Panic Attacks Daily

[[da...]]

The worst panic attack iv had this year. Its been years since iv had these. Iv forgotten how to live with anxiety now that iv gotten sober

 

😰😰😰

[[Bu...]]

Hi @[da...],

I'm really sorry you're suffering with this.    Is there anything that started it or just w.d. in general?  And please know you're not alone. 

[[Ma...]]

When I was in acute I was having multiple panic attacks/day. I listened to guided meditations on Insight Timer that helped immensely.

Back then I was also freaking out and called the Betty Ford Center, just desperate for help. The woman I spoke with had also been through benzo w/d and told me she had panic attacks daily for 6 months and then they all lifted. As they have for me.

In the meantime I would encourage you to find a way to manage them, like all symptoms. From guided meditations, box breathing, Claire Weekes book, Hope and Help for Your Nerves, the anxious truth on Instagram and etc.

Most of all know, 1.) they will not hurt you and, 2.) they WILL go away.

[[Br...]]

@[da...] - Like you and @[Ma...] I was tormented by intense panic attacks during withdrawal.  I found breathing exercises very helpful- in addition to box breathing I liked this one: 4-7-8 breathing  Inhale 4 counts; hold 7 counts; exhale 8 counts.  

It also helped to repeat statements like: This will pass.  I have had panic attacks before and they are temporary; I will not feel this way forever I am safe. I am healing. I am okay

[[or...]]

I've found focusing on my own breathing can almost give me a panic attack   I breath just fine when I am keeping busy, even when exercising.  When I focus on breathing, just in and out, I feel out-of-wack and I just have to get my mind on other things.

I am probably odd-woman out here but the thread made me remember I do this at night sometimes, try to focus on breathing, and it works better if I don't think about it, oregonlady

[[jo...]]

Can I just ask what the difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack is? My anxiety is sometimes intense and can last all day. I dont hyperventilate but my breathing is very shallow and I am incredibly tense. I have a feeling that I must escape but no matter where I go it doesn't really help. It's a sort of trapped feeling. Is this a panic attack or just bad anxiety?

[[Ma...]]

Panic attacks are sudden, intense bursts of fear and terror and usually subside. Anxiety attacks are persistent ongoing worry with physical symptoms.

[[...]]

On 28/04/2024 at 12:39, [[d...] said:

The worst panic attack iv had this year. Its been years since iv had these. Iv forgotten how to live with anxiety now that iv gotten sober

😰😰😰

Hi, Dave! This is happening to me either. Now that I took the benzo off I have extreme anxiety everyday and I find hard to go outside and interact with people like I used to do. I also noticed that the longer I stay away from socializing the harder it gets.

[[da...]]

Im going through another panic attack, extremely intense. And what sucks is that im all alone. 

it feels like dying , a strange feeling i cant explain, but im sure we all familiar with it here. No triggers, it just came out of nowhere. Im trying to keep healthy, avoiding sugars completely, no juices, no sodas, just eating clean protein no processed foods and yet still out of nowhere i get hit daily and the passed few days its been getting worse. 
 

i cant seem to make sense of this, i suppose indulging in alcohol use sent me right back to square one! Or even worse 

 

[[An...]]

On 29/04/2024 at 15:34, [[M...] said:

Panic attacks are sudden, intense bursts of fear and terror and usually subside. Anxiety attacks are persistent ongoing worry with physical symptoms.

True, ppl with panic disorder usually also suffer with GAD. Like Mary said, panic attacks usually subside within a few mins. The body can not sustain this state for long periods at a time. It’s also possible to experience multiple panic attacks that occur in waves

GAD is what lingers and can go on and on, varying in severity. GAD IMO is in many ways worse unless you are having multiple, frequent, daily panic attacks.

[[Le...]]

My WD was one non stop panic for about 1.5 years. the first time I slept an hour and my heartrate got below 140 was around then. now only time i have any is when i discuss what i have went through. nothing else in life can effect me. 

Maybe that will help a bit. Nothing you face ever again will be a fraction of what you have survived. it is all easy. 

