Please help! Please read!

[HM2012]

Hello, I'm a 20 year old young woman suffering from panic attacks/panic disorder.
I've come to this website hopefully to get answers/help from people who might be
going through the same thing as me. I feel so alone with this condition.
Basically, I've suffered from depression since I was 14, i've been on
fluoxetine ever since. It has saved my life, I don't think I would've been
able to carry on living if this medication hadn't helped me.
I've been doing really well for years now, a few blips here and there
but nothing serious! Until a few weeks ago..
I went out to a friends party, had a few drinks & smoked a bit of cannabis.
Peer pressure kind of made me do it, but I was fully aware it was wrong.
I've drank & smoked cannabis before & it's never had a terrible outcome for me.
This time was completely different..
I zoned out for like 10 minutes, had no idea what was going on & then when I came
back round I had my first ever full blown panic attack. I was sick, shaking, feeling faint,
I felt as if I was about to die. It was one of the worst things i've ever experienced!
I went home a few hours later & slept it off & carried on life as normal.
Since this has happened i've been worried about it happening again but it was easy
enough for me to control it by myself. However, 4 days ago I was going to the cinemas
with my friend, driving along the motorway I had a sudden rush and my vision went fuzzy.
I knew I was about to pass out, I had to pull over before something bad happened.
Luckily the motorway wasn't too busy so I was able to pull over fast.
When pulled over I carried on having a massive panic attack.
I had to ring my mother to come pick me up because I was too shaken
up to drive back home! It was one of the worst days of my life.
I'm still terribly shaken up about the whole situation & scared to leave
the house incase another one strikes me.
I rang up the doctors but they can't fit me in until the 26th.
I'm still taking fluoxetine but this medication obviously isn't helping me anymore.
I need to switch to a medication that will help my panic attacks/disorder.
Any suggestions/help/personal stories will help me out so much!
I feel so alone, scared, & depressed about the whole thing, I don't know what to do :weep:

[nicola1980]

Hi sorry your having a bad time but cannabis is the worst thing for any anxiety sufferers to take, it sounds like you had a bad reaction to it which can happen and its called either black or white death can't remember which?? could you get an emergency appointment with your doc or at least a telephone consultation? it sounds like the experience has panicked you causing the anxiety to return, just try and relax as best you can xx

[Sparkle1984]

I think you are doing the right thing by booking a doctor's appointment. If your current medication has stopped working, they will be able to switch you to something else which may work better for you.

[lo89]

I agree with the others, cannabis and anxiety are not a good combination! My boyfriend smokes quite a lot of cannabis and is on propanolol at the moment due to anxiety. He has smoked cannabis regularly for about 10 years and always tries to stop, literally every month, and it is horrible yo see just how anxious he gets when he doesn't smoke weed, yet it is the weed which causes his anxiety. It is a horrible, vicious cycle, which costs him an absolute fortune.
I have smoked it myself and it sounds like you had a bad reaction to it - we call it a "whitey" here but I think that is a regional thing! It has happened to me- the room spins, you feel sick, confused and your heart beats too fast.
They are fairly common in casual users so I wouldn't worry about it.
Best way to avoid this - don't take drugs!

[Annie0904]

I would call your doctors back like Nicola said and see if you can get an emergency appointment. Don't forget though that when you get a panic attack, it cannot harm you and it will pass x

[almamatters]

Sorry yes I agree with the other posts, cannabis and anxiety do not go well together. I can't really add any more apart from repeat about trying to get a sooner appointment at the doctors, if you explain you are struggling they should be able to fit you in sooner.

[HM2012]

Thank you all for your kind words so far!
Has made me feel a little bit better to hear your words of wisdom.
What's the best medication for panic attacks/panic disorder?
I know people are telling me to try and battle through this without
medication but I honestly don't think that'll happen.
I need the right help & support because I wake up feeling terrible.
Full of panic & anxiety, I just want to feel normal again :( xx
P.S. Please keep your replies etc coming, it's lovely to hear from everyone!

