Panic Attacks Support Group

So I have always had xanax in my pocket for occasional anxiety and mild panic attacks.

I won't go through all the gory details, but recently it turned into daily severe panic attacks. I've been rushed to the hospital via rescue squad a couple of times even. Tested me for everything under the sun and I am just fine, so pretty darn sure that its just real bad panic attacks.

In the last month or so since I've been having them, I have been so incredibly anxious, that I have taken up to and over 4mg of xanax a day.

I've been talking to a therepist and she says only I have the power to stop this and so I've been trying to give myself lots of pep talks and ween myself off of the xanax.

Last monday my doc put me on Zoloft. Within three days I felt worse than ever! I was all cold and sweaty and more anxious than ever and still quite dependant on the xanax for relief. So he took me off of them and wanted to put me on SeroquilXR. I read about it and it looked hard core! My therepist said if I was afraid of it, I shouldn't take it and just wait to see a psychiatrist. (sp)

I DO NOT WANT TO BE ON MEDS LIKE THIS! I want to have babies in the next few years and I want a clean healthy system.

Wednesday, (1/19/11) the psychiatrist(sp) started me on Buspar. He said that after a while it will take the edge off and make it easier to take down the xanax. So far I am down to 2mg xanax a day and the two doses of 10mg buspar a day.

I feel super anxious after I take the buspar. I have talked to three docs I know. (one is a friend and one is my therepist's hubby) and they all say buspar (or buspirone) is VERY mild and most people don't feel anything different. And not to be afraid at all of it. Even pregnant women take it and studies have shown no effects on the babies.

Is it just me afraid of more pills? Is this a high dose?

i don't want to look up the med online because I am one of those people who get every side effect they read about, so if I don't read it, I don't have it.

Is it me? What should I do. Keep going? Am I doing good? I don't know.

Thanks to anyone who can offer advice.

Can I ask what your panic attacks are like?

I think I saw you on the chosto board.

Does anything seem to trigger them?

What do they feel like?

At first I thought it was food. I became afraid of food. I am getting pretty skinny. I've seen a gastro and apperantly I'm in tip-top condition.

Now it's at random. Work, home, watching TV. I lost a lot of very close family members around the holidays in the last few years, including my little brother and father and grandma and aunt and had a miscarriage. That probably doesn't help.

An A-hole at work was bothering me but my manager took care of him and I think that helped a lot.

I feel anxious all the time. I'm hoping it's because I have been weening off the xanax and it will go away, then maybe some day get off the buspar.

Does buspar cause reactions like elevated anxiety in anyone.

Sarah,

I recently started experiencing panic attacks and didn't know what to do. I even wound up in the hospital for 4 days. That's where I was diagnoised.

As soon as I was home, I began searching for answers. I found a book who's principles have all but taken the symptoms away. That book is "Hope and Help for your Nerves" by DR Claire Weekes. I highly recommend it to any one who has nervous illness.

I also found an audio post right here at mdjunction under the panic attack home page forums tab at the top of the page. Click on it and go to the medicine and treatment section and look down 3 or 4 posts to "Free downloads that really help". It was posted by a man called Jim Maynard who was cured of panic attacts and agoraphobia by applying the very same principals in the very same book. Take a listen to it and you too may be cured.

Ray Ray

Post edited by: rwhitley123, at: 01/14/2011 12:59 PM

Buspar is usually very well tolerated. I was put on it in the past. The dose you are on is a low starting dose.

Most studies show that the most successful outcome is from a combination of medication and therapy. Long term daily use of a benzodiazepine such as xanax is typically not recommended.

Unfortunately medications for any mental health problem are really just hit and miss. Everybody reacts differently to every medication and unless you try them there is no way to tell if it will work for you.

Part of what is thought to cause repeated panic attacks is an imbalance of certain chemicals in your brain. The medications are thought to help bring those back to balance. While the reactions to medications can be scary, so can the attacks.

Hopefully the buspar helps you with your attacks. It will take awhile to notice though.

When do you have a follow up appointment with you psychiatrist?

How often do you go to therapy? Do you know what type of therapy it is?

First of all, thank you guys so much for the quick responses.

