Anxiety and Panic Attacks ???

[Pascal]

Wednesday night my parents decided to take me out a day earlier then my birthday to celebrate. From the moment I woke up that day, I felt edgy, and somewhat irritable, and I'm rarely ever like that anymore.

So when the time came we went to the restaurant and were eating and then they sang to me, well during all of this I appear to be fine on the outside, but on the inside I was ticking like a bomb, I didn't want to be in public, I wanted to cry and scream, I just wanted to be anywhere but there, I was about to explode. I was panicking on the inside all these thoughts were just racing in my mind, I was feeling so sensitive that anything would make me mad or act very irrationally.

It came time to open my presents, and my mom had brought them all into the restaurant with us, so I opened the first one and it was a necklace. At first I didn't really like it that much and I didn't hesitate to let her know that I didn't like it, which is totally out of character for me, I am never hurtful to anyone who tried to make me feel special ever. But I was such a bitch to her and I could tell from her face that I had hurt her feelings. I felt terrible and later I apologized to her and told her that I was just not feeling myself, and that I was terribly sorry for my behavior. She said it was okay but it was totally not okay.

Then we drove home and I went straight into the shower and just cried for about 30 minutes, the tears just wouldn't stop falling from my eyes, while I was in the shower crying I felt so dizzy and started having trouble seeing, and standing, and I was losing my breathe, then after I took a shower I just sat there in the bathtub and cried some more. I decided to go to bed and try to go to sleep, but I cried for about 45 minutes then I fell asleep.
I still don't know exactly what the hell happened to me or what the hell was going on.
I told my sister she said it was an anxiety attack/panic attack, and I just got meds from the doctor for that but I haven't filled my prescription yet, because I only get that way right before my period and I already had my period this month so I was waiting til next month to fill the prescription.

I think that my birthday this year felt so sad because I am still lonely, and not in love, and every year it's the same feeling, I grow a year older and not one decent guy talks to me. Maybe because I don't put out, or I don't have long hair, I know there's nothing wrong with me , or maybe it's just not time yet. I just feel so sad and lonely. I just wish there was someone to hold my hand and make me feel special, like a lot of other girls.

I am pretty sure I had that anxiety attack/panic attack because I was thinking about so much all at one time and it was overwhelming. But I'm no expert.
:shrug:

 

[brittanyjade]

*hugs* i was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder last year so i know how you feel. it can be really hard to deal with, but meds helped me a lot. i am no longer on them but i was going through a really hard time and they did really help me at the time. i've had very bad anxiety attacks to the point where i had to leave the place i was at so i know how you feel. i hope the meds work out for you, if you ever want to chat..feel free to message me

 

[prinzessin784]

Aww I know how you feel, I went through the same thing for pretty much all four years of college. I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder as well, and I tried a variety of different medications until I found one that worked for me, and I also use Xanax for panic attacks. It was rough to work through but my anxiety is so much better now that I'm done with school. I still have to use Xanax occasionally (it's a lifesaver, but you have to be really careful with it) and I am better at working through my anxiety now. I definitely suggest seeing a doctor and a therapist to talk about your anxiety and help you figure out what will help you best! Good luck!

 

[Pascal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by prinzessin784 Aww I know how you feel, I went through the same thing for pretty much all four years of college. I was diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder as well, and I tried a variety of different medications until I found one that worked for me, and I also use Xanax for panic attacks. It was rough to work through but my anxiety is so much better now that I'm done with school. I still have to use Xanax occasionally (it's a lifesaver, but you have to be really careful with it) and I am better at working through my anxiety now. I definitely suggest seeing a doctor and a therapist to talk about your anxiety and help you figure out what will help you best! Good luck!

well my mom was put on Xanax a long time ago, and now she only takes it occacionally to sleep. As for me the doctor prescribed me with Ativar, it's just like Xanax but it is not as habit forming, and he told me to use it only AS NEEDED. So only when I feel edgy and so irritable, like I'm on the edge and about to fall off, I am going to pick my pills today from the pharmacy, and I am going to carry the pills with me everywhere I go, because I can not fathom the idea of not controlling myself again, and being rude and irrational.

 

[Deirdre]

I've always found it ironic, with my own, sometimes extreme panic disorders (ie. 16 hour racing heart sessions), that I do lose control; even though my anxiety is about not being in control of every aspect of my environment.

I hope your treatments will work well for you. I'm still considering my options (only just having admitted to myself that I have this disorder). Please post updates.

 

[Pascal]

Just to update you all on the current situation, I was shopping with my mom on Saturday and she said I stared to get on her nerves, well I felt the same way about her, so I took 1 pill of the Ativan prescription and I mellowed the fuck out. I felt really clumsy, I knocked over a whole wall of shoes at a shoe store, I told the lady at the store I was sorry she didn't even give a crap, so my mom and I just laughed it off. But one thing I did notice is that it made me a little drowsy, clumsy and I felt drunk, but it felt good because I wasn't so tense, I was laid back after I took that pill.

