Anxiety and Panic attacks

[ang3l2004]

I have been suffering with Anxiety and Panic attacks since I was 15 years old. Never on any medication for it because I tried so hard to never let it get to the point it would take over or I would tell myself everything would be ok. I am in my 20's now and I have them alllll the time and I worry and I get scared and now I am really scared because im afraid it' taking over me this time. I feel diff I act diff and I barely leave my house as well

 

I just went to the doctors about this they put me on a Pill called Lexapro now I have been taking this for 4 days I know it takes time for the pills to kick in and for me to get use to them but when I take them I feel worse. My body gets shaky and I begin to feel hot and feel nautious and I dont know if that is my anxiety or not since I have them all the time now it's so hard to tell when and when it's not anxiety and panic and it scares me so bad.

 

I really do believe it's taking over me because I have never felt this bad and this weird when it comes down to dealing with them can someone please help me and give me there opinion thanks in advance

[thyroxine]

I was going to be put on a different medication for my panic attacks, so I'm not sure if they're similar. Mine caused 4-5 days of severe depression and had to be paired with an anti-depressent. Talk to your doctor about it and/or wait it out to see?

[EmptySoul]

I understand where you're coming from, I have anxiety and panic attacks among other things. I advise you to keep taking meds because of how serious your panic attacks are, but you will probably have to switch meds a few times to get the right one. It usually doesn't work out right the first time, it takes a little bit to find what works for you, the right kind and the right dose and for it to build up in your system. Don't give up. You're not the only one.

 

-E.

[ang3l2004]

lexapro is used for both anxiety and panic attacks I have only been taking them for 4 days so I dont know how long it takes for them to work or to kick in but they make me sweat and make my mouth dry and make me just feel out of it my panic and anxiety is horrible and yes I guess u can say I am depressed too because anyone who cries out of no where for no reason and dont know why I would consider that depression how do u control panic attacks? How can u get ahold of yourself with having anxiety and panic??

[thyroxine]

Wait...I just looked back through my papers and Lexapro is what they intended to put me on. I know my friend (a paramedic) and his girlfriend (a pharmacist) were really wary of that particular medication. Did they incorporate an anti-depressent with your meds? They never really explained it all too well for me, but they said the effect of the medicine made you had 4-5 "down" days (the depression) but those would be minimulized by the anti-depressent. However, I still think you should talk to your doctor if you're not feeling comfortable with the meds.

[Dako]

Lexapro is used to treat anxiety and is also an antidepressant.

 

It should take 2-3 weeks before you adjust to any side-effects and also get relief from your symptoms. 4 days isn't enough time for it to work its way into your body.

[kellbell]

Hey there,

 

I have battled anxiety since I was 15. I had my first panic attack when I was a freshman in high school. Anxiety runs in my family. My anxiety issues did not get bad until I was in my later college years. In my senior year of college, I was overcome with anxiety one morning during class and my life after spiraled out of control. I became agoraphobic (fear of public places) and my life was severely affected by my symptoms.

 

My stomach hurt all time, my doctor wanted to make sure it was not a physical issue so I underwent so many tests, CAT scan, the whole bit. My General Practioner prescribed me Xanax, an anti-anxiety pill. It helped take the itch of my symtoms, I was able to function but the anxiety was STILL there. I do not recommend pills such as Xanax alone, I recommend therapy or counseling as well. The pills mask the real issues, they act as a crutch, a band-aid if you will.

 

One thing I have learned about anxiety...it is a useless emotion. Really. It serves no purpose at all. I mean maybe little doses of it in order to stay on task but really, it is no use. All it does is it "tricks" the brain into believing matters that are not so, or over-exaggerates matters. And it is extremely counter-productive. So, what you need to do is channel it, harness it, figure out where it is coming from and WHY. I kept a journal and found patterns. I recorded the events proceeding the incident, during and how I felt, and whom was there.

 

One thing that helped immensely for me is self-talk! You kind of have to talk yourself out of the feeling and anxiety. You literally have to tell your brain NO! That is not true. And this takes practice and a lot of patience with yourself. This is why I wished I sought counseling because I reckon anxiety is treated with some kind of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach. There are times when I have bouts of agoraphobia but I am able to take deep breaths and tell myself this is just anxiety trying to take over.

