Anxiety Attacks

Fat_Tony

im at the end of my tether (if thats how u spell it) i have anxiety/panic attacks for past 7 years and seen numerous doctors,councellors etc and taken numerous anti depresents to cope with this but it stops me going even into city centre and i live in glasnevin,i can go places cause im afraid i will get one and constantly have a lump in my throat u know the feeling u get when u cry and cry ? except i havent been crying sometimes i feel like i cant breathe and its getting me depressed any help ???????????????

LegacyUser

Tony, there IS end at the light of the tunnel so please don't feel helpless anymore. The worst thing about an anxiety attacks are the physical manifestations, i.e. thumping heart/chest tightness/dry throat/shaking and the feeling that you're either going to die or that you're losing the plot and will have to be institutionalised. Have you considered yoga? What changed my life was beta-blockers. My Dad is a doctor and recommended I try them as he didn't want me to go down the anti-depressant route if I could help it. They are tiny little non-addictive pills which slow down the heart rate ever so slightly so when you feel an attack coming on, you can take one and the physical manefestations disappear and consequently the panic. I haven't taken one now in ages but ALWAYS keep them in my handbag as a security blanket. They gave me my life back. Go back to your GP! There is help out there. Lots and lots of luck to you!! x

lazylad

Fat_Tony wrote:

im at the end of my tether (if thats how u spell it) i have anxiety/panic attacks for past 7 years and seen numerous doctors,councellors etc and taken numerous anti depresents to cope with this but it stops me going even into city centre and i live in glasnevin,i can go places cause im afraid i will get one and constantly have a lump in my throat u know the feeling u get when u cry and cry ? except i havent been crying sometimes i feel like i cant breathe and its getting me depressed any help ???????????????

Talk to a GP tony. I cut out caffeine and quit smoking.

Resurrection

I'm 20 years old and have suffered since 17. Let me give you some of my history. It started off with pains in my heart and left arm which lead me to believe I had a genuine heart problem and after numerous tests and heart monitors strapped to me for days I was given the all clear. I soon became a regular face down E&R with chest pains and I would/could not believe that I didn't have an underlying heart condition so I became something like a hypocondriac regarding health issues.
I was referred to a psychiatrist and was first put on Seroxat but Seroxat is a drug that should be banned from public, It made me totally numb to any emotion and didn't really solve any of my problems. When I requested to be taken off Seroxat the doctor put me on Cipramil which is about as good as an SSRI(anti-depressant) comes with the most success rates. I still experienced anxiety while on the highest adult dose of Cipramil and then I was given Xanax(benzo) to take the edge off things which was fine but you soon build a tolerance up to Xanax and it's best you get off it so to combat my anxiety they put me on Buspar which relieved symptoms but didn't totally rid me of my fears.
Exactly this time last year I said i'm finished with all of this crap so I went cold Turkey from everything despite medical advice(Im not recommending you do this) and the withdrawal lasted about 3 weeks with mild electric shocks shooting through my body and increased levels of anxiety. When the medication was out of my blood stream I had to face my fear and get over them. This is exactly what I did and within 3 months of being really brave and facing my fears I became totally better and more confident within myself. I don't need any medication anymore, you just need to get out and face your fears right in the face. If you feel yourself getting panicky try and breathe slowly in your nose and out through your mouth - Day by day things will approve and your methods of avoidance will soon dissapear.

I can ignore my chest pains now, I know i'm healthy and young and this world has alot in store for me. I found hangover's to increase my anxiety levels the worse. I think doctor's are too handy at prescribing these drugs when I look back on hindsight. Excercise yourself, do volunteer work. Just try anything that will make you interact and then go wow I feel good about doing that.

Best of luck,
Mark.

Victor

lazylad wrote:

I would suggest that you never use caffeine or stimulants for a while and reassure yourself is you believe something is happening to you is only impossible and you are imagining it. I would suggest drinking a lot of water and doing a lot of exercise to get your energy drained.I found nicotine helped with anxiety. I had anxiety attack recently but it was actually a partially collapsed lung. You should get chest xray. I couldn't breath and my face went grey

I think this is why medical advice isn't allowed on PI.

bug

I started yoga there last week.
I get highly stressed and I noticed that I actually stop breathing when I get stressed I dont have panic attacks anymore, but used to in my teens a fair bit.

Give it a go see if there is a place in your area.
Its more concentrating on your breathing and control of your breathing. As well as the good bits of strengthening and flexing your body,as far as Im remember the panic attacks i used to have started with loss of control of breathing.
So this might help.
Speak to your doctor about going if you decide to take it up.

