I have had panic attacks or anxiety attacks since i was about 7. They rarely come on and the time spans in between are years. The last one that I had really put me over the edge. I am 26 and i have 2 children under the age of 2. i really never felt depressed and before this panic attack and i am usually the same way all the time.
Well i was on my way home from work and i was going to pick up my kids and the attack started. i freaked out and i could barely drive. i wanted to cry but no tears would come out and i was like wow this is a bad one. i got home and i thought the worse that i was going to die. i went to the hospital and they didnt do anything for me. i was sent home and i felt like my attack was gone but still had the feeling that everything wasnt real.
I went to the doctor and they gave me xanax and told me to take it every 8 hours at 25mg..i felt like a zombie and i cant be like that with my kids. i couldnt get out of bed and i couldnt stop crying. the feeling of being in a dream or that things werent real was freaking me out and i couldnt make it stop.
I was prescribed effexor and had a bad reaction to that, and then was prescribed zoloft. i didnt want to take the zoloft and i was scared to take meds. i heard about Lexapro and i heard that it was very mild and that it would help me. what should i do i cannot bounce back after this attack and i want to soo bad. i miss myself and i am beginning to think that i am losing it and i wont be able to. are meds the right thing for me or am i going to snap out of this??help!!??

I always felt pretty depressed and shameful after a panic attack, especially if anyone else around me had to witness it. Of course I've been off meds for years and have gone through a panic attack or two during that time, and it took me a few days to get back to a normal routine and shake off the feeling of shame. I think being on meds in the first place would have helped those panic attacks to not happen at all.
For example, when I was on the strong anti anxiety/anti depressant Effexor, I hardly experienced anxiety about anything at all.
How long as it been since the attack? From the cocktail of meds you say they've tried on you since then I assume it's been a few months. (See, the thing with meds is that they can take a month to stablize in your system, and you might experience side effects or not feel any different till then.)

I would suggest giving the new med at least a month trial. In the meantime, here are a few tips for feeling a little better soon;

Having a feeling that you're in a dream and the world isn't real might mean that you've fallen into a routine where you feel very detached from your own life. Your life probably revolves around your family and making them happy, but leaves very little time for you, and so you might be losing your sense of "self" in that way. Try to remember something you liked to do before you had kids. Can you still find time to fit that activity in now? If not, do any of your friends have kids? Bring your kids over to their house and let them play together while you spend time with your friend and order pizza or subs. If you're able to find a babysitter, try to go see a movie with your husband or a close friend. Try a new food you've never tried at that pricey restaurant that charges 3 dollars for a soda. All these things are easy ways to boost not only your mood, but your outlook. (I was going to suggest Yoga, but I find that suggestion pretty cliche by now.)

Do post again and tell us how you are, okay?

thinking of you,
missy

I have had panic attacks and depresion for about 6 yrs now and I took zoloft for the most part of that, but when it went generic it stoped working. I am on lexipro now and I love it. I think you should give it a try. The worst thing that can happen is that you wont feel better. I hope that things get better for you asap I know what you are going through and it's the worst thing ever good luck and god bless.

I had my first panic attack last night.(I'm 41,6'1",220lbs)..I was at work when it hit.I thoguht i was having a heart attack.HR was 120-140 lying down,my face,hands and feet went numb and i could barely speak.I thought i was a goner and could only think of my son.The ambulence medic measured my blood sugur at 17.They gave me an IV that lowered the HR and sent me off into bumble-bee land(must have had some Demerol in it)A couple of hours later i was feeling much better,but for several hours there i was convinced i was getting fitted for a toe-tag.

