i have been suffering from severe panic
attacks for almost a year now, they began
when i almost passed out and ever since i
have flashbacks of it and i am constantly
terrified that i am going to die. i have
taken numerous trips to the hospital and
the doctors and i believe that the night i
nearly passed out i narrowly escaped
death. i know it's completely stupid and
unreal, but i don't know why i believe it.
i go to counselling for my panic attacks
but nothing seems to work and i have done
so much research on them and tried
everything i could think of to get rid of
them. i am unsure that it may be panic
attacks and believe it could even be
something else like PTSD as my gran died
recently and it was my first real
experience of death/going to a funeral. i
am very confused. my panic attacks have
slightly subsided, meaning i don't have as
many as often and they don't feel as
severe, but i still have them from time to
time and constantly feel anxious. i feel
they are ruining my life and i am scared
to go out or enjoy life. i am beginning to
feel emotionless and am worried about
taking anti-depressants as i have heard
you can become addicted to them. the
doctors suggested beta blockers but then
discovered i couldn't take them as i am
asthmatic, so i was rather disappointed
when the doctors told me there was nothing
else they could do. is there anybody out
there who feels the same or knows any way
to rid myself of the panic attacks. or
could anyone tell me if there is a
possibility that it could be PTSD??
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Tayda2001
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 6
Posted: 12-13-07 18:11pm
Hi, sorry to hear that you're having such
a tough time! I also conducted HOURS of
research when I first became diagnosed w/
panic. (I'm not kidding you when I tell
you that insurance co-pays began to strap
me b/c I went to the doctor's weekly).
I still suffer from panic, but I do not
get the attacks nearly as frequently--they
seem to come in waves. However, like you,
I also have asthma, and have been taking
prozac--it at least takes the edge
off--which is better than nothing. Aside
from counseling and CBT, I don't think
that there's a lot you can do about it.
I've convinced myself that I'll probably
ignore the signs of a heart attack or
something serious b/c I won't go to the
hospital, but I'm still alive and
standing.
Take it one day at a time. Some days are
definitely better than others. I've found
that the longer I cope with this disorder,
the easier it becomes. However, it still
sucks when I'm going through a time where
I experience more anxiety.
|
leah345
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 3
Posted: 12-14-07 10:18am
Hello Tayda2001, i would like to
congratulate you on overcoming the
majority of your panic attacks, and to
thankyou for the advice. I have found the
same, that it gets easier the longer i
have it, although i still have severe
panic attacks from time-to-time. i went on
holiday about a month back and i didn't
have panic attacks for a month before i
went, then as soon as i got there i had
them almost every night. when i got back,
i didn't have one for a month again until
the other day, and that one was quite
severe, but didn't last for as long, which
i was pleased about. i tend to feel more
anxious than panicky now throughout the
day, but the anxiety gets worse as i try
to sleep. i think it may be because there
is nothing occupying my mind. i am usually
constantly on the internet or computer
games to try and take my mind off the
panic attacks and my mum is concerned that
i am not doing enough around the house or
i should try and find another hobby, but i
am scared to go out and start something
new on my own. also, i don't really think
about anything anymore, i find myself not
bothering with helping around the house,
and also i used to suffer from anger
problems and had very low self-esteem and
selfconfidence but i have found i no
longer care what others think of me and
never really bother looking in the mirror
properly. i am still unsure whether it is
PTSD although when my gran died i turned
to marijuana and bought some legal highs,
which are tablets that give you the
effects of drugs without harming your
body. i ended up taking too many and
smoking marijuana at the same time and
that was when i nearly blacked out and was
when my first panic attack started.
because i was passing out i was hysterical
and have flashbacks of it ever since, of
everything going black again. tbh was too
scared to mention about the marijuana and
legal highs as i know most people suffer
from panic attacks for no reason
whatsoever and i feel as if i am to blame
for what has happened and most people will
agree. i feel i am going through hell, and
am also worried that all this thinking
about them and anxiety disorders could
soon make me schizophrenic, i am extremely
worried about that.
However, like you,
I also have asthma, and have been taking
prozac--it at least takes the edge
off--which is better than nothing. Aside
from counseling and CBT, I don't think
that there's a lot you can do about it.
I've convinced myself that I'll probably
ignore the signs of a heart attack or
something serious b/c I won't go to the
hospital, but I'm still alive and
standing.