Resurrection

bug wrote:

I started yoga there last week.
I get highly stressed and I noticed that I actually stop breathing when I get stressed I dont have panic attacks anymore, but used to in my teens a fair bit.

Give it a go see if there is a place in your area.
Its more concentrating on your breathing and control of your breathing. As well as the good bits of strengthening and flexing your body,as far as Im remember the panic attacks i used to have started with loss of control of breathing.
So this might help.
Speak to your doctor about going if you decide to take it up.

I think the breathing situation you refer to is when the carbon minoxide is being released from your body which causes your arms to tingle and chest tighten. It's caused by panting type breathing and thats why breathing excercises from a professional can be very helpful.

Victor

What about confidence training "I can do this."?

jellybaby21

Fat_Tony wrote:

im at the end of my tether (if thats how u spell it) i have anxiety/panic attacks for past 7 years and seen numerous doctors,councellors etc and taken numerous anti depresents to cope with this but it stops me going even into city centre and i live in glasnevin,i can go places cause im afraid i will get one and constantly have a lump in my throat u know the feeling u get when u cry and cry ? except i havent been crying sometimes i feel like i cant breathe and its getting me depressed any help ???????????????

In my experience all the tablets I took made me worse I found this site very helpful the course is fabulous and you will be able to relate to everything that is addressed in the course. There is also a link on this site to a forum where sufferers can share their experiences with others.

I found this really helped. www.panic-attacks.co.uk

kittenkiller

Have you actually been able to talk to the councellors?
I know it sounds like a silly question, but i know that some people don't actually spill everything out tho their councellors.

Do you have anyone that you find it's easy to talk to informally?
A friend or neighbour or someone who's gone through something similar?

Fat_Tony

cheers thanks for all the messges guys / girls but you know when somebody says think of headache long enough u will get 1 ????????? well i dont need to think long,ive convinced myself in my head that i cant breath and swallow and therefor b4 long i cant i need to change my thinking but hard to do 24 hours a day,im seeing a phycologist and taking anti depressents,other anti depressents worked but didnt get rid of my panic as i never dealt with the emotional side of it,but hoping now with phycologist and tablets i can combat it all together now

lazygit

i was also on beta-blockers for a while.. found them very helpfull..

ando

This is the best self help book out there for anxiety

The link above is the 4th edition, I had the 3rd edition. The book covers absolutely everything remotely related to anxiety. Helped me a lot in the past. seriously do not underestimate this book if you are serious about getting better. I didnt use any drugs in the end

Resurrection

Fat_Tony wrote:

cheers thanks for all the messges guys / girls but you know when somebody says think of headache long enough u will get 1 ????????? well i dont need to think long,ive convinced myself in my head that i cant breath and swallow and therefor b4 long i cant i need to change my thinking but hard to do 24 hours a day,im seeing a phycologist and taking anti depressents,other anti depressents worked but didnt get rid of my panic as i never dealt with the emotional side of it,but hoping now with phycologist and tablets i can combat it all together now

I know exactly what you mean but you gotta put alot of work into this and it will soon go. Really, go on morning jogs and excercise. It's been in your life for 7 years and I can guarantee you these problems can be cured without the use of anti-depressants.

I for one would never take another anti-depressant.

danyosan

Try St John's Wort. I had a bad experience 6 years ago where I was worrying for nearly a year before it got resolved. Aftre this I ended up getting the butterflies in the stomach everyday for no reason at all, started to get a bit panicky. I read about St John's Wort so thought I'd give it a go. Havent had those feelings since I started taking it. A bonus is it is a totally natural remedy, so your not pumping your body with drugs or chemicals. I think anyone that suffers from this should at least give it a try.

ando

st johns wort? is that a vitamin or something?

The_Goose

Had them for six years now, triedthe drugs mediatation and more recently Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. This also help me see what was causing it in the first place. Althought i m not cured it was a big help. I m currently looking into hypnosis at the moment

danyosan

ando wrote:

st johns wort? is that a vitamin or something?

it's a herbal remedy, also helps with bad circulation. Used to get restless legs in bed and also dead hands during the night, never had them either since I started taking it. Get it in any health shop. Found the best place and best value is froma british company called goldshield. Here's their website. http://www.goldshield.co.uk/index.htm

snorlax

cognitive behaviour therapy done by either an Occupational therapist or a psychotherapist/ pyschologist is your best bet as it works on building your confidence by first changing your patterns of thinking and then using that to change your behaviour. normally it grades the activity your afraid of (in this case going into town/ public places) , and the therapist may ask you to keep a diary and make goals for yourself (short term or long term), so it is purposeful and a cooperative process that requires you to have as much an input as the therapist. they may also use relaxation as part of the process/ and or breathing techniques.

