Anxiety and Panic Attacks

I have up to 10 panic attacks a day, the kind where you need to run out of the building at work and hyperventilate until you call 911. These panic attacks are so serious that I am on 7 different medications including those that just knock me out for 24 hours.

I don’t want to live like this. Right now I am not working because I can’t stop these panic attacks. THE ONLY THING that helps is alcohol. It’s the only thing that takes me out of reality. I think that if I didn’t drink I would commit suicide. I have seen 4 therapists.

This is all due to a ton of illnesses diagnosed at age 23. I have lesions all over my brain, epilepsy, PTSD, panic and anxiety disorder, cognitive learning disorder, Bipolar 2, Diabetes, Mitral Valve Prolapse and Agoraphobia.

Nothing helps the panic but the alcohol. Therapy should’ve worked by now. Meds should’ve worked by now. NOTHING WORKS but alcohol why is this? Am I a lost cause?

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I am now 60. 30 yrs ago I began to have nocturnal panic attacks. The Dr’s I went to did not relate to what I was telling them. I wish they had sent me to a psychiatrist who would probably have recognized what was happening.

After a while, I began to have panic attacks during the day, also. This went on for years without any help. No one knew what was wrong with me & no one sent me to a psychiatrist. I didn’t know myself that I should go to one.

After several years, having also developed agoraphobia, social phobia, driving phobia I was in so much pain, I no longer wanted to live. I decided to let myself go on to the next life. At that moment, it was as tho a part of me stepped outside of myself & said, “Go to a psychiatrist before you do that.”

I called one the next morning and she put me on Trivial. For the first time in years my heart stopped hurting (I had become so used to it that I didn’t even know it “was” hurting). Also the day time panic attacks went away.

I still had the nocturnal ones and extremely bad anxiety attacks almost constantly and all those same phobia but I was very relieved just to get rid of the years of day time panic attacks.

One doctor over the years put me on Prosac and over a year raised it to 80 Mg’s. I almost felt normal.

Fast forward to now, 30 years later. I am on 40 Mg’s of Prosac and take klonapan 3 times a day.

Left to my own devices, I get by. But sometimes when I am under a lot of stress which I can’t control for several weeks, the medication I’m on stops working and recently I felt as tho I would have to go to a hospital I felt so sick from the hightened, longer term anxiety of several weeks.

I would prefer not to go on another daily medication, but would very much like to have a back up one that I could take when things in my outside world that I can’t do anything about cause stress that is ongoing for several weeks. One that I could take as needed. I’ve used xanex but I’ve heard so many bad things about it that I’m not sure that is the answer. I don’t want something new. I don’t like playing guinea pig to new medications. I’ve tried the other ssri’s and prosac works best for me personally. The klonapon also works well for me. I just need something extra that I can take “as-needed” for these kind of emergency times like the last few weeks.

This emergency just passed so I’m fine now with what I’m taking but I would like to never have to go thru something similiar again without knowing I have a back up to help me thru it so I don’t become so ill.

Does anyone have any suggestions for prescriptions. I’ve done years of therapy including cognitive behavioral and it does help when I’m having lite to medium short term anxiety. I’ve tried alternative medication which can also work with light anxiety. Had I caught this early enough, it would probably never gotten this bad, but back then regular dr’s didn’t usually know enough about panic attacks like they do now. Now I’m sure someone now would give me medication or send me to a psychiatrist.
But I have to deal with what is my reality now. So if you have any suggestions that are about prescriptions I would so so much appreciate any help. Thank you so much.

Warmly, S

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I suffer from panic disorder and frequent panic attacks. I am on Klonopin, which helps control my anxiety fairly well, but do not prevent the panic attacks.
“How” I get my attacks follow a very consistent pattern. I would like to hear from others who experience their panic attacks in a similar way.
My attacks ALWAYS occur just as I am about to fall asleep, or asleep for a very short while, like within an hour. Before I go to sleep I often feel fairly relaxed, so it is shocking to wake up shortly after my head hits the pillow with all the classic symptoms of a panic attack, which for me usually include rapid heartbeat, hot flashes, nausea, sweating, some difficulty breathing normally, and a ‘strange feeling in my head and body’, like I am relating to the world around me much differently than when I am not having an attack. The symptoms and sensations are VERY uncomfortable and distressing, and I get the attacks about three times a week on average. Stress levels in my life are fairly high, and I also suffer from significant depression.
When an attack hits, I usually say to myself, “Oh no, not again!” and try to deal with the attack best I can. They usually last about 30 minutes to an hour and then slowly subside. However, I wish they would go away, or at least lessen in frequency and severity. My usual response is to get up and walk around a bit. Lying in bed usually makes me feel worse. I also usually feel an urge to ‘flee’(the fight or flight syndrome), and if the attack is especially intense I usually leave my apartment and take a walk. I find this helps somewhat. I try as hard as I can not to overreact to the attack, but it is difficult. Even though they say “no one has died from a panic attack”, etc.etc., there are studies that link frequent regular panic attacks to higher suicide rates and heart problems, so it is hard to ignore those things. A couple of times I went to the ER, but that proved to be a waste of time, as they told me I was ‘only’ having a panic attack, and I would be alright shortly. Easy for them to say. Let them experience one and know how awful it feels.
My main concern is why do my attacks ONLY happen during the early stages of my sleep? I am worried I may have a sleep abnormality that may be triggering my attacks. I’ve done some reading on ‘sleep panic attacks’ and there are some things that can cause them. Usually a sleep study is ordered to find out. I may need to do that.
I would like to hear from those who suffer from these sleep panic attacks, in the way I have described, how you deal with them, any advice you can give me, etc. Also anyone in the medical profession who is familiar with what I am talking about I would also very much like to hear from.
Thanks.

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you see, i went to the emergency room about 2, 2 1/2 weeks ago because i had a Aniexty attcack/Panic attack over a bowel movement.

Ever since i went to the ER, i havn’t been myself lately.. I’ve cried alot, thinking im dieing, seriously folks, i’ve taken lexapro, but i did’nt like the side affects it gave me, made my leg twitch, hard to breathe, heart palpations, couldn’t eat, and layed in bed all day.

I had a urine test, and blood sample at the ER, and visited the Doctor the next day, and he said by the looks of the tests, i didn’t have kidney failure or anything like that, he said i have an ANXIETY DISORDER, and a Phobia of Death.

But i havn’t felt the same, i’ve gotten irregular heart beats/heart palpations ALOT, Hard to breathe, trouble sleeping/laying down.

I’ve been thinking im dieing, i am undergoing alot of stress, im 14 years old. an i’ve be on House arrest for 4 months. (i get off sunday)

Is this all because stress/depression, or is it “real”?

Click Here to find out how I got rid of Panic Attacks!