[ankietyjoe]

Cannabis will almost certainly be the cause/trigger.

It's also a good idea to not post about your thread in other peoples posts AND PM people for help as well.

We're all here because we feel terrible.

Start out with some deep breathing and remind yourself that you WILL be ok, despite feeling like crap. There's really no magic cure, so start practising what will really help now :)

[HM2012]

There is no way i'm going through the rest of my life with these panic attacks!
NO WAY! I can barely cope now! I just want my life back!!
If medication is what it takes to make me better then so be it!
I just want to go through my life without various panic attacks, I want to be normal again :'(

[nomorepanic]

I have deleted all the posts on other people's threads now as it is not appropriate to do that or PM random members so please can I ask you to stop that. Thank You

I hope you get some support on here otherwise.

[HM2012]

Yeah, sorry :(
I just need all the help/advice I can get right now! XX

[nomorepanic]

Have a read of the website pages on the left - loads of good advice on there

[HM2012]

I don't understand how i'm going to be able to stop these panic attacks though :'(
It just seems impossible! XX

[Annie0904]

You just have to remember they can't harm you and like Nicola said...read the info about them at the side of this page, this will help you understand them more.

[ankietyjoe]

You can't stop them right now, there is no magic cure i'm afraid.

The only thing you can do to help yourself right now is to keep yourself as calm as possible, but you will be feeling awful for a while. If you do practise deep breathing, telling yourself that nothing is going to happen and wait for them to pass it will soon start to feel a lot better. And get yourself round the GP's and tell him/her exactly how it started.

And obviously avoid the weed again, and probably booze too.

Once you smoke the ganga, there's unfortunately some nasty side effects in some people.

[almamatters]

I was going to mention about alcohol I'm afraid, it does seem to make anxiety worse in some people. I had to stop drinking alcohol earlier this year due to adverse effects and it had began to increase my negative thinking and panic, plus the meds I take, say to avoid it altogether, so I do to be on the safe side.

[HM2012]

I understand what you're saying but I can't drive anywhere now because of what
happened on the motorway the other day :( I literally felt like I was going to die in a crash.
I keep getting flashbacks from it and it's haunting me!
How can I live my life normally again if I can't drive because of my attacks?
Yes, there are a few other stresses in my life, one being my future career, moving out etc.
I'm 20 and unemployed, I don't have a clue where my future is. I was looking for jobs and
then this happened! It's majorly set me back! I also want to enjoy Christmas and I'm scared
that having this panic disorder will ruin it for me :(

[starlight78]

Hi there, I wouldn't be too quick to switch anti depressants. If it has been working well for you then you may just want to consider an increase whilst you're going through this blip.

Ask your GP about referring you for CBT also.

Best of luck x

[ricardo]

I was going to mention about alcohol I'm afraid, it does seem to make anxiety worse in some people. I had to stop drinking alcohol earlier this year due to adverse effects and it had began to increase my negative thinking and panic, plus the meds I take, say to avoid it altogether, so I do to be on the safe side.

I have always been told that most forms of anti depressant shouldn't be taken with alcohol at all, though I maybe wrong

[Serenitie]

Medication will give you breathing space to do the work that you need to do to to overcome anxiety. This may involve CBT or counselling in conjunction with lifestyle changes including relaxation, better diet and exercise and excluding substances from your lifestyle that induce anxiety. Recovering from anxiety takes a lot of effort and can be a long road. There are no quick fixes I'm afraid.

[HM2012]

Does it really go away though? I feel like i'll always be stuck like this now :(

[ankietyjoe]

Does it really go away though? I feel like i'll always be stuck like this now :(

One of the most common symptoms of anxiety and depression is thinking it'll never go away.

You're right at the start of the journey, so believing now that at some point it'll go away would be really good for your mind. It won't be tomorrow though, it won't be for a while, but with the right mindset you can survive day to day.