I was fortunate i was at work as i got immediate medical attention but it was a big scene..i work at Ford on the assembly line and it shut the place down for almost an hour(big $$ lost)

i am trying to find out what caused it as i was not stressed and was actually listening to music when it happened..i had consumed 3 large coffees over the day and was working on my fourth when it hit...the medics seemed to think that was the cause.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

im so scared to take these meds...i want to feel better but im terrified. i dont want to be "fake"..i feel like these pills are going to make me someone im not. i have the lexipro but i havent started it. Im just constantly thinking about this and i feel like im loosing my mind..im terrified that i am going crazy...when im not in a panic im just thinking too much. i try so hard the whole day to be normal that i wear myself out. mentally i feel drained. im loosing so much weight and i dont want to eat...i eat a little here and there but i have that nervous feeling in my belly all the time and i cant get hungry. i just want to feel like i did before this happened to me. i want to feel like i can drive to the store and not think about what if i get one. i hate this and i feel like i cant take it anymore...i feel like no one understands where i am coming from and im so scared... waht should i do?

I have had some of these things happen recently to me and I also figured out if you don't give into the thoughts they go away. It's all about choosing the right thoughts. The devil puts thoughts in our heads..They are LIES. DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. I have recently became saved by God's amazing grace and since then the struggle over my mind has begun..He can cause a lot of things to happen and they are not real....Panic attacks,anxiety..JUST REPLACE THE NEGATIVE THINKING WITH POSITIVE THINKING AND YOU WILL BE AMAZED.... A GREAT BOOK IS BATTLEFIELD OF THE MIND BY JOYCE MEYER... IT IS SOOOO HELPFUL. HOPE YOU CONSIDER THIS.. IT HELPS AND SO DOES GOD!

Please don't bring religion into this ty..i am an atheiest.

I feel like I am reading about myself here. I am sitting in front of this computer deciding whether or not to take Lexapro. I am so scared that it is going to make me worse. My issue is not depression, but excessive anxiety and nervousness. I wake up every morning and have to run to the toilet. I have been taking natural therapies for 6 months and it has helped but has not got me over to the next level where I need to be. This has come on since having my third child nearly a year ago now. I'm like you I am good sometimes and bad others. Not consistently bad all the time. So I don't know whether to take this medication either. I have tried CBT but I don't have the time for all that writing with 3 children under 4. I am going to have Hypnotherapy have you tried that. I'm not sure about the side effects of lexapro either. I tried Zoloft and it made my anxiety worse.

What are some of the worst side effects you are having when having anxiety problems. Any physical pain?

Hi jenn - I am taking Lexapro and I think that it might be starting to work. The first month however was a roller coaster. The first two weeks were deceiving - I lost my grandfather and moved the same week I started Lexapro 10mg and I didn't have any panic attacks or particularly severe emotions. But the next week was awful - very depressed and found myself wringing my hands constantly and had a panic attack while shopping with a friend - not a stressful moment! Also, the first three days were so hard because it made me so jittery - I didn't sleep well because I was so hyper. The jitters got less severe but the sleep problem continued. I followed up with my doctor and he increased my dosage to 20mg. He said that the sleeping should resolve with the higher dosage, and the higher dosage should help with my depression and anxiety. It didn't - and the sleep didn't improve. But this is my fifth week on Lexapro, second week on the higher dosage and I am finally sleeping without Ambien, and seem to be more level-headed. It has been a roller coaster but like I said, it might actually be working now. I'm not a patient person, so this has been a tough ride.

I think it's important to address the emotional issues that are sparking the attacks in the first place. It's become the going "norm" to be stressed out in our society--so much so that I think we've lost sight of how necessary it is for us all to become increasingly proactive in learning to handle stress so that it doesn't handle us so badly.

I suffered from anxiety attacks in my younger years and I can see how stress played a large part of it all. Negative thinking was a big time stress inducer, as well as negative self-talk, projecting my fears into the future, and getting lost in perfectionism.

I think becoming more conscious of the inner peace we want to experience is a great starting place. I often ask myself, "Is this thought I'm currently entertaining one that is going to create a war in my physical body or is this thought a peaceable thought?"

Stress is always going to manifest itself in our physical bodies if we've been allowing it to drive us for too long...thus, the anxiety attacks. Relaxation techniques, deep breathing exercises, meditation, exercise, and having someone to vent to and brainstorm life solutions with can all be positive steps in the right direction.

