And the panic attacks usually happen around 2P or later?

Usually in the morning but sometimes at bedtime.

In the AM before your Ativan?

Ok. First just to be clear, were you diagnosed by a psychiatrist or psychologist with any severe panic disorder or any severe mental illness? Asking because you mentioned you're taking lexapro and lorazapam which is commonly prescribed to patients who have been diagnosed with severe cases of mental illness. I say this because not all people with panic disorders need to take any medication for it. Sometimes when we take medication for issues like these we become reliant on them. And the goal is to overcome and rid this issue or disorder; Not numb it. But if you were prescribed with this medication by a psychiatrist, by all means do as your doctor says. If not, I highly recommend you see a psychiatrist/psychologist to figure out what are the best soloutions for you to conquer this anxiety and panic attacks. And trust me, you will. Nonetheless, let me just start this sentence off by saying you are not alone. Your situation rang many bells. The truth is that you might be right. There might be deeper issues entrenched in your habitual thought process that's causing you to be in a sudden, constant state of panic. Question yourself and figure out if there's been any trauma in your childhood or past. Any traumatic issues/experiences that we've instinctively swept under the rug without realizing, can sometimes come back to us later on in life and cause us to panic. It happens to many people at random ages. Some have had anxiety their whole life while some may have it later on in thier life. This is common. Having said this, I must be honest and tell you that psychological therapy is the best way to figure out the root of your anxiety and panic attacks. Many people who've never truly endured severe anxiety or states of panic are highly opposed to therapy because they think it's very futile and are afraid of others' critical perception. If you're one of these people, understand me when I tell you therapy is important; not just for us people with anxiety and panic attacks but for almost everybody. A lot of us have dysfunctional ways of looking at/handling things. Taking therapy is normal. When we panic, we don't think rationally. All we know when we panic is we want to take action. Fight, Flight or Freeze. But when we're not faced with realistic dangerous situations, we become afraid of our own thoughts. We start trying to rid our thoughts and emotions by telling it to go away but it's just not that easy. In fact, that probably just makes it worse. We also most of the time forget to breath. What your feeling is normal and it's not a heart attack. You're just running short of breath because you're afraid. In that moment you must take deep breaths in (mouth closed) and exhale out. Your fear of death and illness is due to you being hypochondriacal. You're not dying. You're just overthinking and are coming worried about your health. That happened to me too as it does to many others who have experienced anxiety and panic attacks It seems as though you're afraid of the panic attacks. Which again is normal. The best help for this is (Cognitive Behavior Therapy.) Psycologist who perform CBP can help patients become desensitized to the state of panic. Which is what I think you're looking for. I think you should definitely message me so I can speak to you more about my situation and I can help you find a solution that'll work best for you. You will overcome this. It does go away.

Thank you for the replies. My panic can start before or shortly after taking the ativan.
Yes, I was prescribed my medication years ago by a psych Doc, that I still see for just med management. I have had CBT a few years ago for my driving anxiety. That helped for a short bit. But even know I don't drive alone. I carpool or have my husband bring me in. I do have some unresolved issues from my early years. I do think that has something to do with my GAD. I always see myself as someone else who can "get over" those things that happened as a child. I know that I've really just swept them under the rug. Talk therapy would probably help. I've tried a couple of therapist but have not found one that I click with. I should get back to the task of finding a therapist I can work with. I have been trying meditation and it helps, but definitely not during a panic attack. I hate living in this. Instant state of anxiety. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.
Have you been able to overcome you anxiety/panic and if so, how?

