I am having a continual anxiety attack!

[farsk]

Hello Everyone!

Sorry to unload here, but I have to unload somewhere. I think I'm going crazy. Once, a couple of years ago, during a time of extreme stress in my life, I began thinking about breathing. It became a voluntary response. If you've ever done this, you know that you cannot breathe at the appropriate intervals, so you are either breathing too fast or too slow. It is a nightmare. This continued for a year. I kid you not...a whole year. I don't know why or when it went away.

Anyway, it's here again. I'm constantly thinking about breathing. I am writing my grant to make sure I have a job for the next two years and this damn breathing thing reared it's ugly head again on Monday. I'm pissed off and scared. I can't do this again.

So now that you all know just exactly how crazy I am, please feel free to ignore my other posts.

Why does this happen to me?

[mommd]

Hi,

I can't really offer any advice, but I can tell you the same thing happened to me. It was right after I finished my Bachelor's degree and was in the "what do I do now" phase. It went away, but not before causing me lots of stress! I hope it goes away for you soon! :)

[Rachels]

It does sound like a continual anxiety attack! I'm so sorry. I know that's really hard and exhausting. There are a number of things you can do. Biofeedback usually has very quick results with this kind of thing, and it's great for getting your physiology back on even keel. Hypnosis can also be helpful. So can therapy to help address the stuff that's making you anxious in the first place. Herbally, chamomile, kava kava, and valerian root can all be calming. Kava Kava is not a good choice if you're nursing, but the other two are fine. Medically, there are two approaches. If it seems like just a short flare-up, there is a short-acting class of medications called benzodiazepines that can help with anxiety. Brand names include Ativan and Klonopin. They are somewhat sedating, last six hours to about one day depending on which drug you take, and are taken as needed for specific attacks. They're not intended to be a long treatment. Your other choice, which is probably more appropriate if you are having really prolonged struggles with anxiety, is to take an SSRI (Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, etc). You take these every day, regardless of how you're feeling. Although they're marketed as antidepressants, the mechanisms that cause anxiety are very similar neurochemically to those that cause depression, so SSRIs are usually very effective for anxiety. A combination of medication and therapy has been shown to be more effective than medication alone.

Long post-- but all by way of saying that there are lots of treatment options open to you, and that you don't have to sign on for feeling this way for another whole year. Hang in there!

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[lynettefrancois]

You poor thing! You are NOT crazy! I hate anxiety attacks- they freak me out. Anxiety in general is a terrible feeling- and this type is a terrible burden. People don't think of going to the doctor for things like this, but they should. I don't think there's any reason to suffer- get yourself to a good doctor right away! If the first one you go to isn't understanding/doesn't help, go see another one. Someone will help you if you just ask. I hope you feel better soon!

[alkagift]

Shannon,
I have a dear friend with 40 years experience as a psychologist (retired now) who has used hypnosis in conjuction with therapy for similar issues with GREAT results. Please don't feel that you must endure this for a year or even one more minute! You can feel better!

Allison
Mom to Matthew Clayton, 5/19/03

[22tango]

I have NO experience with what you describe, so this is just my "shot in the dark". Could you try something like YOGA?? Breathing is an essential part of that, and it's a very RELAXING breathing. Perhaps you could work on being mindful about THAT kind of breathing and it would help you with your anxiety & stress!

((HUGS))

[Imperia]

I am SO sorry that you are going through this. I have had problems with anxiety on and off my entire adult life, I have taken medications which helped, but I also really found that certain techniques helped me immensely. There is a book you might want to pick up called: "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" by Edmund J. Bourne. I cannot BEGIN to say what a help this book was to me, especially while I was pregnant and off medication. While I was pregnant I went through a couple of phases of daily anxiety a lot like yours. I would "notice" my breathing, at times I felt as though I could NOT breath and I was smothering, my heart would race etc etc.
The techniques in this book can help you deal without or in addition to medication. You may want a referal from yoru doctor to a psychiatrist if you want to consider taking medications.

Good luck!!!

Imperia