Anyone Else Dealing with Daily Anxiety and Panic Attack Struggles??

I have been dealing with anxiety problems too for the last year. My regular doc had me on 10mg of Lexapro and some Xanex for when I was really anxious. This didn't seem to be helping enough and I was have trouble sleeping at night too - lots of nightmares and waking in the night. My doctor sent me to a Psychiatrist to help get me on the right dosages of medication and it has really helped. He gradually raised me to 30mg of the Lexapro - he said the low dosages help at first, especially for depression, but to really help the anxiety you need a higher dosage. He also put me on Restoril, which you take at night to help sleep. He said it helps you sleep at night which in turn helps with the anxiety because you are getting a good night sleep. It has really really helped. I would recommend this doctor - he is very good. Dr Barry Fenton. His phone is ###-###-#### and address is 3710 Rawlins, Dallas, TX 75219. I also started exercising - going to the gym and that has really helped too. I hope this helps! I know how you feel - its not easy!

HI, I am sorry you are dealing with this issue. I am a mother of 2 as well. I had some anxiety and panic attack issues when I found out my husband had an 9 month affair on me. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with. And YES, I am still with him! Most everyone doesn't know how I have done it but I have God in my life and HE had helped me through it all. So in the past year I have dealt with major anxiety and panic attacks. And then trying to "keep it all together" for my childrens sake, it has been tough. I was a stay at home mom for 3 years and then had to go to work full time. That caused alot of anxiety. I did take lexapro for a week or so. And I just didn't want to get "used" to having a pill make me feel better, so I stopped taking it.

So, what has worked for me is giving it all to God and letting him handle my problems. I draw peace from him and his word. I also have had alot of my friends praying for me. Like I said before I would not be where I am today if it was for God in my life. He can fight my battles more than I can. And thankfully, I can say that the anxiety and panic attacks have gone. I sleep great at night. I also take time for myself often! That's a huge thing! I get peace having time alone doing what I want, weither its a hour or so after the kids go to bed or on the weekends go to a store or something alone.

I hope some of this helps you. I will be praying for you!

I can understand completely where you are coming from. Six years ago my 1st marriage ended and my mom died. Panic attacks and anxiety attacks were an everyday thing for me. I spent several nights counting the dots on the ceiling in the dark. Not easy to do when you lose count. I finally decided to see a phychiatrist cause I noticed that this was effecting my work, my son, my friends, and my relationships with everyone. He perscribed me something, but I hated that it always made me feel groggy and didn't really help. The biggest problem I have always had with taking medications is they can become addictive and they don't solve the problem. They are a quick fix that ends up wearing off until you take another pill. I would suggest you find the root of the problem and try to address it head on. It would also be good to set aside some time for yourself once a day or once a week for some personal time. No work, no house cleaning, just some good old me time. Be a little selfish. Read a book, write in a journal, take a walk, do something you love. These things can also give you time to figure out what is bothering you. Those are some of the things I have to do for myself. You can also set aside one day a month and go out with some friends. Go on a shopping spree or if you are like me a window shopping spree. I can't afford much, but it is about the time I am spending with friends not worrying about the laundry, the dishes, or if there is dust on the coffee table. You can also use this day to go out with your husband alone, no kids. Spend some time with him, talk and laugh. Leave work at work and just go on a good old fashion date like before you were married. This is great for your marriage and your sanity. Have a lil fun.

C.,

About 4 years ago, my dad died very unexpectedly. I had panic attacks like you wouldn't believe, and horrible anxiety - both for about a year after he died. The worst part was, it seemed nobody understood, and in order for me to get into a doctor right away, I would have had to admit myself into the mental hospital. Honest.
So, I know what you are going through. What worked for me was facing what I had the anxiety and panic about. For me, it was the fear of dying like he did. To take control of the situation, I began eating right and exercising. The key was to take control - do whatever I had to do in order to feel like it wasn't going to happen to me.

So, I guess my question to you is this...

What can you do to regain control of your life?

I know, it can seem like a daunting task. You seem to be a very happy and put together person in your "A little about me". But it does not have to be something huge to bring this stuff on. It can be huge in your eyes only. Like - your kids and your husband ALWAYS miss the laundry basket. You have asked them over and over to just make sure their clothes get it the basket. They don't. You begin to feel like they don't respect you, and you are losing the strong spirit you had just a few years ago.
Does that make sense? I hope so.
Good luck to you, C..
E.