the problem with taking medication is that when you stop taking them you make a pyschological connection between the medication your on and the reduced fear/ anxiety, and this can lessen the positive impact that CBT/ or counselling can have as you become afraid to stop taking the medication in case the panic/ anxiety comes back.

your GP can refer your to an Occupational therpaist or you can go the private route and arrange to meet a counsultant therapist/ psychotherapist which will be more expensive but will have less of the waiting lists (services for mental health are not neccessarily the best), try http://www.achievebalance.ie/cognitive_behavioural_therapy.php this may explain their role abit better then i have

Eurorunner

danyosan wrote:

it's a herbal remedy, also helps with bad circulation. Used to get restless legs in bed and also dead hands during the night, never had them either since I started taking it. Get it in any health shop. Found the best place and best value is froma british company called goldshield. Here's their website. http://www.goldshield.co.uk/index.htm

Its was taken off the market in Ireland a few years ago - but is available online as you point out.

Nevyn

St Jon's wort being a very effective plant/herbal treatment with side effects
is now licenced and can only be perscribed by a dr.
Some times you need a holistic approach, do go back to your GP and ask
about alterative treaments.

Zillah

dont wanna say wrote:

My Dad is a doctor and recommended I try them as he didn't want me to go down the anti-depressant route if I could help it. They are tiny little non-addictive pills which slow down the heart rate ever so slightly so when you feel an attack coming on, you can take one and the physical manefestations disappear and consequently the panic. I haven't taken one now in ages but ALWAYS keep them in my handbag as a security blanket.

Whats that band...the english queer metally one...plabebo, pladobo...ah yes, thats it, Placebo...

Mr.Nice Guy

Meditation might prove useful actually.

It's not as crazy as people think it is. It's not all about scented candles and chants etc.

It's about focusing on your breathing. You can do it between 5-20 minutes each day. You can find various methods on the internet. A simple method is:

Sit with your legs crossed and place your hands on your legs. Hold your head high and your chin up. Breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth. Try and clear your mind of thoughts which won't be easy at first. If you think of negative thoughts, just wait for them to pass.

Do this each day and you should notice an improvement.

Another idea would be to maybe get something like a stress ball because when the body becomes stressed, it requires muscle movement and squeezing something can be helpful.

Going for a walk for example is a good idea too as you are moving about.

Ultimately, you need to just take things step by step. You will get better over time by facing your fears. Also, realise that you're not alone and that other people go through this too.

Hope this has helped. Good luck.

danyosan

Thaed wrote:

St Jon's wort being a very effective plant/herbal treatment with side effects
is now licenced and can only be perscribed by a dr.
Some times you need a holistic approach, do go back to your GP and ask
about alterative treaments.

Is it really? Wasn't aware of that. I'm Scottish and only been living here a year so wouldn't have known. Only side effects I've heard of was it affects other medications effectiveness, i.e can stop the contraceptive pill from working. At least I've never had any side effects with it.

Morning Glory

Im 24 & have been getting Panic attacks since I was 18. I was a very heavy hash smoker, smoked it every day for two years solid from the ages of 16 - 18. When I was 18 I took some acid & panic set in as soon as it came up on me. After an hour I calmed down & I was ok, but the next day I had my first real panic attack. I was on the bus & the felling I had while on the acid came back up on me, I didn't know what was going on, I though I was having some sort of flash back. As the years went on they became more regular. I didnt know what I was panicing about, I knew it had something to do with the acid I took but I wasn't panicing about anything in particular, I just had a constant feeling of panic & fear, but didnt know what of.

My girlfriends dad died a few months ago, he was geeting stints in his heart when the operation went wrong. From that moment on I started feeling pains in my chest, weird feelings down my left arm. I had convinced myself that I was going to have a heart attack. There is a history of heart problems in my family which didnt make it any better.

I went to a councellor for a few months, she showed me breathing exercises & helped me think differently, it did help a bit a but I still am not cured.
My anxiety is not caused from some childhood trauma, its caused from taking a drug when I was younger.

Ive never taken medication & my gp has recomended 3 - 6 months on Lexapro, he thinks that will sort me out, Ive descided to give it a go.
I'll probably start on it next week, has anyone else ever tried this.

I've never been depressed & Ive never cried over having Painic attacks,
I just feel angry with myself for being stupid when I was younger & just want to feel normal again.