Google deep breathing and breathing meditation. Those are things you can start today that will work right now.

[HM2012]

Thank you! Means a lot to hear all this!
I am worried about what will happen if I suffer from a panic attack whilst driving again.
I've never been so scared in my life when this happened.
It's making me frightened of my car :(

[ankietyjoe]

Thank you! Means a lot to hear all this!
I am worried about what will happen if I suffer from a panic attack whilst driving again.
I've never been so scared in my life when this happened.
It's making me frightened of my car :(


You'll just pull over and stay there until you calm down.

It's really common to think 'something' is going to happen, but it just never does. It just feels that way.

CBT is great for this. I would recommend not taking any medication as it's such early days for you, but other people get benefits from them so it'll just be a suggestion from me. I got over the very worst of my attacks without medication so it can be done.

[almamatters]

I just wanted to support as far as panic attacks while driving as I am experiencing these. My first one was on a dual carriageway in a traffic jam and I was so scared I suppose it was the fact I was trapped in a jam which intensified it. I am fine on short journeys but anything else I am really struggling with. I don't understand it as I used to drive 300 miles a week for my job, but now like you, I am starting to look at my car with fear . I have been told it will pass and it will for you too. :flowers:

[HM2012]

Hello everyone, thanks for all your comments, have read & appreciate all of them!!
Today has been a struggle/success..
I decided to go see my cousins at my aunties house which is a 5 minute drive away from my home.
I debated whether I was up to even walking out the door but I didn't let my thoughts stop me!
I got in the car (first time since my near miss crash on the motorway) and did some deep breathing.
Started up the engine and started moving off slowly and at my own pace.
I managed to get to her house eventually, I was so proud of myself!
I did have a very mild panic attack on the way, I wanted to pull over so many times but didn't.
After spending a few hours talking about different things I hopped back in my car to make the journey home.
Again I thought some negative thoughts but just wanted to get on with it.
Started my car up and put on some music loudly to sing along to! IT HELPED!
I still (like on my way to her house) had a mild attack but I was able to battle through it whilst singing loudly
to the music and thinking that i'll be home soon! I'm proud of myself for doing this today!
It was a real struggle though I have to admit, I still don't think I can go anywhere public just yet.
At least not until i've spoken to my doctor on Monday.
Any one else got some advice to give? Thank you! XX

[ankietyjoe]

Any one else got some advice to give? Thank you! XX


Just keep doing what your'e doing. You've pretty much nailed the main technique for combating day to day anxiety (in my experience at least). Don't stop what you're doing, don't stop going out, don't stop driving etc.

Your mind will have learned that it maybe doesn't need to panic as much as it thought it did today, and it's up to you to keep feeding it that same information.

Some days will be worse than others, just don't be disheartened when an attack comes at you out of the blue when you least expect it. That's what the bloody thing does! :)

[SPOOKY MULDER]

I remember when I bought a new car, and I hadn't been driving for like 2 years. It was quite nerve racking. :wacko:
For me, when I was driving, I felt like everyone else on the road was staring at me and laughing at how nervous I looked :blush:, really wasn't fun but hey,
the anxiety faded away after a few days. I just tried to ignore it and eventually, actually, just forgot about it.:yahoo:

I also just tried to clear my mind of all my panic thoughts and just focus on where I was driving. Like if I stopped at a traffic light, I would
just focus on the lights and wonder random thoughts about it like, who invented the traffic light, how long does the light take to change etc...:huh:

It was better to do this than wonder if the people in the car next to me where laughing at me. Just remember to breath and tell yourself in your head, relax...
I always found I would forget a simple thing like breathing when I started to get nervous.

