Some panic attack/anxiety questions?
February 1st, 2010
My doctor believes I am suffering from panic attacks and anxiety. I’d just like to ask some questions that he doesn’t answer for me.
Is it common for panic attacks/anxiety to just come on suddenly, with no stressful incident or anything to set it off?
How long does a panic attack usually last? The symptoms I’ve been having can last for days without letting up–weakness/shakiness, chest discomfort, trouble breathing… I always thought they only lasted a few minutes to a few hours.
Are there any over the counter remedies I can try to alleviate the symptoms? I have had bad reactions to everything they’ve tried so far, and the pharmacist won’t even fill the most recent prescription because it’s in the same class of drugs as the other ones I’ve tried.
I have tried Zoloft, Lexapro and Xanax and had reactions to all–basically felt 10x worse after taking them (wanted to run screaming up the street or jump off my roof). The doctor prescribed Celexa, and the pharmacist wouldn’t even fill it based on my other reactions.
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Categories: Mental Health | Tags: Celexa, Panic Attack, Zoloft
Overcome Panic Attacks
yes it can jump you,some times you’re under stress and don’t realize it. for me my attacks can last a day or 2 till i calm down ,,sometimes i just have to get away from the stress, but with such long ones as your having i’d also get some medical check’s done,not just mental. if the doc wont try another class of drugs find another doc,, believe it or not just cutting out caffeine& Guarana helped me.
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I have bipolar disorder, and once I had a bad mixed episode in which I had panic attacks every day. All day I felt shaky and a few times a day it would progress into a full scale panic attack, which makes you feel like you are going to die. Your heart is pounding, you are breathing in and out really fast, your head is spinning, you just feel terror. They usually lasted 5 to 10 minutes, then resolved. While having a panic attack I couldn’t do anything but lie on the ground or on a bed and curl up and think I was going to die.
Have you tried SSRI anti-depressants, such as Paxil? I know they help with anxiety. Some people benefit from medications like Xanax or Ativan, but those are addictive and should only be used as a last resort.
Since I have bipolar disorder, what helped me was anti-psychotic medications.
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When you feel anxious and you start to hyperventilate try blowing into a paper bag, this stops you panicking and feeling light headed. Try natural remedies like rescue remedy, or calms tablets, ask your pharmasist about these. I am against all prescribed drugs, my doctor put me on beta blockers for anxiety and they made me worse!!! stay off anything chemical. Yoga worked for me calmed and relaxed my muscles I would recommend Barbara currie’s yoga dvd also cardiac exercise, e.g dancing.
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There is a general consensus among the medical community that panic attacks stem from other phobias, or fears, which in turn triggers a panic attack upon exposure to these fears.
Panic attacks can last anywhere between two and six minutes and, although they are generally thought to be over once the attack concludes, there can be several long-term effects that linger on much later.
One of the main long-term effects involves flashbacks, where an individual goes back to the time when the panic attack first took place, experiencing with this a return to the negative feelings he or she felt at the time of the attack.