Anxiety Attacks?!!!!! Help!!??!
Question: I started having anxiety attacks at the beginning of my freshmen year in college, i had to go on xanax and paxil and im still takingthem regularly, the paxil that is cause the xanax i only take when i have a panic attack. But lately i havent been getting any THANK GOD!!!! i hate them, but i mean is this normal!? Will they come back?! Anybody ever go thru this? Thank you!
Answers: I started having anxiety attacks at the beginning of my freshmen year in college, i had to go on xanax and paxil and im still takingthem regularly, the paxil that is cause the xanax i only take when i have a panic attack. But lately i havent been getting any THANK GOD!!!! i hate them, but i mean is this normal!? Will they come back?! Anybody ever go thru this? Thank you!
I'm so sorry you're going through this!
I had my first anxiety attack in college also, and had them for about a year ... now I too am anxiety attack free for years now!
That is great that you haven't been getting any!
As far as it being normal, I can tell you that out of 7 close friends, 4 of us struggled with anxiety attacks in some form or another, so I think it is really common, especially at your age, to have a bout with them.
Medication didn't really work for me, except for xanax, which I didn't find until later, and which I only use now on very rare occasion to ward off an attack or just calm down. I think if you haven't been getting them, you may be out of the woods, which is great.
After the period of time when I had them frequently, they slowed down, and then stopped altogether. I had to get used to feeling anxiety and not *expecting* an actual attack, and that takes some getting used to, but, I haven't had an attack in years now and I'm so glad! I do still get anxiety, which I'm praying eventually also goes away someday!
The stuff that helped me the most was:
- learning to breathe with your stomach in times of stress (you can look this up on the internet or email me if you want the directions)
- prayer and building a closer relationship with God
- keeping my blood sugar balanced, by not skipping meals and making sure I got enough protein throughout the day
- taking vitamin supplements (a huge help)
- staying hydrated by drinking lots and lots of water (also a huge help)
- talking to a therapist
- and the #1 thing that helped me most (besides God) was EXERCISE! Aerobic exercise truly helped me so much. I'd just get on that treadmill or whatever and visualize myself walking through my stress, and when I was finished, I felt great. It helps balance your brain chemicals etc.
Also, if I'm feeling particularly stressed, I avoid flashy lights or loud situations ... anxiety is a result of overstimulation, so stuff like rock concerts would freak me out for a while after I had that year of anxiety attacks. It's better now, but sometimes I'll have to shut off the news or a violent movie etc. if I'm having stress in order to avoid feeling anxious.
Good luck and God bless!
Yes, I have had panic and anxiety attacks. They come and go. I take klonipin for them. Sometimes different smells and sometimes places will trigger them. It just determines sometimes the attacks. I too, haven't had them in awhile. Take care and try not to worry, that could cause them to happen again. Take care and I think life has alot in store for you.