Take the Xanax. That is what is for. Prednisone gives you anxiety.

yup

Hugs,
Dennis

Also I have pain medicine I suppose too take oxycodone 10mg for my knee but too scared to take it! I'm a big mess today I pray I get better! Thank you all for your understanding and help I need it! God bless all of you. Yes I think my ANXIETY IS KICKING IN WITH THIS AS WELL ! Have generalized anxiety as it is have had it all my life! I'm 57 now but feeling much older! Hopefully I can get some rest today! Hope all has a great breath of air today! :)

Xanax will calm you down and help you relax so that you can breathe easier. Panic and anxiety only make breathing worse.

You might need to have a sleep study done to see if your oxygen levels are dropping during the night.

I have to agree with the others about xanax being better for you than prednisone in terms of anxiety. I hate steroids and their side effects and refuse to take them until/if I get to a severe stage.

I take Zoloft and it helps me but we are all different when it comes to what works.

Keep us updated.

Hugs,

Cindy

Oxycodone is a respiratory depressant and I noticed that right away when I took it for one day after my hernia surgery.
I would take the anxiety meds though, anxiety can make your breathing worse.
Hope you will feel better soon!

Linda, to my knowledge all anxiety medications will slow the breathing but I have never felt that this was a good reason not to take an anxiety medication.

If you are having difficulty breathing, find a quiet place, take your Xanax and give it a chance to reduce the anxiety and I think your breathing will even out and you will feel better.

I take Ativan 1 mg twice daily and have sometimes had to take one a little earlier than scheduled as I did this AM at 5:30 when I woke up feeling that I couldn't breathe.

This crappy stuff doesn't get better over time so learn to work with the meds that your doctor gives you to reduce your depression and anxiety. To me it is now all about quality of life.

You are much younger and have an opportunity to get yours under control and I wish you the best in doing that.

Stay strong and move forward

Hugs,
Anna

Anon-medicinal way to calm down is PURSED LIP BREATHING!

Xanax is a central nervous system depressant but taking may actually give you a net gain in your ability to breathe since its depressing effect may be less impacting on your breathe-ability than your anxiety. Some months back when I was having breathing trouble I could actually feel my diaphragm and my core midsection lose all the anxiety tension in it when I took Ativan which is very similar to Xanax. It felt like my lungs were opening up actually. At that time when I was having that trouble I felt like anxiety was likely the single worst factor in my breathing other than what was going on in my body to impair my breathing at that time. Our core/diaphragm area is where I seem to store all my tension and I expect it's the same for many others.

linda....take the anxiety medicine....most of us in this group take anxiety medicine.....and we are still all breathing........I know it is scarey to be short of breath....but giving in to that feeling makes it worse....everyone in this group feels your pain....hang in there good luck.....and give the medicine a try...hugs to you....Irene

Linda. I agree about taking the Xanax. I also think you need to check in with your doctor I'm concerened why you are still severly short of breath after being on the Predisone this long . It should have been helping you by this time. Please call 911 if you have another bad sob episode

Take care....

i also take an anti-anxiety medication.
i assume if your dr has prescribed one he expects you to take it when you need.
i have COPD and not being able to breath can cause anxiety and anxiety can cause not being able to breath...so i do what my dr says to do.

I am going to chime in with everyone else, hoping that you took the Xanax because a long time has passed since you posted. I hope you got some relief and are breathing and resting.

Try to look at it this way: you take pain meds, right? And if you get behind on the timing and wait until the pain is out of control, then they don't work quickly, because you are starting all over again. The key is pain management. You stay ahead of it, not wait for it to jump to a 10 before doing something.

Well the same with breathing management and if you feel very short of breath and in need of help from the anxiety of the short of breath feeling, having already taken your meds, then you have got to go to the next step and control the anxiety that has been created because you are panicking and that's when the xanax steps in and helps slow the chemicals that are now racing through your body and mind telling you you can't breathe. And, if/when it gets really bad, PLEASE! call 911 while you still can.

Things will get better. I sincerely hope they already have and this does not happen again. Blessings and take care and I hope you are on operating on n even keel.

sorry! Last sentence should read " I hope you are soon operating on an even keel"

Linda ~ I have suffered with anxiety, depression & PTSD most of my life. When you get anxiety, it is your body's fight or flight mechanism, so your body is giving you the extra adrenaline you need to run or defend yourself.
Please take the meds your doc has recommended. They will help you keep your anxiety under control. The meds will slow your heart rate a bit so you don't feel as panicky. Also, if you can move a bit (pace the floor a bit or even wave your arms around), you will help dissipate some of the extra adrenaline by using it. It will help make any panicky feelings you are having stop sooner.
I would also recommend some pursed lip breathing, breathing more slowly alone will help with the anxiety. I know this is hard to do when you feel you are short of breath, but anything you can do will help.
I would also suggest you develop a little self-talk you can use. When I experience a panic attack, this is what I say to myself: "This is only a panic attack. A panic attack will not kill me. I may feel like I'm dying but I am not. The average panic attack will last approx. 20 mins. but if you fight it, it can last much longer. I will take a nice breath in & let a breath out. This is only a panic attack & a panic attack cannot kill me." I keep telling myself this over & over as I try to move my body to get rid of the extra adrenaline.
But please take the meds before you do anything else. You need the extra support the meds will give you to help you get these panic attacks under control.
Sending calming thoughts your way.
Benze