Rose ... I do know just how you feel. Some days I feel so anxious for so long and am so tired of it all that I just say, "Bring it on baby" and go with it. Sometimes that attitude even helps ...I let the panic just wash over me. It can get better tho' :) Hang in there !!!!

Well saturday just hasn't been my day lately! I was a little edgy this morning but managed. I have been cutting down my xanax use by half and my paxil dose doubled at the same time. It feels weird thats all I can say. My bp goes up and down and I just feel bad. Right on the edge of a full blown attack but holding it back somehow. I think I am just so tired of them now that its sort of "been there done it" attitude about the whole thing. I just want to say "come on" and if it kills me o.k and if not well maybe I might have a chance at getting past this mess.

Chipmaster, Thanks for the info. Right now it is 4am on Maui and I was awakened by anxiety and now I am up trying my best not to have an attack. I never know if it's panic or what when I get in this state. I had a very small glass of wine this evening around 8pm and went to sleep just fine...now here I am up and not feeling so great. My left arm falls to sleep all the time when I am sleeping it seems and of course that gets my whole system activated. I wish that I could stop thinking something is physically wrong with me. I have been trying very hard to replace negative thoughts with positive one's but then the little pains start here and there and then I am anxious and then if I can't turn it around I panic. I have been taking my increased dosage of Paxil for a week now but I am not feeling better. I know I can'y rely on med's to make me better but I thought they could make things a bit more comfortable while I try to change my thought process. Thanks again for asking about my progress. Rose

Hi Rose, I just thought Id see how you were going since the weekend? I found a really interesting link just before, Ill post it up in a separate thread in this forum. It mentions (out of interest) that alcohol increases the "toxicity" of xanax & paxil. So this would mean that taking all three together will definitely increase the effects of alcohol, and it would possibly make you sick much more quickly than normal if you drank to excess. But I still think a couple of drinks regularly should be fine. From my own experience, I can drink in moderation on luvox and xanax (luvox and paxil are quite similar) without a problem. All the medical evidence I have read suggests this is ok. Drinking to excess is another issue of course. Medical advisories say that we should never binge drink (being over 6 standard drinks for a male or 4 for a female in one session) - but I know for a fact this is moreso when on medication like benzos in particular.

53runner, I have been taking xanax since September 2003. I would prefer to take nothing at all however when the severe panic strikes it seems to be the only thing to calm me down and keep the anxiety at bay.

dear Rose mixing wine and xanax might not be agood idea I would check with your doctor. Xanax brings you up real fast and your mood will drop real quickly. Be careful how much you take. How long have you been taking Xanax?

Thank you all for support and info. Easter was a very good day. I decided to take .5mg of xanax twice daily. Yesterday I, with the help of my partner Rene, was able to pull of the dinner without a hitch and a good time was had by all. I really am going to get past this as I have onced before in my life. Reading your responses to my posts has really been a great comfort to me. I believe chip asked if I was seeing a therapist and the is no. Honestly I can't afford it and the low or no cost programs are just not here on Maui. I have a lot of support here however from friends and I find myself talking about my anxiety and panic troubles with them just so they nor I will feel uncomfortable in the event an attack happens in their presence. I hope you all have a good day today...so far so good for me! Rose

Hi Rose, I know exactly what you are going through. I started having Panic Attacks about a year and a half ago. I just had a really bad one last week picking up my prescription for Xanax and Lexapro. I thought I was dying and going to faint right there in the store, but I managed to pull out of it. I was doing pretty good for about a year, but in the last three or four months I have been getting them regularly. I was just like you though, drinking wine daily and taking my meds. My mother too, passed away suddenly one year ago last October, so this is my second Easter without her. It is very difficult, but I assure you that it does get easier. I have sought counseling and take my meds daily, but I have stayed away from the alcohol. This has seemed to help me quite a bit. We all have our bad days though. Hang in there, it really does get easier. I'm sorry for your loss. Continue to take your meds, even if you don't think you need them. They will get you through the day. :)

Hi Rose, thanks for the extra info. Sorry to hear about your accident, but congratulations on making a full physical recovery. Sounds like you had another run of the mill panic attack. If you have changed your dose of paxil less than a week ago, it is quite possible you are getting some side effects from the paxil, and this could be making you anxious. These are generally minor but can make you feel anxious. I take an SSRI to and I know how intense it feels when the dosage is raised at first. Normally if you can ride this out for a week or two it will stablise and you will feel a lot better. If you continue to get issues see your dr about it, but know that it could well just be your adjustment period. Some people find they just dont get used to some types of SSRI's. In these cases, normally the dr's will switch you over to another drug. Check out www.crazymeds.org and look at the SSRI section of anti- depressants. There are a couple well suited to panic and anxiety in addition to Paxil. If wine is something you really love and you only use it in moderation it is unlikely to be a trigger for you. In larger doses it certainly could be. WIne will interact with the xanax, so you may find yourself feeling more intoxicated when having xanax and wine together, even in moderation. I also love wine (and food and cooking). Living is important and doing the things you enjoy are important so long as you are not hurting yourslef or anyone else (in my opinion at least!) Many people with panic disorder (30% or so I believe) drink heavily to cope with their symptoms. This is very different to having only 1-2 glasses per day though. Obviously though If you feel guilty every time you have a glass of wine, this could well be a trigger for you. Are you getting counselling from a psychologist? From all my reading, the best treatment for Panic Disorder at least is SSRI medication combined with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Counselling, with a healthy lifestyle. I am finding CBT very helpful. How did your Easter lunch go by the way? Sounds like you are a pro in the kitchen. Hope all is well :)

Thanks to all of you for talking about this situation with me. I had panic attacks and gad when I was in my mid 20's. Somehow I just got over them. Now I have just turned 44 and I started having attacks while I was in the hospital after a horrific car accident during which I fractured my pelvis in multiple places. At that time I was grieving the sudden loss of my dear mom. So my Dr's do agree that there is certainly just cause for depression, gad, ptsd, and panic. I have completely recovered physically from the accident thanks to God and many prayers. But even while I was wheelchair bound I went to the emergency room with severe panic attacks...of course I thought they were heart attacks or blood clots from my injuries. I have had blood work, ct scans, mri's, ekg's done more than once so I don't think it is my heart...until I have an attack. As for med's I started taking Xanax at 1mg doses as needed and paxil at 20mg daily. Well I didn't feel well... very indifferent so I went to to my Dr. again and he decided to make it 10mg a day on the paxil. Well I saw him last week and he upped my dose of paxil to 20mg and kept the xanax the same. I started both of the med's in mid september. I try not to really hard not to rely on xanax to fix everything but sometimes I am so tired of the chaos that I take one. As for wine I love to try new wines and pair them with foods because food is my passion. I attended the Art Institute of Houston's School for Culinary Arts and I am hoping to start a new life here on Maui using my skills and passion for the art but these attacks aren't helping a bit. Happy Easter to All! Rose