feel like i cant breath.

[zippy]

I have felt all day like i cant breath, i am breathing but the back of my throat feels odd like its narrow and i cant get a full breath. I keep clearing my throat. I have had this before on and off but it usually only lasts a few hours but this has been all day. I am on day 6 of citalopram so dont know if thats causing it.

[Humly]

I've got exactly the same feeling. Its a horrible nervous feeling as if you are really scared of something. Dont think its the just down to the meds but just one of the lovely symptoms of anxiety.

[blondinou]

snap, I get this a lot, restricted feeling in my throat and not being able to take a proper breath... sorry I don't have any suggestions but thought you might like to know you're not alone in feeling this! distraction might help?

---------- Post added at 20:16 ---------- Previous post was at 20:16 ----------

how are you finding the citalopram apart from that?

[Carys]

You know guys, how tensing muscles makes them feel tight and constricted, well the same can happen in your throat. It isn't that your throat is closing (it can't !) or getting tighter, it is that you are tightly holding even muscles that are at the back of your palate. You can feel it, if you clench your teeth and press your tongue to the roof of your mouth, the tightness. High levels of anxiety really can cause this and tied in with that is the fact that your posture probably is not good when tense (affecting breathing). Sometimes, I have found, the throat can feel so tight that it is almost sore ?!

You are also thinking repeatedly or obsessively about an automatic/subconscious body action and therefore trying to override the automatic nature of it by taking it under your conscious control (this probably doesn't makes sense, can't think how to describe it properly) People can control their breathing when doing things like yoga, but this is done in a positive way, you are doing it in a negative way.

[blondinou]

Good explanation Carys thanks :-) This is definitely what I do, I become so aware of my breathing that I can't help but consciously influence it. Same with my throat - the more I monitor it the worse it gets. But how to stop the cycle?!?

[ronski]

The way to stop the cycle is not to give it any importance, that means knowing that you have these issues but paying them no notice. Use mindfulness and meditation to distract and calm that nervous response.

[zippy]

It is true the more we focus on things the worse they are and then we panic that something serious is wrong. I have had it on and off before but it lasted all day yesterday. I am finding the citalopram awful so far, sooo tired, headaches etc.

[MissSunshine]

This happens to me, and I just try my very best to breathe from my stomach and out through my mouth youtube some videos and it will teach you how

[xJust_Sarahx]

Hi
It happens to me alot aswell, I always feel like i have to either cough or mak that sound you do to clear your throat, and its not like i have a cold or anything, its just really horrible, and goes on for a couple of days and actually because of the amount of times im clearing it etc it causes my throat to be sore.

Sometimes i get alot of phlegm ( sounds gross sorry) stuck in my throat, on a night i can wake up and really feel to struggle to breathe from it.

I know what you mean by not been able to take a good breathe etc, it feels like the airways have shrank to nothing and its like laboured breathing.

All i put in my mind is that its just anxiety and i make it worse by panicing, and i also keep telling myself if it was something serious then i would know. If that makes sense? Like i think we can sometimes tell the difference between anxiety and something bad.

Try not to worry though your not alone, and i feel a bit more reassured after reading other peoples replies to your post also :)

[Itsallinmyhead416]

I've been feeling like this for the past couple of weeks...I can't seem to shake it either. I do notice that when I'm not thinking about it doesn't feel as bad so therefore I know it must be anxiety. It is a horrible feeling though. For me, I feel like I just can't catch my breath sometimes and I have to force myself to breath. Like xJust Sarah said, I feel like I have to cough or clear my throat as well. Sometimes I have trouble falling asleep because of it, damn you anxiety!!!

[Fly away Katie]

I've had this loads of times, the sooner you realise it's just anxiety, the sooner it will go xxxx