I have had this problem for many years. It usually comes and goes in phases but usually I have this problem for months at a time. I wake up in the middle of the night and for some reason because it's dark it makes my anxiety worse. My body has started having really weird sensations when this happens and it freaks me out more. Sometimes I give in and take Ativan just so i can go back to sleep. I don't know why it happens but it sure sucks!

i have a nightlight because im terrified to be in the dark lol. my mom doesnt want me on anything but i think i just might go on something so i can feel better

Ive experienced it as well. I always wake up between 1:20am-1:40am. And it will happen for a period of time & then go away...strange that its the same time frame. If the attack is bad I take xanax & go back to bed. If not too bad I walk around for a few minutes..do some deep breathing...go back to bed. Sometimes I get on here & reassure myself that Im not alone.

It's happening to you because you have a panic disorder. Nothing extreme needs to be happening in your life (or your sleep) to bring on an attack. Your brain chemistry, like mine, is messed up and panic attacks can and do tend to just come out of the blue for no reason. Are you on any medication for the panic disorder? If not, you might consider making an appointment with your doctor.

i hjave 2 anxiety disorder....both make me very uncomfortable ....my therapist wants me to be on lexapro but my mom doesnt want me on anything (which after these past few days i dont care wat she thinks anymore cuz she doesnt know how hard it is to be me) she bought me all these things from the vitamin shoppe :/ ....autumn i do the same thing i walk around the house and tell myself that im ok.."safe"

this has been happening to me alot lately...I wake up at 3am almost every night....thank God for facebook games or I'd be walking around the house like a zombie...I am fortunate enough not to have to work, so i usually get to go back to bed around 6am...but only sleep for a few hours, and while i sometimes i get up at 3am...sometimes i don't even get to bed until 3 am..lost my son in a car accident in 11/07, and those were the last attacks i've had up until about a yr. after and then all of a sudden they stopped....i still get stressed to the max but for some reason am able to get through...maybe the coping techniques i learned really work? maybe?

im sorry about ur son :(

Just what we need, another spammer. JenniferWatts, go back to twitter with your scamming web pages. Everyone should know by now that anxietycentre.com is another scam designed to take lots of people's money for information that can be found for $14.95 or less. Anyone that promotes these scams should be reported--so if you see JenniferWatts post this link again, report it to DS.

Don't be fooled by bogus testimonials. If the nonsense on this website were real or even useful, doctors and therapists would be happy to use it and help people with it.

i went on the website nd i kno thatt my parents dnt wanna pay for things that insurance covers.....i kno ppl who take meds nd who r much much better ..ughh i cnt take one more person telling me not to do something thatll help

I totally hear what you're saying, but I gotta say, I wouldn't discount the stuff your mom bought. Can I ask what she got? I've tried several homeopathic remedies and while they can't compete with my Ativan, several have been helpful for lower-grade attacks.

The one I like the most is Valerian combined with Lemon Balm, Hops and Passion Flower. I actually take that almost every nite to fall asleep, along with a Melatonin. It sounds like a lot of pills but they make one with all those things in it, except the melatonin.

Oh and I'm NOT a spammer!!!!! Just making that clear because of that other post:P

Big hugs and hope wishing you peaceful sleep tonite:)

she bought st johns wort (i have rly bad depression) b complex for energy (cuz i work out everyday) and interol..for my depression and anxiety...ill see how they work

I don't understand why anyone would prefer to take unregulated, non-FDA approved substances into their body, but yet shun the medicines that drug manufacturers spend millions of dollars developing. Drug companies run tests to see if the drugs work, and they have to jump through so many regulatory hurdles that the herb and supplement manufacturers don't have to, in order to get a product on the shelf.

You are putting who knows what into your body when you take any of the products you find at the health food store--NONE are regulated, NONE have to prove that the do anything, and NONE contain anywhere near the amount of the substance that is listed on the bottle. You don't know if that substance was purified, if it had pesticides on it, or if it came from a farm in the US or Malaysia. You don't know if it was manufactured here, or in China and if there is lead in the bottle along with the herbs, as no one checks for this, except Consumer Reports, who did find many supplements contain lead, pesticides, drywall, and a host of other things that don't belong there.

The exception might be the melatonin, if it is made by certain manufacturers---and you can check consumer reports to find out which ones have some kind of quality control. Most don't.

