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...
Hey all!
I recently started taking a new SSRI called Viibryd. I started at 10 mg and now I am on 20mg. I had so much hope for this medicine and prayed like hell it would ease my panic. So far, it has not helped, if at all...I've been on it for a total of 6 1/2 weeks. I feel extremely irritable, my panic attacks are TERRIBLE, and my body just feels like a wasteland dying for some sort of freshness. My pyschologist says to keep on it and maybe to increase the dosage but I am too scared. I want something that will help me manage my panic, not mount it and terrify me! For example, last week I was driving local roads and there was some traffic..I cut off some one just to move because I could no longer idle in my car. I almost got into an accident and I felt like everything around me was fading so I kept blinking and pinching my wrist to "stay alive".
I know this may seem crazy but I don't know what else to do...any suggestions?
I recently started taking a new SSRI called Viibryd. I started at 10 mg and now I am on 20mg. I had so much hope for this medicine and prayed like hell it would ease my panic. So far, it has not helped, if at all...I've been on it for a total of 6 1/2 weeks. I feel extremely irritable, my panic attacks are TERRIBLE, and my body just feels like a wasteland dying for some sort of freshness. My pyschologist says to keep on it and maybe to increase the dosage but I am too scared. I want something that will help me manage my panic, not mount it and terrify me! For example, last week I was driving local roads and there was some traffic..I cut off some one just to move because I could no longer idle in my car. I almost got into an accident and I felt like everything around me was fading so I kept blinking and pinching my wrist to "stay alive".
I know this may seem crazy but I don't know what else to do...any suggestions?
panic attacks, also called anxiety attacks are a false triggering of the fight or flight response, google fight or flight response for all the possible effects of it. panic attacks often are inherited. they cant harm anyone so should not be feared. when feeling stressed or panicky simply relax and breathe deep and slow. dont tense up or fight back against it. do disolve any mid range valium type pill under tongue for fastest help, google sublingually.
agoraphobia is avoiding or fearing places or situations likely to cause a panic attack. Ive found that the best advice in overcoming both is in cheap self help books from internet bookstores, order a few to be delivered to you by mail. therapists, especially psychiatrists often give little advice and consider the panic attacks as unimportant. they waste time and are often expensive, also their advice is hard to remember as most patients are very nervous.
valium type meds are still the best for reducing or stopping a panic attack, if taken to hospital, the usual treatment is an injection of valium. antidepressant meds help some a lot but sufferers can have severe early side effects so start at much less than the min dose range and slowly work dose up, google the antidepressant dose range for guidance. valium reduces early side effects. antidepressants take from 2 to 6 weeks to start working and occasionally never help. the prozac or SSRI type are popular but other types also help and so can be tried.
older sedating antihistamines calm some. valium type must be used sensibly but its been my long experience that few sufferers have addictive type personalitys,t he main problem being to get them to take a large enough dose rather than stopping them from taking too high a dose
the fight or flight response can become a strong addiction, people activate it with dangerous sports, downhill skiing, bungee jumping, parachute jumping, etc so some panic attack sufferers refuse to make any attempt to recover or to take helpful meds. panic attack and agoraphobia sufferers dont usually lead very stressfull lives. they become expert at seeming calm and relaxed whan actually panicky
I had panic attacks and severe agoraphobia for 20 years before diagnosing myself and am now completely recovered, have advised many sufferers thru self help groups