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

Panic attacks came back after two years

VolatileVacuum
VolatileVacuum
Two years ago I started having severe constant panic attacks. They stopped all together after I started taking Prozac and Ativan, but now they're back. I've spent the last two years horrified of this and now it's happening. I had my first attack Friday afternoon and they literally haven't stopped or slowed down at all since then. I've been to the ER (where they gave me a few .25mg Xanax, told me to breathe deeply, and find a regular doctor), I've tried all the breathing exercises, breathing into a bag, tightening and releasing muscles, massages, going out, talking, watching funny movies, tea, lemon juice, Valerian root, even crying and screaming and banging my head against the wall. NOTHING is helping.

Can anyone recommend a few techniques to stop panic attacks or at least make them less severe??? I'm desperate.
LuckyEmpath
LuckyEmpath
This happened to me too. My meds worked for 10 years and then...stopped. The panic seemed 100 times worse than it did when I first started taking the meds but that was because I was 'out of practice' in dealing with them.

Since meds were no longer working for me and the panic was so bad I was not functional I decided to go back to therapy. Fortunately I found an excellent therapist who helped me through healing from my toxic family and then from a childhood of sexual abuse (once I remembered it). With all the haling I have done from these two areas my anxiety and panic are gone.

My suggestion is to find a therapist who you trust so you can discuss what went on in your childhood that brought the anxiety and panic on for you. I see you belong to the self-injury board so that tells me that something happened in your past and you are taking it all out on yourself. Please find a therapist or anyone who you can talk to. You can live anxiety and panic free - and self-injury free - if you work on healing your past.

Take care
VolatileVacuum
VolatileVacuum
Thank you. I was seeing a really great therapist for a lttle over a year but had to stop because I could no longer afford her. I'm in the prcess of trying to find the funds to go back to her...I think she'd be a huge help.
LuckyEmpath
LuckyEmpath
That would be wonderful if you could start seeing her again. I know my therapist does not take insurance so I had to find a way to pay. For several years I only saw her once a month because that was all I could afford. It still helped.

If there is anything I can help you with please PM me.
harry3333
harry3333
when feeling panicky, take a largish dose of any valium type pills and breathe deep and slow, don't forget to breathe
get back on the Prozac, it often stops panic attacks