Hi C.,
My husband and I both have suffered from panic attacks but I am off of meds. now. Seems like when I get panicy it only lasts a short time. when I went on it (paxil) my doctor gave me something to work right away,(lorazapan) when I was having a really bad day until the paxil kicked in, at about 6- 8 weeks.
My husband needs it really bad. At one time he took it for a while and then went off for about a year and then a change took place at work. Even though it was a positive thing it was stressful and he went through a really bad anxiety attack and had to take a leave of absence for 6 weeks and go back on meds. He was such a different person when that happened. The medicine has to build up in your system to have an affect. You need to be patient and hang in there. Maybe you need to change meds. because he never has had any side affects from the medicine. My husband takes 20mg of Paxil and his new doc. asked if that low of a dosage was working for him.(and it was). So it apparently isn't unual for a person to be on a higher dosage.
My husband is doing very well now, (is completely back to normal) and has since had a big job promotion and has no plans to ever go off of paxil again.
Please don't be worried that you need something to help in this situation. I have talked to sooo many people that take it or have taken it. I look at it this way, when a person is a diabetic he needs insulin. You have panic attacks and need paxil. so what. good luck to you.
If you have any questions email me.
Lonie
____@____.com

Not all medications are right for everyone. I would see your dr. and explain your concerns. I was on Lexapro and for a few reasons, was taken off that and put on Zoloft. I feel normal on my new medication. Sometimes it takes a few medicines before you find the right one for you, so don't worry if Lexapro isn't your best fit. There are others and your doctor will know best what to do for you. In closing, I would add to make CERTAIN you are seeing a psychiatrist for your anxiety issues and meds. My OBGYN started me on some anti-depressants and when they didn't work, she told me I hadn't been taking them too long so to just stop. What a mess! What started out as occasional panic attacks turned into almost suicidcal depression - the black pit. Be careful with all of these meds and follow your doctor's guidelines carefully. God bless!

Well, I didn't even know I had as many buried emotional problems as I do until I started seeing my chiropractor and accupuncturist, Dr Parker. These emotions are effecting my overall health and so it is very important to get them under control. One book he had me working through is called "Feelings Buried Alive Never Die" by Karol K Truman. Almost any emotion you can imagine is in the book, it seems. Anyway, if you are interested in getting things under control, you may look into that book. I also suggest going in to see Dr Parker. He does a free evaluation, so what have you got to lose?

Jubilee Wellness Clinic
130 Hill St, Keller TX
###-###-####

I had terrible anxiety during my pregnancy so I can relate and do feel for you. Two things that worked tremendously well for me was weight lifting (believe it or not) and I saw a nutritionist. Apparently, I was low on B12 ( amonth other things) and also because of the weather changes I had nasal drip which interfered with my digestion which greatly affected my anxiety and emotions (I had OCD symptoms as well). The nutritionist name is Dr. Overberg and I can give you the number is you want it. You might also try the chiropractor their number is ###-###-####-Dr. Lomonaco. I would try the wieght lifting and nutritionist BEFORE you made any changes or take more meds since I know how scarey the increase is. Hope this helps and let me know if you need any more info. Take care.

Good morning! I am a Work Away From Home Mom and have three wonderful children and an amazing life partner.........I guess that's what you call it when you aren't married yet but much more than just boyfriend/girlfriend and not yet engaged. :-)
When I WAS married (for 12 years) I had such major anxiety / panic attacks that it literally took my breath away. My doctor put me on Zoloft which seemed to also help, but the ultimate cure for me was a life change. I had to figure out what triggered the attacks and that changed my life forever. Once I realized what I was doing or what was going on before I had my attack, I was able to walk away.........breathe..........and calm myself down. The most important things is to go back to your childbirth days and think about the breathing techniques they tought you. They work amazing!!! Ultimately I had to get rid of the root of my attacks (ex husband)because it was so debilitating and I just wasn't any good to my children or myself. I am happier now than I have ever been and so are my kids. I know this probably didn't really help much......just know that all of us "Mamas" are out here for you whenever you need some advice. Hope all is well with you.

C., I was strugling with this problem a few year ago and I found a behavior modification tape and video series that really helped me. It is a 13 week program and if I feel I need it I go back and review the lesson I am in need of. I am now meciation free and have been doing well for about three years. If this is something you think you might be interested in let me know. The series it call Dealing with Anxiety and Depression. Good luck you are not alone.

