wake up around 3 AM with my heart pounding and breathing 'noticeable'.
Does anyone have any ideas what I can do to start sleeping without having to take the zopiclone?
Is Cipralex the right medication for me.. since it hasn't helped my sleeping at all?
.. hope someone can help

[northstar]

hi there, i'm sorry times are so tough for you at the moment :(

that pounding heartbeats you get are called heart palpitations and many anxiety sufferers experience them. i used to get them (and still do if i don't take care of myself) and they really freaked me out - but eventually i realised that they actually were connected to how and what i was eating. what happens is when you go to sleep at night you're not eating for quite a long time and your blood sugars drop resulting in lots of symptoms including anxiety and palpitations.

it may not be the same case for you but it's worth looking into. you might like to try eating a snack before you sleep, but something that will keep your blood sugars stable for a long period of time. it's also helpful to keep a snack like a banana by your bed that you can eat if you wake up at night with the pounding heartbeats.

eating the wrong kinds of foods can also have the same effect, so avoid things like alcohol, sugary and refined carbohydrates as much as you can in the evenings. also cutting down on irritants like tea, coffee and sodas can help out with sleeping.

if you'd like to read a bit more then please take a look at this thread: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087

i hope you find some of this helpful :)