 

I do not know much about Lexapro because I have never taken it. However, my mom takes it and it took awhile for it to work and the medicine made her feel sick. Many people stop taking it for that reason but my mom was determined to feel better mentally and emotionally so she stuck to it. If you can get through the first few weeks then I think the Lexapro will really start working its magic. Hang in there.

 

(((HUGS)))

[Dako]

I have bouts of anxiety that tighten my chest and bring a dizzy nausea. usually from situations where I feel helpless to overcome some obstacle.

 

I had one yesterday as I tried to wade through some government red tape and no one would respond to my calls as a deadline looms.

It took some self-talk to realize the sky was not falling, things will work out, and not everyone is out to sabatoge my efforts.

 

It's no fun.

[mintblossom]

I started to have panic attacks when I was near the ex abuser. My body was literally freaking out without my conscious mind knowing about the abuse!! Mentally it did not click......but my body knew. I started hyperventilating, having shallow breaths, and would have the most awful freaky panic attacks that just lasted for hours. It felt like I was having a major heart attack that just wouldn't finish....just kept going.

 

Since I've been away from him.....no more panic attacks! My body isn't going haywire anymore. It's important for me to listen to my body. (and mind, instincts, and all of me!)

[ang3l2004]

Thankyou all so much for replying. It's just that now I have been on this medicine for 5 days as of today. Let me explain that yesterday I went to bed at 2 am and woke up very early forced myself to go back to sleep and slept till all the way until 6 pm and that's not good that's like 15 hours of sleep I feel if im awake I feel weird I feel like I have already lost myself and feel like im always going to have a panic attack and It's very hard for me to eat what do I do?

[kellbell]

Hey there,

 

My mom had a hard time eating as well. The Lexapro made her tummy hurt. She had to "fiddle" around with taking her pills. Like, in the beginning, she took them in the morning but then they made her tired and groggy. Then she was taking them on an empty stomach so she started taking them with a piece of toast or a bananna. She also started taking them an hour or so before she went to bed. It ended up working out for her.

 

 

Here is a link about Lexapro. Perhaps call your doctor on what you can do to alliviate some of the side effects.

 

link removed

 

Hang in there.

[schizo]

Here's my first bit of advice...DO NOT keep taking Lexapro! I've been taking it for 3 years now, and I'm horribly addicted. Not just emotionally, but physically. I get VERY VERY sick when I don't take them. Headaches, vomiting, aches...to the point that I can't even leave the house. It really does help with calming the stress down, but it's not worth it in the future.

 

What I would suggest is to get yourself some kind of therapist that you can talk to, who will help you figure out ways to cope with your stress and anxiety without medication.

 

Good luck with everything! Depression and anxiety are NOT fun... If you have any other questions about Lexapro, feel free to PM me. I know all too much about those little pills...](*,)

[Dako]

Meds are a great controversy, since some do well with them, and others have side-effects. The literature that somes from clinical trials explains that certain percentages will have adverse side-effects. If you fall in these categories, it's understandable that meds such as SSRIs wouldn't be helpful, but to others they just may be a lifesaver.

 

To a severely debilitated person, meds can enable them to function well enough to learn to cope through CBT or other means, instead of living in a panicked state. Meds can be a tool to get past a barrier.

 

I've taken meds for almost 11 years along with self-help methods I've learned over the last 15 years. I'd never suggest another person's solution is right or wrong if it works for them.

[Beyondthesea]

I can see where you're coming from Ang...to be honest, I took paxil and all it did was MAKE IT WORSE! I started having tremors all the time so it felt like I was always moments away from an attack, I didn't want to leave the house anymore, I was more mentally ill than I ever was before. Yikes!

 

I have also read Lex is horribly addictive and many people have big issues trying to get off of them. I would honestly get put on something else. You should be on an antidepressant and perhaps something milder. Even beta blockers would be more beneficial, but I'm hardly a doctor.

 

In any case, what I did is started reading self-help books, and went to counseling. I changed my diet (I identified trigger foods that contributed to my severe anxiety) and now do an exercise routine a few times a week...my horrifying anxiety is down to maybe a panic attack once every six months, and even then, I know enough self care techniques that I can keep them to a bare minimum in terms of length.

 

Definitely look into alternate treatments if you can...that's a very strong drug in my opinion...