In regards to medication being used to help with anxiety, I personally would never take any of these anti-depression/anxiety medications again.
I found giving up coffee had a huge effect on my stress levels, where as before I would be grinding my teeth and feeling like super nervous
ALL the time, within 3 days of no coffee, I was feeling MUCH better.Much calmer.:)

[HM2012]

Hi everyone.
Haven't posted in a while, but i'm back!
Basically since the last time I posted i've not had a full blown panic attack.
I've just been worrying about a few things but have been able to battle through!
Until yesterday..
Yesterday started off as normal, it was a Sunday which are usually lazy days
for me and my family. I helped tidy/clean the house then spent the rest of
my day watching tv & on my laptop, totally relaxed!
At around 6:30 after having my dinner I started feeling strange.
I tried to ignore it but it only got worse.
I felt like I was going insane & that I was about to die.
The room started spinning, my vision went funny, I felt faint.
After a while I realised I was having another panic attack.
I honestly thought something awful was going to happen because
I felt so detached with reality (I still do right now)
I told my mum how I felt and she cuddled me whilst I had a cry and
told her how scary it is to feel this way & I just want to feel normal again.
I also told her how I'm scared of death/dying & she told me to stop being silly.
After a while I decided to go upstairs to bed, still suffering I tried to sleep.
I kept drifting on & off, but sleep is the only escape for me right now.
I'm still taking my medication but it's gotten to the point now where I'm
avoiding going out of my own home for the fear of my safety.
I'm scared that if I go out it'll strike again at any time & it's ruining my life.
I was so proud of myself until yesterday, I felt like I was finally getting better.
Now I just feel like I'm back to square one again :( It's completely shaken me up.
What should I do? Please reply to me, I need all the help I can get right now :'(

[NicoleNYC]

Hi,

I've had panic attacks since i'm 18 years old. I still think i'm dying when it gets bad. Today I'm having severe anxiety and I'm at work. I wanted to stay home so bad but I need my job.

I totally understand that you had to have your mom come get you. I've stayed away from things before and now I try to do things that I know give me anxiety and I talk myself down. I always repeat "everythings going to be ok" in my head. Seems to calm me down a little. I just feel so freaky today cause i'm at work and spazzing out. All I want to do is leave. And alcohol helps when i'm having panic and then doubles the next day. Like today. I had a ferw drinks lastnight and it totally puts me into panic mode. I do take clonazepam. I'm prescribed one and 1/2 in the morning and 1 at night. I don't take them everyday. I should but, they make you very tired and not as focused.

I hope you dont hide yourself in the house. Try to go out and not think about the "what ifs?"

[Brunette]

Your desperation to stop the panic attacks is actually helping to fuel them.


I'd suggest that what you need to do is start understanding how panic attacks work because knowing that is the first step in being able to overcome them. Look at the section on panic attacks and the research info on the left hand navigation bar. There's lot of useful information there.

The more you understand them the more you'll understand that they can't hurt you and that they will go away eventually - but you do need to accept that you can't hurry the process up. I know it's difficult but it will make things worse rather than better.

[HM2012]

Hi everyone! Been a while but having another bad spell :(
I had a good Christmas, my last panic attack was about a week
before Christmas! Until yesterday morning.
I've been applying for new jobs & this week I had my first interview.
The first part on Wednesday I went in feeling confident, I was so shocked
at myself because I didn't think i'd be able to do it! I passed & got called
back for the second & final part which was yesterday morning.
I was nervous about this because I knew it was the final one.
I tried not to let nerves get the better of me but once I arrived in the
car park I freaked out! I had a full blown panic attack! I couldn't breathe,
felt as if I was about to faint/die, I was so shaken up because it couldn't
have happened at a worse time! I sat in my car for 20 mins to try & calm
myself down, & I did, to a certain degree! I got out my car and said '**** this,
it's now or never' and went inside to do the second part of my interview.
They could tell I wasn't myself & I just wanted to get it over & done with!
I battled through & answered everything they asked whilst feeling DR/DP.
IT WAS HELL. I honestly thought there's no way on earth i'll get this job!
Left, went back home, went straight to bed because I felt terrible!
Two hours later I was woken up with a phone call telling me i'd got the job!
I didn't know how to feel, a part of me was over the moon, & the other part,
I kept thinking 'I feel awful, I can't do this'
Since yesterday happened i've been having mini bursts of panic attacks,
feeling lost touch with reality etc. I feel like i'm not here now whilst
typing this! It's really ****ing scary :( I don't start my job until the 28th.
I'm scared i'm going to get panic attacks when I start my job & I don't want
to blow it or ruin anything because it's the best opportunity i've ever had!
Can someone, anyone, please give me some tips/help me? :( xx

