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...
I've dealt with panic attacks for many years now, and they've been pretty bad off and on. For the past year or so I haven't had much of a problem, until just recently. Suddenly I'm suffering from panic attacks more often, especially while driving. I'm constantly feeling like I can't breathe, even though it's obvious that I'm not turning blue or anything. I'm on Lexapro, and have been since 2004 when this all started. Is it possible that my body has become immune to it and the medication isn't working as well? I don't want to go back to how I was before - scared to leave the safety of my house or do the simplest of tasks like going to the grocery store. Does anyone have a long history with Lexapro?
ask a pharmacist for the dose range for lexapro and consider upping the dose, this may get it working again, you might also augment it with another med such as buspar but this is uncertain and a bit of a black art
if still no help, try an antidepressant of a different type, there are several, lex is a prozac type, valium will help in the short term, the usual cautions when driving apply of course
let us know how things work out