Hi,
Consider the panic attacks and anxiety as warning signs that you have too much stress and worry in your life. Your good and bad emotions are not in balance.
I know ..I have been suffering with it for almost four years now..since the death of my mother.
I have found the following helpful "the Anxiety Cure" by Dr. Archibald D. Hart
"Dancing with fear" by Paul Foxman and "the Panic and Anxiety workbook" by Dr. Bourne
The Anxiety and Panic workbook will tell you how to do some relaxation exercises.
Meditation will work wonders too. Read "Full Catastrophe Living" by Dr. Kabat-Zinn
Diet and exercise are very important too. Multi - B vitamins are good and zinc.
I found this website www.fi.edu/brain/proteins.htm
It will teach you about brain food. After I started eating foods that are good for my brain... things turned around for me big time. Before... I would cook dinner for my husband and I would be so exhausted that I couldn't even sit in the chair and eat. I had to go lay down and try and get some energy just to eat.
Now I have a lot more energy. My energy level almost feels normal again.
One more book that may help is "Self-matters" by Dr. Phil. His description of negitive thinking is the best that I have ever read. He explains it so you will get it!
I am starting to feel better, I still have panic attacks but they only last a few seconds now. My big problem is agoraphobia. I can't go very far from my house or car. I get this feeling in my head as if it is going to explode..then my eyes start to dart all around and I just want to run. If somebody is in my way I could run right thru them.
If anybody has some good tips on dealing with agoraphobia please post.
Thanks for your help.
Polly
Hi Andrea,
Dont worry, the fear of heart attacks and chest pain and discomfort is very, very common with panic disorder.It is one of my main symptoms. I also feel like i am having a hard time breathing sometimes when i get the fast heartbeat and tightness in my chest. I take Zoloft too. I have had this disorder for 12 years now. My doctor recently prescribed me a beta-blocker to help with the rapid heartbeat and chest pain. You might want to talk with your dr. about getting one when you have your next visit.
Good luck to you. There are alot of very nice members of this site who totally understand what you are going through so keep coming here and posting. Keep us informed on how you are doing.
Samantha
You have had your doctor check you out to be sure there is nothing physically wrong and he found nothing...that is a good thing. It may not seem like a good thing right now, but it is.
Now you need to do some work on yourself. Do the Panic Program here (link in the navigation bar to the left of the screen) and read some material on what you have. Knowledge helps quite a bit. I recommend "A guide to Rational Living"...not lite reading, but very helpful.
I've never used Paxil but if it is working for you then stick with it. You may want to see a shrink in addition to your GP.
I had my first panic attack in a car as well, that was many moons ago and I still am battling anxiety. I havent had any more severe panic attacks but I must work each day to maintain a low anxiety level. It isnt easy, but it can be done. Besides, nothing worthwhile is ever easy.
Good luck!
Mike
Hi everyone. First of all I just want to say that I am so glad that I have found this website. What a relief to know that I'm not the only one going through this! I have a few questions about some of my symptoms & am wondering if there is anyone out there that is having or has had similar symptoms. I have only been dealing with this for a couple of months now. I had my first panic attack riding in a car with some one home from work one day. I literally thought that I was having a heart attack. I made her pull over at the fire station so I could be checked out. Of course they found nothing physically wrong except for a fast heart beat. Since then I have had several attacks. My biggest symptom with these attacks is feeling like there is something wrong with my heart. My chest would actually hurt. I finally visited a doctor a few weeks ago after having a really bad attack & was convinced that I was having a heart attack. He did several tests to determine that it was not my heart & said that I was suffering from panic attacks. He put me on zoloft & it has helped tremendously except that a lot of the time I still feel like my heart is beating very fast & my chest hurts. I keep telling myself that it is just a symptom of the disorder, but I can't help but think that there is something else wrong with me. Has any one experienced anything similar to this. Sorry to be so long winded.