:chillpill:

 

[thestarsfall]

I totally understand....After your post a while back about PMDD I totally could relate and then I thought a bit more and realized that I think I have PMDD as well. I have panic attacks and crying spells and random thoughts of suicide and other stuff. I get so angry at little things but it is usually only the week before and a little bit after my period. It makes a lot of sense to me....

Anyways....for the prescription things making you feel drunk maybe you could talk to your doctor about lowering the prescription....tweaking it maybe so that you dont feel drunk but you can still have the calm/chilled out effects. Otherwise you could never operate a vehicle or heavy machinery (haha...i love those warnings)...

 

[MxAxC-_ATTACK]

ahhh... I get this way too. Ive always gotten the worst panic attacks,shaking sweating. ahh.. awful!. the other day I screamed at my boyfriends mother (given she hates me to begin with and 5 years of taking her emotional abuse, I have only yelled at her this one time.) but it was incredibly uncalled for I shouldn't have stooped to that level, you know?I felt like such a jackass afterwards and I had an emotional breakdown, just like you said,. of crying and crying. it was awful.
I need to see a doctor and weigh my options still..arg..

 

[brittanyjade]

did you take the med with food? sometimes if you take certain things on an empty stomach they seem to work a lot stronger

 

[*Luna*]

A few years back I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety. I was nearly in tears reading this because my heart goes out to you. Since my diagnosis I have stopped taking anti-depressents but I still need my anti-anxiety meds now and then. Anxiety attacks are the worst feeling in the world (((HUGS))). Eventually you will learn your triggers and how to combat the negative thinking that eventually puts you there and things will look up. And one more thing... EFF LONG HAIR! It takes confidence to pull off short hair and not many of us rock it so more power to you and your cute ass short hair. If you ever need anything you can always PM me. I know sometimes all I need is for someone to understand how I am feeling at that exact moment.

 

[xbrookecorex]

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[Pascal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thestarsfall I totally understand....After your post a while back about PMDD I totally could relate and then I thought a bit more and realized that I think I have PMDD as well. I have panic attacks and crying spells and random thoughts of suicide and other stuff. I get so angry at little things but it is usually only the week before and a little bit after my period. It makes a lot of sense to me.... Anyways....for the prescription things making you feel drunk maybe you could talk to your doctor about lowering the prescription....tweaking it maybe so that you dont feel drunk but you can still have the calm/chilled out effects. Otherwise you could never operate a vehicle or heavy machinery (haha...i love those warnings)...

The Doctor gave me the lowest doseage of this meicine, I am a tiny person, I'm only 5 feet two inches and weigh 110 pounds so even the lowest dosage is too much for me, I thik I will try to spilt the pill in half and try that instaed.

 

[YvetteJeannine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pascal well my mom was put on Xanax a long time ago, and now she only takes it occacionally to sleep. As for me the doctor prescribed me with Ativar, it's just like Xanax but it is not as habit forming, and he told me to use it only AS NEEDED. So only when I feel edgy and so irritable, like I'm on the edge and about to fall off, I am going to pick my pills today from the pharmacy, and I am going to carry the pills with me everywhere I go, because I can not fathom the idea of not controlling myself again, and being rude and irrational.

You mean Ativan?? It is a Benzodiazapine (just like Xanax), and is JUST AS (if not more) habit-forming..It is used primarily as an anti-anxiety med. It packs a little less "punch" than Xanax (*initially*), but it is also longer acting (it lasts six to eight hours, where Xanax only lasts four). Many doctors do NOT know a lot about Pharmacology and mind altering medications, (it's usually only a page or two in their textbooks, and MAYBE a short lecture; now mostly focused on ways to curb substance abuse)...One would think doctors would know all about that kind of stuff..but sadly many don't..Yes...Ativan has less abuse potential, because (like I said) it doesn't have as much of a 'kick' as Xanax, but is IS just as habit-forming...

Now, that was a lot of information you probably didn't wanna know (lol)

 

[msmack]

i find keeping a bottle of ativan in my purse everywhere i go can create a sense of security for me. i suffered though years of panic attacks ...real bad ones... heart racing, sweaty, almost disconnecting from everything around me. i felt like i couldnt be alone and always stayed with mom or friends when bf was at work on night shifts. going out was a nightmare. i felt as though my body was going to give way, heart attack, stroke...something uncontrollable(i am only 21). thats exactully what it is...uncontrollable, until you figue it all out. get books, talk to people...the best people i ever talked to werent therapists...they were other women in the same prediciment....theres tonnes out there! pascal, i hope you can find a way to cope, and to live on without fear or worry. sometimes i would just say to myself "i am safe, i am safe, i am safe...." over and over again. to get my mind off it, sometimes i would read a book aloud, to myself. i would take an ativan or just hold the bottle and debate it...just knowing its there made me feel better. nothing worse than going out, having a panic attack and your meds are at home. dont let anyone tell you your crazy. thats just wrong. when i told my mom it was happening to me again more frequently she said "oh stephanie, not this again". some people dont know it really exists or how much suffering you can really go through. goodluck, pascal.