Yes. Sometimes certain methods of phycological therapy may not help you but there are some that will. I'm just gonna need you to be optimistic and hopeful and never give up! I know this is hard and draining as hell (trust me I know and have experienced everything you feel) but you must keep fighting through this. Fighting through the delirious lightheadedness, the uneasy stomach, the red and sweaty face, the tingling feelings, the chills, the illusion of thinking we're having heart attacks because we're running short of breath when really we just forget to breath in and out normally because we're panicking. I can be wrong but I do think you are afraid of the anxiety and panic attack itself. Do you ever fear you'll have anxiety at work or when driving? Or do you think of it and suddenly it just comes about? I have the same issue. Which brings me to answering your question. Have I completely overcome anxiety? No. Not yet. But the more I'm learning about this and being able to help people with the same issues, the more I'm realizing how much control I have over it. I see you've mentioned you always seen yourself as someone who would get over these things. Which is how I felt as well. But I realized I was being very egotistical with myself. I realized I was putting huge burdens on my shoulder and assuming I was supposed to be the God of all Gods, fixing everything, making sure all was perfect. But I stopped doing that. Why? Because even the most perfect things in this world aren't really perfect and even the most horrible things in this world aren't that horrible. Our brains somehow subconsciously paint this daunting image in our heads of what reality might be, but that's not reality. Let me tell you what I started doing that helped the anxiety subside little by little. And by the way, I haven't had a panic attack since last week. I was getting them nearly everyday. I was afraid it will never go away and that my life was over. I felt as though I wouldn't see life in a beautiful light as I once did. But I was wrong because I do. And all that fear of not overcoming panic attacks and not being happy is untrue. In fact the last panic attack I had lasted less than 3 minutes because I was able to help myself recover from it. I'm not sure if you know this but 3 minutes is the longest amount of time anyone can have a panic attack. Meaning when you have your panic attacks it can only last for 3 minutes. Though the uneasy feeling is annoying, don't let 3 lousy minutes stop you from being hopeful about overcoming this. Let me remind you WE or shall I say YOU have the power to control your panic attacks. You are the boss of your body and brain. Again, I know you hear this a lot and get confused being that when you have the panic attacks, saying things like that is easier said than done but try to fully understand yourself and the causes of your panic attacks. In the state of panic attacks you can't really think rationally, so it's best that when you don't have panic attacks or anxiety to do a lot of research and studying on these subjects. The more you learn about the more you'll realize you're not going crazy and you're not alone. Ask yourself What triggers your anxiety? What thoughts run through your mind that make you feel that discomforting, uneasy feeling? You must be honest and say everything you're hiding in your mind that's affecting you. You must be aware of them and speak about them. That's the first step. And by the way, being open and honest about your traumatic past or things that you're paranoid about doesn't make you weak. It makes you actually look and most importantly feel strong and fearless. That's the thing with us humans. We're taught to bottle in our emotions and fears and just get to work put on a face or to stop complaining. I mean those are two of the many things society makes us believe. But we have to do what we know is best for us and do what we feel might help us. Even if it means taking risks and being open and honest about everything we feel and think. And if it doesn't work, always try a different approach. Never give up or lose hope. And don't be discouraged either. Every risk you take is a step higher to your success. So yes what I started doing was a lot of research on anxiety and panic attacks. This made me realize I'm not going crazy and how common it was. I started watching a lot of YouTube videos on anxiety. A lot of "TED Talks" videos which have helped me tremendously. I was afraid of telling a doctor and them telling me I'd have to be on medication because that's something I'm opposed to doing but I was also afraid of therapy. I felt that nothing can help me and I was doomed. But I ananlyzed my way of thinking. I was doubting something I didn't know the answers to. Which is something a lot of us subconsciously do. There's always a what if it will and what if it won't. One out of two chances. And we're so fearful of the unknown when really the worst that can happen is it won't and the best that can happen is it will. But realistically, whether it will or it won't, we can and will live through it. So being afraid of it is really pointless. It will take you sometime to understand that fully. I think in the beginning of my panic attacks I was beating myself up about having the panic attacks instead of being/doing what I do now, which is allow myself to feel whatever I want to feel. Accept my thoughts and feelings and allow myself to feel anxiety and I tell myself If I panic "it's okay. I'm just trying to protect myself." A lot of the times we don't accept ourselves fully. We don't accept what we're facing or going through. It sometimes feels like "Why me?!" We don't accept things that we can't understand or don't have the answers to. And we don't accept what has happened in our past. But accepting is another big step towards overcoming this and subsiding the anxiety and subduing the panic attacks. I know I'm bombarding you with a lot (I really want to help you because I know you're going to overcome this. You just can see it yet because there's so much smoke and cloudiness in your head but once you clear it, you'll start to be happy and optimistic.) but please speak more about this with me and tell me what worries you and all that fears you and what triggers your panic and anxiety! Again, I do recommend you seek a phycologist and take therapy because they can come up with a newer ways for you to not be afraid of the panic attacks. They are experts at this. It's okay to try different psychologists if you feel one is not giving you the help you need. But be optimistic as well and try to be open to taking any form of advice. Something will work for you. I have a family member who was worse than us but has overcame it completely and is now happier than she was before having this. It's normal to take therapy for anything your going through and very common. And your situation is common and normal more than you might think. A lot of people don't go to a psychiatrist/psychologist about this because they have a fear of being labeled "crazy" or "mentally ill" but lots of people in this world are dealing with what you and I are going/gone through. And I've become desensitized to the term "mental illness." Because for me it's just a poor term to label someone who's dealing with this unjust dysfunctional system of LIFE. Life is what we're going through. And that's okay because this too shall pass. And again it's always better to keep trying another approach then to do nothing about it. If you'd like to email me and speak more personally about what you're dealing with just to vent and seek understanding I am here for you and won't ever judge. I can leave you my email if you'd like and our conversation will be completely confidential and you DON'T have to give me any personal info such as (name, where your from etc.) it can be anonymous. Remember, if something isn't working try a different approach. Don't ever give up. You've got this! I promise you!