Edited May 4 by [Le...]
spelling

[[jo...]]

53 minutes ago, [[d...] said:

Im going through another panic attack, extremely intense. And what sucks is that im all alone. 

it feels like dying , a strange feeling i cant explain, but im sure we all familiar with it here. No triggers, it just came out of nowhere. Im trying to keep healthy, avoiding sugars completely, no juices, no sodas, just eating clean protein no processed foods and yet still out of nowhere i get hit daily and the passed few days its been getting worse. 
 

i cant seem to make sense of this, i suppose indulging in alcohol use sent me right back to square one! Or even worse 

It could well be the alcohol. I had a wave that sounds similar to yours which I'm pretty sure was due to alcohol. I would avoid it from now on. I felt strange for a day or so after drinking then wallop! anxiety insomnia mood swings all worsened for a week or so. Have been up and down since then (this was a couple of weeks ago) but starting to feel like I am returning to where I was before this which is not great but more stable.

[[An...]]

How much alcohol did you drink? Yes, I would definitely try to avoid.

[[da...]]

Havent drank in a month. I did heal from benzo wd.m before , hence i believe i set myself back into withdrawal with my alcohol habits. I thought i was all healed and ready to live like normal. 

[[Le...]]

i think you will always be more vulnerable to things that affect your mind and that system in particular. Maybe alcohol is a rare indulgence or not part of life anymore for you. It brings back lots of tinglingin feet and stuff for me   likely anxiety. 

[[Br...]]

I agree with @[Le...].  Many of us discover that alcohol makes our withdrawal symptoms worse.  I gave up alcohol during withdrawal because it just wasn't worth the price I paid in intensified symptoms, especially anxiety.  Drinking just doesn't feel good anymore.  It could be that I'm that much older but I think it's related to benzo withdrawal.  At 4 1/2 years out I don't drink anymore.

 

[[da...]]

The brain fog is the cherry ontop. I mean its ridiculous how severe it gets. It literally feels like iv lost my mind or im having dementia. 
 

its affecting my work and if i cant work then ill be in the streets. 

[[Tw...]]

8 minutes ago, [[d...] said:

The brain fog is the cherry ontop. I mean its ridiculous how severe it gets. It literally feels like iv lost my mind or im having dementia. 
 

its affecting my work and if i cant work then ill be in the streets. 

I also feel like the benzodiazepine withdrawal is affecting my ability to work a job, and I also fear that I will end up in the streets. 

What are we supposed to do? 

[[Le...]]

get disability. short or long term if available. 

[[Le...]]

dont get caught in it longer than needed. being off work gives you too much time to ruminate. 

[[Tw...]]

Just now, [[L...] said:

get disability. short or long term if available. 

Yes that is excellent advice to get disability. I have already applied for social security disability, and I have a disability attorney. 

[[jo...]]

1 hour ago, [[A...] said:

How much alcohol did you drink? Yes, I would definitely try to avoid.

I had a couple of whiskeys and a couple of beers. Not normaly a lot for me but I paid for it that time.

[[Le...]]

i can have a drink here and there now with no noticable neg effect. there is a toll from going through stuff like this though so I dont overdo it ever or often. 

[[An...]]

2 hours ago, [[B...] said:

I agree with @[Le...].  Many of us discover that alcohol makes our withdrawal symptoms worse.  I gave up alcohol during withdrawal because it just wasn't worth the price I paid in intensified symptoms, especially anxiety.  Drinking just doesn't feel good anymore.  It could be that I'm that much older but I think it's related to benzo withdrawal.  At 4 1/2 years out I don't drink anymore.

Drinking also has lost its appeal to me as I have gotten older. I am just not interested anymore.

[[Le...]]

we shouldnt ignore the fact that many of us got onto benzos for a reason. me personally i was always affected by things a bit more than others and had a half dozen family troubles. some people have other mood issues and stuff. there is a chance alcohol was never a good idea for us and our extra difficulty getting off benzos could even be related to differing degrees too.