Hi Jackie, and everyone else here, thanks for the help!!! Well I made it to the funeral, and did okay. Didn't even have to take a xanax! Was crying like a baby though the whole thing, I'm not usually like that. About the ambien, I took your advice and stopped it Jackie. I had been cutting the pill in half for the last couple of days, and didn't take anything last night. Didn't get much sleep at all, but I guess its normal not to sleep well for a day or two after quitting ambien. Other then the xanax if I really need it, I am done with meds for a while I think! Unless my doc wants to try another antidepressant on me. I haven't taken any tylonol or anything like that since Nov. (was taking it several times a week before that for tention headaches/neckaches) Also no Alcohol since last Nov. With the Ambien, it really helped my sleep, but I noticed two side effects from it, one was twinges of lightheaded/dizzyness(lasting only less then a second, but very bothersome) mainly later in the afternoon into the evening until I took another one. The other was my emotional state. I would start tearing up, crying for very little reason during the day, and I am typically not emotional like that. Very odd for me. I am sure its the Ambien, because that started when I started the Ambien. Hopefully I have reached rock bottom, and have started the climb up that big hill!

Hey Randy- Just read your post- hope all is going well with you & I hope you made it to your Uncle's funeral. Hang in there things will get better!! I wanted to know if you were still taking your Ambien? I have recently heard some scary things about that so it's probably best you quit taking it!! I too had tried it due to many nights of sleeplessness- My Mom's friend is a nurse and she told me not to use it- so now I switched to Tylenol PM- not much help there either- I can fall asleep but I wake up at the same time every night!! Usually 3:30- How weird is that?? Anyways- let me know how everything is going for you!! Take Care- Jackie

Hi Randy, Don't ever feel you have to apologise for "novel" posts. That is exactly what we are all here for. If attending this funeral is something important to you, you can do it. Since your doctor has given you Xanax and it works for you, use it to help get you through this experience. Try not plan anything for after the funeral if the xanax makes you tired. Most peoples emotions are very high at funerals, so you would not be alone in your feelings. If it is possible, try to have a good friend or family member that you are close to attend with you and stay with you. If you find it too much and have to slip outside, this is totally acceptable too. You may want to sit near an exit if it helps, to know that you could step out if you felt you had to. Keep us posted, Casey _____________________________ The Panic Center Support Team

One of my uncles just passed away from cancer, and I do want to go and attend the services, but I am just in a really bad spot in my life right now with a bad run of anxiety over the last 3 months (after being panic attack free for the most part for 8 years) I am currently wearing a 30 day holiter monitor for palpitaions, and have been taking Ambien for sleep (having a terrible time staying asleep). I was taking zoloft for about a month (last month) but had terrible side effects this time (when I took it 8yrs ago I was great on it) Anyway doctors want to see what the 30 day monitor has to say before putting me on any other med. Anyway back to my uncle who is in a much better place now after having suffered terribly over the last 4 months, and I want to go and celibrate his life by going to his funeral, but I just don't know if I can hold up during this. Its been taking a lot just to make it though an 8hr day of work, let alone having to deal with the emotions of a funeral. If I don't go though, I will regret it (when a good friend died during my last really bad round of anxiety 8yrs ago I just couldn't go, and to this day I still regret it, and feel ashamed) I also don't want family members thinking that I didn't care about my uncle if I don't go to the funeral. Any advice would be wonderful. I do have a prescription of Xanax that I could take before the funeral, it does calm me down, but also makes me very tired. Also I have been taking Ambien for about 3weeks now, and now trying to go off of that (doc doesn't want to keep me on it) so I dropped down to a half pill last night, and had horrible nightmires, and didn't sleep well. Thinking about going back to a full pill, at least until after the funeral so at least I would be well rested (lack of sleep just makes things much worse). Just seems like my life is crumbling right now, with sick family members, and major changes that are facing me at work in the next month (new managment co taking over, and my boss of 7 years who has been like a second father to me is probably leaving, he understood what I am going through, and if I needed time off, it was not an issue, by this time next month I will my have a new boss, so guess I will just have to go hide somewhere at work when I start to freak out and panic)