I'm beginning to believe that the "reaction" to the buspar was in my head. I just took it again about a half hour ago and 5 minutes later my heart was pounding. HELLO. It doesn't get in your system that fast! I took a half a xanax and ate a little food and smoked a cigarette (obviously not healthy, but for now it helps) and I'm feeling a just a little loopy but not having an attack.

It just must be the lowering of the xanax doses. We shall see. I will continue to fight my hardest to control this myself and rid myself of the drugs. I don't want this to go on for years until it is out of my power.

I guess I gotta just keep fighting. I will certainly check out the free downloads.

Ah how I miss the days of youth when a little grass would calm me down and life was attack free...... such is life, I guess.

Hi hun I am sorry I can not offer any adivce on the Buspar a huge trigger of mine is any meds that I was not already on or had taken before my panic lol....they offered it to me but I didnt even fill the pills....as far as the xanax yes you are 100% correct there are many many studies that show using them while pregnate can be dangrous...as many people here know I lost a baby boy at 6 months last week the doctors think A LOT of it has to do with me coming off my xanax and being on it the pre-test have shown he has a small heart (caused from xanax) and the placenta has slow blood flow (also from the xanax) so in turn I can totally understand DONT take the xanax if you can help it there is NO BENZO as bad on your body, a babys body or your own mental health as xanax it is HORRID!!!

But there are SAFER (not 100% safe) things that you can be on that can help with anxtiey and panic attacks....

You doctor is 100% right your panic are all you as soon as you learn to not fear the fear of a panic they stop, just like me I have had panic attacks one after the other after the other for DAYS now as soon as they put me on a holter heart monitor I have not had not ONE attack lol just goes to show when you think you are safe they dont come....

I am 110% all about Dr. Weekes she is AMAZING and spot on about our problem to NOT EVER think of yourself as mentally ill because you are not dont think you HAVE to take meds cause you dont have to

There is no REAL risk in panic attacks they can not really harm you not like highbloodpressure, low bloood sugar now things like that you need meds for having a fast heart rate, sweating, fear cant harm you if it could then scary movies, working out, and other stressful things we do for fun or health wouldnt be healthy

jojobear, I think you are right. I followup with the Psych in 6 weeks. I talk to my therepist weekly, but lately she calls me every couple of days or even a couple times a day if it's a bad day. Never charges me a penny out of pocket. She is wonderful and supportive and all our appointments are by phone as I moved away and back to my home town.

I think it is cognative something or another. We talk about what bothers me and she sort of helps me come up with ways to reduce my stress in those areas. She was the one who suggested I tell my boss about my A-hole sales rep and have her deal with him and that took so much stress off. I can't believe he affected me that way. I'm shocked about how much stress I was repressing. I didn't think it was that bad, but with my bosses help, work feels so much better.

Now she is helping me to find ways to deal with unresolved anger from "Hell Year". Started Thanksgiving 2007 and ended December 2008. Lost so many. Now it's just me and mom and I feel so responsible for her and so pressured to just live. I'm always afraid that I will die young.

Buspar is noted to sometimes make your anxiety worse when you first start taking it.

I ended up in ER after my very first dose but I think it was because it aggravated other issues I had going on at the time.

I am also having difficulty with food and just throwing my hands in the air not knowing what to do.

3 or 4 bites of food and I just feel horrible.

I would really encourage you to continue your therapy and treatment because from where I can see myself at this is serious when you start getting into these types of issues losing weight etc.

It could be totally possible that we get ourselves so worked up from he fear of these things that it totally sets us off

Also if you are having discomfort related to what you feel is a hiatal hernia that then that sets off your panic making you think something is horribly wrong when in actuality it's a minor inconvenience, nothing that will seriously impact your health.

Keep posting.

It really does help to know there are other people going through similar feelings.

Post edited by: damselndistress, at: 01/14/2011 01:43 PM

Thank you Leandrat.

Man! The support on here is great! Thank you all so much for your help, advice, and personal experience.

I know I can do this! I have been through much worse than these stupid attacks! They won't kill me. And life is too short to worry about death until I die.

Thanks again all! I'll be tough!