Panic Disorder

[Cory1980]

Well im here lookin to talk to people who have panic disorder,my doc diagnosied me about a week ago.
When a panic attack comes on i feel weak in the legs, if im standin i feel faint or like i just fell 3 inches into the floor, i get hot and really jitterty and alert i try to talk myself out of it but its so hard.
my main reason for these attacks is when i am alone and also the heat, it seems like my panic came on as soon as we had our first mini heat wave, also as of june 1st i quit smoking which i think didnt help wit the panic attacks and well just about 2 weeks ago my uncle died and i was very close to him, so it seems like everything is just crashing, and im scared i wont make it thru the summer....soooo..

my doctor wants to put me on effexor 37.5mg not sure if i will be takin 2 a day or just one for now i am VERY hesitant to take them i am scared of what will happen and i dont want to be dependant on pills but right now i feel like i have nothin else, i cant really talk to my family about this all my mother seems to do it yell at me and i find myself cryin more and more and i fear this is goin to ruin my relationship with my boyfriend
i was lookinn into natural pills....i read about L-Theanine so i may go talk to the people at the natural health store and see what that is all about

basically right now i am unhappy and want summer to be over so i can be back to normal i cant handle worrying everyday its at the point where it makes me sick to my stomach and i cant hold in food.
please help.....someone

 

[deadboy]

well Cory, ive been thru just about everything and what you are explaining is nothing new to me. i was scared to death to take medicine and it took a long time to find the right one. i was on effexor but it was blurring my vision so i switched to lexapro which has seemed to help alot. if you cant help yourself with the anxiety like i couldnt, then pills are the route you need to be taking

 

[Cory1980]

thanks i know i have to take the pills and i will its just takin time for me to get the damn courage to take them, mostly im scared of the side effects that can happen.

 

[Septor]

Don't let the side effects scare you.Most people take medication with out any major side effects.Sure every one is different you might get some undesirable side effects but that's rare and if you have some you can always just stop the medication.It's nothing permanent.

Sense I started taking medication the only major side effect I had was sexaul side effect. :roll:

 

[deadboy]

i thought i had side effects also, but like i said, it was a thought. usually if you think youre gonna have a certain side effect, it feels like you do. its all part of the chemical imbalance that we all have. dont read the side effects, that normally helps. dont worry about side effects or anything you dont need to be worrying about. you have the courage to take it, im sure you have the courage to do anything you want. just remember that youre stronger than the anxiety and its all just a feeling

 

[Cory1980]

you seem nice to talk to .... maybe we can talk more? if you would like to let me know on msn or email, its hard cuz no one in my family understands, i did pick up my pills and will be takiin them in a few days....let me know if you would like to talk more...thanks!

 

[colleague]

All very good advice from everyone on here. I too was afraid to take medication because I was afraid of what the potential outcome - I feared the meds would make me worse. I wanted to make myself better on my own but after a couple weeks of getting progressively worse I asked my doctor to finally put me on some meds - he prescribed Effexor which has done wonders in making me feel almost back to normal. However, I've also done a lot of my own mind work and exercise, eating better, and actually taking care of myself.

There are two issues that I still have - a reoccurring headache/pain on the right side of my head, and often when I talk I don't physically feel like I am talking... like there is a disconnect between my conscience and my body (don't know if that's the best way to describe it). Has anyone ever felt like this before???

 

[Cory1980]

well as soon as i have maybe 2 or 3 days off and i am not alone...i will take the pills.....and councelling to come as soon as my father finds me one, but for now i just try and breathe and relax......im anxious to take the pills as well as scared. thanks everyone for the positive feedback it really helps...alot

 

[Cory1980]

oh shit...why do i read.....now im freaked guys......the "coming off" effexor apparently REALLY sucks and is not good

 

[Septor]

I had no side effect at all coming off of effexor but it's different for every one.It varies person from person but it almost never that bad.

One thing you have to remember is a lot of what you read are from people that got worse case scenario.The people that had no problem with getting off of it have no reason to say anything.Plus a lot of people stop cold turkey and expect not to have any side effects.You can't just stop you have to taper slowly off for a couple days.

 

[Cory1980]

now if i know this is only a temporary poroblem lasting the summer is it even worth taking them? i have a doc appt on thursday and i am going to ask him...i think i might pass on taking them and see if i can find someone to talk to with out the huge bill since i am screwed and have no benefit plan...i think i may look into natural products....i been drinking green tea, well ok green iced tea.....and no more caffine or smoking and will get into the active lifestyle as soon as its not hot outside.
i was reading like i shuldnt be, but people want to have effexor takin off the shelves cuz of the endless stories how it ruined people (helped them temp.) but the after effects...
my mind is going in circles!
Natural may be the way to go for me...
anyhow im off just felt like writing a lill

 

[mermaid]

I'd recommend getting this book
"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" I mentioned it in another post, but I think it would really help. I worry a lot about stuff and have panic problems as well, and this book really helped me to relax. It's by Dale Carnegie and you can get it in paperback at chapters. he also has a website
www.dale-carnegie.com
I also found a Panic Control workbook at chapters and you can write down whatever you want and it helps you to develop a plan to overcome all these panic episodes. By all means, it is not a cure, but it sure does help.