Anyone who has had panic disorder/severe anxiety dealt with this?!


Question: I have been dealing with a lot of stress lately and have always had anxiety but not to the level that I now experience it. I tried to quit smoking about a week ago and the second day of quitting, I had a full blown anxiety attack where I became restless, nervous, endured chest pains, and just was freaking out. Since that night its been with me everyday. I went to urgent care last Thursday because I couldn't wait for the appointment that I have tomorrow and they prescribed me xanax and lexapro. The xanax helps take the edge off but it is only covering up the ailments of course and isn't making the condition go away completely. As for the lexapro, I took it once and I had a horrible anxiety attack and became sick. The doctor that I saw told me to stop taking the Lexapro, which I definitely have no problems with but I am becoming hopeless because I am sick of feeling like this. I had a panic attack this morning again and I just can't take anymore. I just want to feel normal again..


Answers: I have been dealing with a lot of stress lately and have always had anxiety but not to the level that I now experience it. I tried to quit smoking about a week ago and the second day of quitting, I had a full blown anxiety attack where I became restless, nervous, endured chest pains, and just was freaking out. Since that night its been with me everyday. I went to urgent care last Thursday because I couldn't wait for the appointment that I have tomorrow and they prescribed me xanax and lexapro. The xanax helps take the edge off but it is only covering up the ailments of course and isn't making the condition go away completely. As for the lexapro, I took it once and I had a horrible anxiety attack and became sick. The doctor that I saw told me to stop taking the Lexapro, which I definitely have no problems with but I am becoming hopeless because I am sick of feeling like this. I had a panic attack this morning again and I just can't take anymore. I just want to feel normal again..

You'll feel better knowing a lot of people go through the same thing. I had bad anxiety for about 10 years before I finally went to the doctor. With medication and some counsilling it took about 2 years to feel better. I'm of the meds now but still the anxiety returns a little bit. Basically there's a huge viscious cycle going on in your brain that is pumping out and uptaking the same chemical. Medication can correct this. Once you get it under control, therapy can help you manage situations where you might start to panic again. Don't worry, you can get through this, but be sure to take all the help you can get.

Therapy will help you. Going to the emergency room will not. When you are getting an attack stop yourself and breathe slow & deep. You might benefit from anti-anxiety medication, as well.

I have dealt with this same issue. I had bad anxiety/panic for about 2-3 months and finally it's easing up and have quit all medications. I too would visit the ER thinking there was something terribly wrong with me. I was prescribed Zoloft, but I stayed away from the anti-depressants because I didn't want to mess with my brain chemicals more than they already were :-) I just took Klonopins and gradually weened myself off of them when I felt like I had more control.

I read the Anxiety and Phobia Workbook and it helped me understand and cope with anxiety so much better! It also gives great advice on tips to help it. You definitely should be getting plenty of cardio exercise as well.

To learn how to control this yourself, go to www.AnxietyRelief1.com and read about Anxiety Relief Techniques and EFT. Once you learn the method expalined here, you probably won't need any medications at all.

Bless you

I have dealt with anxiety disorders for about six years. It's a nightmare. You never know when they are coming back and live in a constant fear of dieing.

It took forever for me to recover. I never wanted to take antianxiety drugs because I thought that if this is something mental, then I should work on having a stronger mental attitude, or doing the necessary changes/adjustments my life needed. I learned I was a type A personality, very perfectionistic. I learned to put up with imperfection. I care a lot about what other people said, I had to learn not to care. I was addicted to excelling at everything, I had to learn to prioritize and love myself and actually, I went beyond that and made "mistakes" in purpose. I had to learn my limitations and to love myself even when I couldn't be "the best."

Also, I got tested for any viral infection. The blood test results showed that I was still struggling with the "memories" of a salmonella infection I had long time ago. So, when I was under stress, my immune system was weak, this viral infection (which is everywhere and also remains in my blood, I am just one of those people sensitive to it) kicked in, and produce a crisis, which is an anxiety attack. Once I learned all of this, I took better care of myself, by eating right, and sleeping well, took my vitamins and minerals to boost my immune system, did yoga to help my body relax, and got rid of all those negative, toxic people in my life. I had to look for a new job and make a few adjustments.

Anxiety attacks are GONE. I just need to maintain myself within the environment that is healthy...not that stress can be avoided, but I am developing better coping skills to react to stressful events in life.

About 4 years ago, I was you. The fear of having another panic attack kept me having them for about three months, until I found the right solution to keep it at bay. I'm still anxious, but I've found ways to deal with it. I also didn't want to take Xanax because I was worried about becoming addicted, etc. and anti-depressants made me feel very weird (which just contributes to the anxiety, doesn't it?) My doctor put me on buspar, which is an anti-anxiety, but it's more like an anti-depressant because it's not addictive like xanax. Of course, you could ask about that, but you always have to find what is right for you.

In the beginning I was in counseling for about 6 months, and that helped a lot just to have someone to talk to because it's hard to talk to a spouse or friend when they don't have that problem. They don't understand why you can't just get over it, and you can't! It's the way you are!

I did a lot of journaling about my anxiety so I would know what my triggers are (I get very anxious about my health and diseases.)

Make sure you have a good doctor that understands your problems, and although we are all wary of xanax, until you find something that helps you, sometimes it's the only way to function. I've learned not to be afraid of that, and I take one maybe once every other month if things gets bad. Most of the time, I don't need it at all.

I felt very hopeless back then, like I was never going to get better and everyone I loved was going to hate me. It's not true. You need a good support system to get you through this, and people who really love you will stick by you. Thinking doom and gloom makes it worse, and you have to get out of that mindset and think about getting better, because you will. It can be overwhelming at times, but things gets better. I feel that although anxiety-sufferers will always be more worried than their counterparts, it can make them stronger and more prepared for certain situations.

Keep your head up, and do whatever you need to get better.

Hi serenity,
Yeah sometimes lexapro and benzo's do cause you to feel 100x worse. You might be still suffering from that drug effect on your body. You have to find a drug that works for you. Sometimes just therapy will work for panic attacks and anxiety disorder. Sometimes its both. But its obvious you need to stay away from Benzo's. Take some deep breathes and ask yourself "whats the worse that can happen"





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