[waddy]

Hello, I'm a 20 year old young woman suffering from panic attacks/panic disorder.
I've come to this website hopefully to get answers/help from people who might be
going through the same thing as me. I feel so alone with this condition.
Basically, I've suffered from depression since I was 14, i've been on
fluoxetine ever since. It has saved my life, I don't think I would've been
able to carry on living if this medication hadn't helped me.
I've been doing really well for years now, a few blips here and there
but nothing serious! Until a few weeks ago..
I went out to a friends party, had a few drinks & smoked a bit of cannabis.
Peer pressure kind of made me do it, but I was fully aware it was wrong.
I've drank & smoked cannabis before & it's never had a terrible outcome for me.
This time was completely different..
I zoned out for like 10 minutes, had no idea what was going on & then when I came
back round I had my first ever full blown panic attack. I was sick, shaking, feeling faint,
I felt as if I was about to die. It was one of the worst things i've ever experienced!
I went home a few hours later & slept it off & carried on life as normal.
Since this has happened i've been worried about it happening again but it was easy
enough for me to control it by myself. However, 4 days ago I was going to the cinemas
with my friend, driving along the motorway I had a sudden rush and my vision went fuzzy.
I knew I was about to pass out, I had to pull over before something bad happened.
Luckily the motorway wasn't too busy so I was able to pull over fast.
When pulled over I carried on having a massive panic attack.
I had to ring my mother to come pick me up because I was too shaken
up to drive back home! It was one of the worst days of my life.
I'm still terribly shaken up about the whole situation & scared to leave
the house incase another one strikes me.
I rang up the doctors but they can't fit me in until the 26th.
I'm still taking fluoxetine but this medication obviously isn't helping me anymore.
I need to switch to a medication that will help my panic attacks/disorder.
Any suggestions/help/personal stories will help me out so much!
I feel so alone, scared, & depressed about the whole thing, I don't know what to do :weep:its the same thing that done me cannabis its no good listen i was like you at my wits end after smokin for years im fine now though im on antidepressants for at least 6 months venlafaxine 37.5 mg not a large dose but its sortin me big time

[ashurrutia]

I don't understand how i'm going to be able to stop these panic attacks though :'(
It just seems impossible! XX

Had Panic Attacks on a daily basis back in September, the whole package, started with Tachycardia/Chest Pain, and the good ole' "Holy Crap I'm dying is a heart attack", and even moments where I thought I just wasn't getting any air. Here is a little secret, while Panic attacks do go away, my daily attacks lasted for perhaps 2 weeks, and they were God awful, the anxiety still lingers. However, the moment you accept your symptoms as normal is the moment where you will gradually stop having panic attacks. In my case I hadn't had one since september, I had my HR go up to 179 bpm yesterday at 5 pm, and again around 7:00 am, not to 170s though, but it woke me up, then again at the doctor's office(Had an appointment for an ear flush) at 11:00 am, and then this afternoon. What do I do?? Accept that my Amygdala is hypersensitive, and when there is a trigger strong enough it would try to protect me by launching the flight or fight response. The Attacks will go away, they did before, I wont lie an say that there are moments when the Adredaline rushes peak that I still have a little bit of fear, but otherwise I just make fun of it. I do!!! I just laugh at the crazy ideas that come to my mind?? While it doesn't always stop the Panic attack it makes the ride a lot more pleasurable. Yesterday it caught me by surprise and I had forgotten about how it feels, so I fed it some more good anxiety fuel thinking it was something wrong with my heart. I'm neither a Ghost nor a Zombie, so if you wanted proof that it does go away, there you have.