I've been getting panic attacks because my 4 year marriage just ended - second marriage, too - and we have a son who's not yet 2 years old. I take Xanax on an "as-needed" basis and it really helps. It does make me feel groggy, and that's just taking 1/2 a pill. But, you can go as low as 1/4 of a pill. Its a miraclel cure for my panic attacks.

The medicine will become less effective over time. This is because you are building up a tolerance to it. I've been on several different anti-depressants over the years, but I can no longer handle the side effect as I am highly susceptible to them. I'm in school now for a medical program and I am in a pharmacology class. We've just recently studied tolerance. You will find that the med seems less effective after a little while and the dose needs to be upped just slightly to reach your therapeutic level again. You may have to do this a couple of times until you find the dose that stays steady and works best for you. Anyways, it makes sense to think that if you are dealing with "severe" anxiety, a low dosage may not work for you long term. A more moderate dose may be in order to keep your anxiety levels closer to normal.

I had some anxiety issues after the birth of my last son and my Dr put me on Effexor. It worked wonders for me for a while but then when my dose was upped because it did not seem to help my depression issues, it then caused me to have anger issues. I would talk to your dr and see about trying that. I have had friends that used Effexor with no problems whatso ever so that may be what you want to try. Just try to slowly up your dose and watch to see if your actual mood changes. If you have any other questions please feel free to email me and ask me. I have dealt with depression and aneixty for quiet a few years now, so please feel free to email me and I will answer as best as I can.

I also have had experience with anxiety and I can truly say that I didn't understand it at all until it happened to me. I think medications are great if you can find the right one for you but I also would recomend seeing a psychologist and learning some ways to deal with and handle your anxiety. This has really helped me tremendously. I think panick attacks bread more panic attacks and if you can learn to control how you respond to them it can really help! Good luck.

Hi, C....

I guess the best advice I can give you is to CALL your dr, and let him/her know the changes you've seen over the past couple of weeks. You may need to go to a higher dose, or change your meds altogether. Also, if you are taking any other meds, or have added any "supplements" to your daily routine, they may have an effect on your medication, so your dr needs to know about them, too. There may be something else going on in your system that the Lexapro is not addressing. I would make that call on Monday morning, first thing!

Hope you start sleeping better!
~J.~

I suggest xanax....I was prescribed paxil for 6 years, and it was horrible bc your bady becomes addicted to antideprssants that have to get into your system like that and you have to take it for the rest of you life...xanax, is taken just for that one instance you feel anxiety and help you till you can get your composure and then gets out of your system...if you stop taking the other meds like paxil, zoloft, effexor etc....you will go into major withdrwl and literally have to detox...I went through it...but after a rough month of detox...I don't take anything anymore and I feel better than ever

Beware with Xanax, it helps greatly, but is extremely addictive. And Paxil, works but if you ever decide to stop taking it, be under the eye of a Dr. Some people go into a deep depression after they stop taking Paxil.

You might want to consider having your doctor do some blood work to check your thyroid levels. I thought I was having panic attacks a few years ago and through the bloodwork, they discovered that I actually had an overactive thyroid - or Grave's disease. THe most obvious symptoms for this disease include panic attacks, trouble sleeping, nervousness, and sometimes weight loss. Your thyroid regulates your hormones, and with Grave's disease - your body is in hormone overdrive - causing your body to work harder and faster, heart to pump faster - which makes you feel nervous and panicky.

It might be worth checking - it can be treated with a simple pill in most cases...

Let me know if you want any more info or anything.
V.

I've been on Lexapro for 3 years now because of anxiety and depression. I'm on 10 mg and I didn't even know they made it as low as 5 mg. The only side effect I had was being EXHAUSTED for the first 2 or 3 months I took it. After that, my body got used to it. Since I had my daughter in March I'll have moments of anxiety sometimes a couple days a week. I find that when I exercise it REALLY helps!!! Either I walk on the treadmill 20 minutes or take a walk outside pushing my daughter in the stroller for 20-30 minutes. It's not vigorous exercise but it really gets those endorphins flowing. I'm not a nut freak - I'm naturally thin so I've always avoided exercise but when it comes to feeling better, I've learned to bite the bullet and exercise a little bit.
I've always said that I don't have time to exercise but really, if it comes to letting myself feel better, I'll make time! Anyway, that's just my suggestions - Good luck!!