St. Johns Wort has been recently shown to be ineffective:

http://nccam.nih.gov/news/2002/stjohnswort/pressrelease.htm

If you take chemicals into your body, you might as well know the chemicals that you are getting are at least regulated, and the bottle has the actual ingredient in it. Right now the only way to do that is to take MEDICINE and not herbs, potions, or placebo pills, which is what ALL supplements are--placebos.

I definitely agree that you should make sure the supplements you're getting are from a reputable source. Since there are no regulations in place, well-established companies that have been doing business for a while are the best bet, in my opinion.

I don't think that all supplements are placebos. They're substances that different cultures have been using for thousands of years. The drugs we have today can work wonders, but some people are more comfortable with something natural.

I know that just as many natural substances can hurt people as modern drugs can. I take Ativan and I'm aware that I'm probably addicted to it. Addiction at this point, though, is preferable to how I was living before.

Just wanted to point out that supplements are not placebos.

There is nothing "natural" about supplements. They are chemicals. By your definition aspirin is "natural" because it is made from willow bark, the substance that was used for thousands of years until SCIENCE came along and made it SAFER for people to take on a regular basis, as well as to actually synthesize the molecules inside the willow bark that WORK from those that don't have anything to do with treating a headache. For thousands of years, people DIED taking willow bark because it is toxic, and the dose can vary from plant to plant, even from leaf to leaf--so its hardly SAFE if its "NATURAL" .

If traditional NATURAL remedies worked so well, we never would have needed "modern medicine". The facts are, that the reason modern drugs were developed in the first place is to make it possible to treat people more effectively and more precisely, without having to rely on guesswork. The reason pharmaceuticals are regulated, is to insure that doses do not vary, and that people are not hurt by the things they are taking.

Now the public, and people like yourself are sending us back to the middle ages, by supporting companies that offer unregulated snake oil, rather than buying actual medicine that could support more and better drugs in the future.

You are also incorrect about the word "addictive" when talking about ativan. It is a medication. All medications are physically addictive, and if you stop taking even nexium you will get withdrawal symptoms. Even if you stop drinking tea or coffee you will get headaches and other withdrawal symptoms. The difference is true addiction is a compulsion--unless you want to rob little old ladies to get more ativan, then you do not fit the definition of "addicted to it".

If you never stop taking ativan, you will never have a problem with "getting off it". Parkinson's patients take klonopin for the rest of their lives--no one worries about them getting "addicted" to it. Why? Because it is a medicine to treat a medical condition, not a drug that you are using to get high off of--that is another difference. People should not be so afraid of addiction that they don't take their medication--that is just wrong, and the "anti-drug" climate we have in this country is to blame for that.

I can promise anyone suffering with panic, that you won't be knocking over the corner gas station for money to buy ativan no matter how long you are on it.

Obviously we have different viewpoints here. I respect and actually agree with many of your points.

"people like yourself are sending us back to the middle ages"

That would be one that I dont' agree with. I am all for modern medicine when it is used correctly. Doctors are often very quick to write up a prescription, however, whenever a patient complains. This is part of what bothers me about the modern drug culture.

I hardly want people to abandon prescription drugs. They save lives. I simply think that it's foolish to ignore things that have worked for years simply because there's a new drug on the block. Many supplements have worked, and this is why they are still around. This is why science is beginning to take another look at them.

The last thing I want to do is scare people away from Ativan, or any drug. It has helped me immensely. I was only stating that after eight years of use, my body and mind have become accustomed to it, and I get nasty withdrawal symptoms when I don't take it. The symptoms are worth it, though, when compared to never trying the drug in the first place. It literally changed my life. For the better.

Supplements are natural. They grow. They were not created in labs by scientists.

Some can work. They usually don't work as dramatically or quickly as prescription drugs, but for some that's worth the trade.

You're absolutely correct in reminding us that modern medicine was created to offer people safe, regulated remedies. Now, companies and scientists are working to offer safe, regulated supplements. There is a lot left to be done in making sure substances are regulated to the same degree as prescription drugs, but it will happen.

I guess I just take issue with what you said because of the general tone you used. By your definition, supplements do nothing. Calcium pills are considered a dietary supplement, as are Vitamin C, Vitamin D...you see where I'm going. These have all been lauded by the medical community for their value in keeping our bodies healthy. Obviously they are not placebos.

As I said, we have different views. I wish you well, and I apologize to all for the long post.