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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Crazypants 02/11/2017

I just wanted to see if you guys had any thoughts on anxiety medication. I've really been struggling with my anxiety for a little over a month now. I've dealt with anxiety for years, but it's never been this bad. It lasts all day long, every single day. Some days are worse than others, some days my panic attacks gets so bad I can't even function. I have to call out of work, I can't eat, I can't sleep. It's truly crippling. I do have a therapist that I see every other week (I'd see her more often except I can't afford it), and I know what triggers my anxiety, and I've found some things that help me through my panic attacks, but they don't take that cloud of constant anxiety away. I don't know how long I can keep this up. Should I be asking my therapist about medication at this point? What do you guys think?

Inner-Chaos 02/12/2017

From my own personal experience with anxiety medication is that for me, it worked. However I wasn't on a daily dose of it. My psychiatrist gave me a type of anti anxiety medication that I took when I needed it the most. I've had and dealt with anxiety for many year and for the most part I can handle it, but like for yourself and many others there are days when I cannot function at all because of it. On the days when I felt a more severe anxiety coming on is when I took the medication I was given and for me it helped keeping it on a level to where I could deal with it and get through the day functioning better than I normally would have. I personally don't like being on more medications than I have to be so I try to find other things that will occupy my attention and keep the anxiety at bay but the meds save me a world of pain on the days that nothing else have worked and I really need it. I don't know if it helped any but that's my personal experience.

djchurn 02/12/2017

Inner-Chaos gave good advice. pursue meds a last resort but do not feel any less of yourself when you realize you needed the extra help the give. Difficult to suggest meds as the ones that make you feel better immediately are usually the ones that are habituating and stop working after a while. That is why you should use caution in taking them. Better to find other means of dealing with anxiety and then think of yourself as a success in avoiding the anxiety and the meds.

Zoe 02/12/2017

I have been taking Xanax ER for a very long time. It's on an as needed basis. Sometimes just knowing I have it calms me. At other times I do need to take it so I can function. I have my tool kit for coping but sometimes it just doesn't work or circumstances don't allow for it. My use goes up and down which makes me ponder and discuss the whys and wherefores. You'd need a psychiatrist to prescribe it. Meet with one and discuss if it's right for you or not.

kat2017 02/12/2017

Hi I was prescribed Lorazepam for my anxiety/panic attacks and it works. I don't take it everyday, I take it when I have anxiety and before I get a full blown panic attack. I have tried other medications but I didn't like the side effects of them.

Crazypants 02/13/2017

Thanks everyone this has been very helpful and informative!

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