Panic Attacks

[[Mi...]]

Hi everyone,

Very hard day today. Still taking around .48 mgs of Xanax. Had a very bad panic attack today (I thought I needed to go to the hospital). This type of situation is much more prevalent in the mornings and between doses. Making me very confused (almost like I was detached from reality), heart raced, extreme intrusive thoughts, I would say I couldn’t walk because it would cause my bp to shoot up, neck tensed up horribly bad, extreme shaking. Started with very bad stress and headache/eye flutters. Did some pushups and that brought the full thing on. Idk what to do, each attack is causing my agoraphobia to worsen most likely. I am becoming bed bound. Any advice would help. These attacks are so serious I was convinced I was having a seizure, but the intrusive thoughts obviously didn’t help that. I have absolutely no idea what to do.

Edited October 1, 2023 by [Mi...]

[[...]]

Man I hate when I get that way.

When I settle enough I listen to breathing meditations I saved on my phone.

For headache and dizziness,I use ice packs on my head.  And I'm currently sleeping in a recliner (2weeks so far headaches/pressure lessening)

It does totally suck, I can't walk across the house without some revving. I'm so out of shape. When I calm down I try a little more, get revved and hope I don't get a panic attack. Yah just never know but yah want to get stronger too.

JUST SUCKS

[[An...]]

16 minutes ago, [[M...] said:

Hi everyone,

Very hard day today. Still taking around .48 mgs of Xanax. Had a very bad panic attack today (I thought I needed to go to the hospital). This type of situation is much more prevalent in the mornings and between doses. Making me very confused (almost like I was detached from reality), heart raced, extreme intrusive thoughts, I would say I couldn’t walk because it would cause my bp to shoot up, neck tensed up horribly bad, extreme shaking. Started with very bad stress and headache/eye flutters. Did some pushups and that brought the full thing on. Idk what to do, each attack is causing my agoraphobia to worsen most likely. I am becoming bed bound. Any advice would help. These attacks are so serious I was convinced I was having a seizure, but the intrusive thoughts obviously didn’t help that. I have absolutely no idea what to do.

Are you direct tapering xanax?

[[Mi...]]

I believe so, dry cuts and I’m legit on nothing else. When I say nothing I mean NOTHING. I think the last time I had a soda was 8 months ago.

[[An...]]

You said you are down to .48 mgs of xanax. Where did you start from? Have you ever thought about doing a substitution taper using valium?

Were you put on Xanax for panic attacks?

 

[[...]]

Same here ,I haven't had a soda in years. I just quit coffee. I have no vises left.

[[Mi...]]

@[An...] I started at .5 mgs ahahaha. I’ve been basically holding on that for 4 or 5 months now. I had akathesia before, so technically I’m in a better place. But this is also very bad. I’m scared to switch over to another benzo because I know it causes some issues in some people if not done appropriately, or just in general. I was put on Xanax for sleep…I never had a panic attack in my life before this. This drug has tanked my life up til now. Still knowing this will somehow bring me to a better place, but yeah my life is in the gutter currently.

[[Be...]]

To control the panic attacks, have you tried mediation, deep breathing techniques, and stretching/yoga? There are many good deep breathing and stretching videos on Youtube. There are also some goods app, like Calm and Dare that have free meditations/exercises. I listen to them when I walk, which is another relaxer.  The apps I mentioned also talk about how to counter or view intrusive thoughts, dp/dr, etc. There are also short books, the Pocket Therapy books for Anxiety and one for Emotional Balance- they are easy to read and informative.

Exercises that raise your HR are not good right now, you need to do the opposite: calm your nervous system down. The upregulation of GABA receptors takes time. There is a time lag between cuts and adjustment, so our nervous systems are unbalanced temporarily.

[[Mi...]]

@[Be...] You’re right. I need to focus more on meditating. Tbh it’s even pretty challenging to walk right now before I take my dose. My agoraphobia is very very bad.

[[...]]

 

 

[[Be...]]

I hear you. Then, meditation and breathing will be the most helpful right now, along with challenging your thoughts using some mild cognitive behavioral therapy.

[[An...]]

@[Mi...] How long in total have you been on Xanax now including the 4-5 month hold?

[[Mi...]]

@[An...] 1 year and 5 months