 

[MissMarley]

I keep a bottle of xanax with me everywhere as well, and i start having more panic attacks when i get close to the bottom of the bottle. i only take it once, maybe twice a day, but it definitely improved my quality of life drastically.

 

[ginger9]

Hi sweetie,

You are not alone in those feelings. I have had bouts of anxiety/panic attacks. I had a really severe one like 5 years ago (when I went thru some personal stuff), I couldn't even get out of bed and I thought my world was ending and my heart literally felt like someone was squeezing the life out of it. Anyway, to make a long story short. I told my doctor about it and got on medication for like a week, I can't remember the name of the drug any more. But for me, personally, I hated being on medication. I didn't feel any better just slower and numbed out. I ended up throwing the pills in the garbage and I got out of it on my own.

Btw, don't feel badly about not being in love, it'll happen for you one day, I promise. Don't ever feel like it's because you don't put out or you don't have long hair, you are beautiful just the way you are and there's someone out there that will appreciate you for who you are. In fact he's probably wondering where he can find a girl like you right now

 

[pumpkincat210]

Yes YvetteJeannine is right Ativan is addictive. You need to be careful with those and only take them when you truly need them because if you get addicted you'll have one helluva panic attack when you run out! They work if you don't abuse them.. I am in no means saying your abusing them, but you have to be careful.

 

[Bernadette]

I've had anxiety and severe depression since I was 6 years old. I never did anything about it until I was 20. My life is so much better know that I've sought treatment that I can't even begin to explain it.
I am on anti-depressants and I have xanax for when I have an anxiety attack.
A 150 count xanax prescription has lasted me 2 years. I only take them when I feel like I have no other choice. I do keep a few in a pill box in my purse so if I'm out and about and I need them.
I am amazed at the progress I've made, so there is hope!
I'm also 5'2" and extremely petite, my xanax are .5 miligrams and I break them in 4ths otherwise they make me fall asleep.

I'm extremely concerned about some of the info people are sharing on here. It doens't seem like some doctors are telling people everything they should know.

MissMarley, I have to tell you that taking xanax twice a day really does seem like a lot. This drug is extremely habbit forming and it's intended use is for occasional treatment of anxiety attacks. I'm quite sure it shouldn't even be taken daily, much less twice.
You should really, really check with your doctor and make sure there isn't something else they should be prescribing you to treat whatever symptoms are causing you to need to take so much xanax. Having more panic attacks as you get down to the bottom of your prescription is in fact a sign of dependance. I can't tell you how concerned I am over this, it really seems off.

 

[MissMarley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bernadette MissMarley, I have to tell you that taking xanax twice a day really does seem like a lot. This drug is extremely habbit forming and it's intended use is for occasional treatment of anxiety attacks. I'm quite sure it shouldn't even be taken daily, much less twice. You should really, really check with your doctor and make sure there isn't something else they should be prescribing you to treat whatever symptoms are causing you to need to take so much xanax. Having more panic attacks as you get down to the bottom of your prescription is in fact a sign of dependance. I can't tell you how concerned I am over this, it really seems off.

Mine are .5 mg, and I normally only take it once day, twice if it's really bad. They don't make me drowsy or sleepy at all. And if I don't need it, I don't take it. But I normally go into panic/anxiety mode when I get up, so I need it then. It's not really a physical dependance thing about getting to the bottom of my prescription- it's a safety blanket thing. And I get mine in bottles of 90, which normally last me about 3 months. But my suicide attempts have always been in the midst of panic attacks, so that's why I do make sure to keep my medication with me and never let them get out of control.

EDIT:: And my psychiatrist, who is my third one and the first to get me on a drug cocktail that actually works and lets me function, prescribed it for me to be taken up to three times daily *if needed*. I can and have gone days, even a week or two without it, so I do not believe I am physically dependent on this drug. Yes, I'm mentally dependent on it, as I am on my Zoloft and Depakote, because my biggest fear is going back to where I was a year ago (Feb 28th is the one year anniv. of my last suicide attempt that landed me in the hospital)

 

[NeonDollParts]

Wow, looking at this thread makes me realize that mood dissorders are so much more common than I'd thought. I'm a manic depressive and have severe social anxiety dissorder and I'm outta luck....no medical insurance so I have to take it in stride and I swear, sometimes it feels like I'm someone completely different. I hate those days.