Panic Attacks Support Group

A panic attack is a period of intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting no more than thirty minutes. Symptoms include trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, dizziness, hyperventilation, and sensations of choking or smothering. Panic attacks can be very sudden, appear to be unprovoked, and are often...

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Anxiety Disorders
/ Panic Attacks Support Group

Medication or meditation?

figi97
figi97

Hi there, 


I’m new to this but I’m in a very confusing place where I feel advice from people who have similar struggles would help. 


Im 24, and a professional athlete who has suffered from GAD, PTSD and panic attack a since I was 12. I have many supports in place, therapy, medication, meditations, spiritual healing etc etc 


THE ISSUE: my panic attacks last upwards of 3 hours and result in convulsions...for hours. My scale system is 1-10 anxiety and even a level 10 anxiety attack is not a panic attack for me, the panic attacks are horrific. My longest episode was 5 hours and 8 mg of Ativan eventually calmed it  


when I first started medication almost everything reacted poorly. Ativan became long term and the dosages anywhere from 1mg (currently) to 8 in a day  


I am on medication, long term Ativan use and Zoloft, I used to be on lamictal but have been trying to get off of my medications for fear of what they’re doing to my body long term. 


I am no longer able to continue this way, the dropping on my Zoloft since December of 2017 has caused so many phobias to come out that looking back it hardly seems worth it  everything fro terror of waking up a pedi file, to food poisoning, to death...all came and went and I fought them off but it’s left me a bit of a shell. 


My question: is there a long term way to be happy while on medication for life? I can’t come down off this stuff again...I just had another panic attack and I’m forcing myself to work my body constantly for 7+ hours a day. 


Im really scared all I want is to feel okay again 


Any advice? 

rcurtis1010
rcurtis1010
Honestly in the recent months ive turned to meditation... Its saved my life in so many ways.. Learning how to control your breath and think in the present. It can help to have a support group in place that can talk you down from a panic attack..
If you want to talk to be in depth I would be happy to share my coping mechanisms.
figi97
figi97
Thanks for commenting! I’m able to cope with my anxiety mostly via tools such as meditation or grounding exercises and good practice but the panic is a different dissociative state. I just don’t know if I can cope enough to live the life I want with out medicine but that’s just as scary too
rcurtis1010
rcurtis1010
Sometimes you have to live with medicine for a bit.. I needed it 24/7 for 5 years and then one day I just needed it when I required it which was like once a week and now its dropped down to once a month. Instead of taking depression medication from prescription i now take naturopathic pills. I know it doesnt work for everyone! Just check it out if you havent. Also aroma therapy necklaces and rollers can help stop panic before it happens.
Seamus
Seamus
Foods and Herbs make a massive difference also.
Hopealways
Hopealways
Figi97, everyone is different. For me it is a balancing act between medication and meditation and exercise. I use Yoga at night and during the afternoon to help with my panic attacks. Meditation for sleep and to clear my mind. I have a panic attack disorder where I hyperventilate for anywhere from 30 mins to hours and vomit and pass out. For a long time it was happening back to back when untreated. I have tried natural remedies and they help. For me they take the edge off but has not been a cure all. I also have PTSD, chronic depression and some other mental health diagnoses. I also have physical illnesses. With being a professional athlete your body could be changing in terms of becoming more muscular, your metabolism might be a lot faster than the average person. This could affect your medication amount. Maybe you need to space it out throughout the day. I would ask a psychiatrist. Maybe you just need an adjustment because our bodies metabolize differently. I also found acupuncture was great. I have been on medication for a long time. But it never means forever. Everyone is different. I am on similar meds. The ativan never lasted very long for me. Hope that helps. Positive vibes, many blessings.
gryphons
gryphons
There is nothing wrong with turning to medications, the benefits sometimes outweigh the negatives.

Meditation is very helpful. I used to be able to sit and just meditate with no guided meditations but since I was diagnosed with panic attack disorder, I find that my mind will wander into the negative thoughts and, as you know, once they stop, it’s almost impossible to shut them up with this disorder. So, now I use guided meditations every day. I love them. Especially ones specifically for anxiety or energy cleansing. At the very least, I’ll do a guided sleep meditation every night. I would recommend the app insight timer. I know it’s available on iPhone but not sure about the others. It’s a great community full of people who meditate and has thousands of guided meditations, as well as just a timer with some background sounds and bells.
Misscynt
Misscynt
Try both