Stress and illness go hand in hand. I think it's important to focus on keeping inner peace a priority and practicing behaviors and thoughts that keep us in alignment with that priority.

My doctor gave me Xanax when I was in college too, but it never took care of the core issues. The core issues dwindled away when I learned how to approach stress and let go of habits that were stress inducing.

I hope that helps some,
Diana
http://www.livebeyondstressandillness.blogspot.com

I started having panic attacks a couple of months ago. i can understand what all of you are saying. I am twenty four and in these last few months I have been rushed to the ER and have had to go to numerous doctor visits. I have a constant fear that I am dying. Luckily I have been able to maintain excellent grades but it has been extremely difficult. One think that has helped me is getting back in my work out routine. It was very hard at first because since my heart beat would go up I would feel that I was having a hard attack. Through being consistent though I can now do my normal weight training and cardio routines. I have been checked many times by the doctor and plan on going for two more examinations that I feel are needed. I remember learning about panic attacks in psychology classes but I had never really understood it. Know I am experiencing all of the symptoms that I learned about. It is difficult because even though I know that I will be fine it does not help that much. I am only taking xanax when I get very bad anxieties other that that I try my best to get over them. I really think that going to the gym and talking about symptoms is the best way to get over this stuff. I feel silly still going to the doctor but I think that it is the smartest thing to do because that way I can be completely sure that I only have anxiety

Hello Jenn,

I can totally relate. I am a very positive, outgoing person...athletic, career woman in my 30s. I had a major panic attack last year for the first time (plane landed, ambulance, the works)...and because I am a distance runner, thought it was something related to low blood sugar etc. Had terrible nausea, whole body shaking like seizure, etc

I went through a terrible couple of months after some major life changes (move across country, working from home, etc). It got so bad that I couldnt even drive more than 5 miles without feeling "what if I get a panic attack?!" -- I remember getting caught in traffic exit ramp when traffic was crawling, thinking, "just get me through."

During the day, I would just pray I would get through the day. I would start by just "getting to 10am, then noon, then 2pm, then 4" until my boyfriend arrived home after work.

I had the same stomach issues you do, lost 10 lbs (and I am thin to begin). Nothing sounded good and everything would just go right through me when I ate.

I am a big advocate of counseling. After one incidence where I felt like I had flu for 2 days and could not get out of bed, my counselor/physch. prescribed Fluoxetine (generic Prozac). I am not a fan of prescriptions and didnt want to "give in," but I tell you after about 3 1/2 weeks, one day I just felt this change....it had "kicked in."

I have only had one panic attack in about a year, triggered by having to stay by myself overnight. But all in all, I am feeling a TON better. With regard to the prescription, I do not feel like I am not "myself" -- I just dont get that flux feeling of panic setting in, the wave of physical symptoms of panic. I still have issues with staying alone at night, and travelling, but am embracing my fear and trying to work through it.

I felt alot better knowing this happens to more people than you realize. Its actually fairly common. You are not "going crazy"...once I told people I was having this issue, so they could be supportive...some others shard their similar experiences with me. You are definitely not alone.

For me, it helps when I stay busy. My mind tends to race, so it helps if I focus on doing something like a spreadsheet, work, reading (focus on words, do not think of other things, only the words on the page), anything with high concentration. I am even considering taking up crosstitch for a plane ride etc, just to have my mind fully engaged.

You family and friends will be more supportive than you realize. Accept this has happened to you, you are going to feel much better one day, and you just have to have a strategy/plan to get through these times. You will find a path to coping with this and feel better.

Sending positive energy to you!

dear friend!
you use zoloft/its copitative for panic attack/anxiety . it work good and reduce fear/anxiety but...BUT if you us Benzdiazepines group drugs which having sedatin effects ...you might be addict
so to avoid risk of addiction use of ssri;s ,efxsor, or non sedative anty anxiety (buspar) should use.
Benzdiazepines should use for limited time under Qulified Doctor.

there are many tips and tricks 4 coping with anxiety/panic attack on net . try it.