PS: They wanted to put me on Celexa, and Buspar, but I actually did not take anything, the only thing I do take is "Calm Spirit", which is a Chinese Herbal supplement that has Taurine, Magnesium, and some calming effects, but is not anywhere near as effective as an SSRI, nor would it knock out a Panic Attack, so it is just about right, for me to handle the anxiety on my own.

Hang in there, you'll be fine.

---------- Post added at 21:36 ---------- Previous post was at 21:31 ----------


Thank you! Means a lot to hear all this!
I am worried about what will happen if I suffer from a panic attack whilst driving again.
I've never been so scared in my life when this happened.
It's making me frightened of my car :(

I drove today about 3 miles to the Barbershop, sat at the Barbershop for 10 minutes before getting called, and even had the stylist tell me: "Thank you for waiting so patiently", finish getting the hair cut, drove back home, and all that while having Tachycardia and Adredaline rushes. In fact they didn't stop sooner, because as soon as I would notice that the adredaline was subsiding it would create anxiety and more Adredaline, of course I now know how to stop the cycle. The point is, it won't ruin your life, you have the power to live a normal life with it.

[AlwaysPanik]

Thank you all for your kind words so far!
Has made me feel a little bit better to hear your words of wisdom.
What's the best medication for panic attacks/panic disorder?
I know people are telling me to try and battle through this without
medication but I honestly don't think that'll happen.
I need the right help & support because I wake up feeling terrible.
Full of panic & anxiety, I just want to feel normal again :( xx
P.S. Please keep your replies etc coming, it's lovely to hear from everyone!

Hi there, Im sorry to hear about your condition. Ask your GP about a beta-blocker. I take Propranolol and Fluoxetine. The Propranolol stops the physical symptoms, it calms the body down, slows your heart rate.
Good luck XX

[SLjimbo]

Hi HM2012, I've been in the same situation too when I got my first panic attacks and anxiety when I was 21 years old. As a college kid, I partied hard with booze and marijuana without feeling anxious or panicky until I had the first panic attack. I can clearly remember the day the first panic attack hit me like a ton of bricks; I felt like I was having a heart attack and that this was the end. But after getting the medical a-OK, I gradually realized I had an anxiety/panic disorder. I was a mess for the first couple of months trying to understand what my disorder was all about as I went to different doctors to see if there's anything physically wrong with me until I found out I was having "garden-variety" anxiety and panic. As months and months went by, I became much better in coping and dealing with my anxiety with the help of medication, seeing a psychiatrist, and CBT.

I strongly recommend scheduling an appointment with a psychiatrist so he or she can help you and prescribe the right medication for you. Understand there's really no "magic bullet" cure for anxiety, but I do believe what will get you on the right track is to learn coping techniques when you start to feel anxious and panicky. Have you read some of the "Coping" articles here? That would be a very good start.

Smoking marijuana is a slippery slope. It doesn't make you a bad person or criminal if you're smoking pot as I had my fair share of pot smoking in my early 20's, but you really do not know what's in those strains of marijuana you're smoking (even if it is legal wherever you are). The more potent the marijuana is, the more likely it will induce anxiety and panic.

In regards to your fluoxetine, remember its a drug that builds into your system over time, so the effects will not be immediate (it takes roughly 4-5 weeks to start feeling the full effects and benefits). I believe when you had your first panic attack, that hit the reset button, so you have to be patient again. But don't be discouraged; I'm taking fluoxetine (Prozac) as well and I know that it takes time for it to be better. Fluoxetine is actually used to treat anxiety and panic attacks; not just exclusive for depression.

It may seem a struggle now, BUT IT WILL GET BETTER! :yesyes:

With time, patience, and understanding, you will be able to better cope and manage your anxiety.

[HM2012]

Thank you to the last two posts above ^
Really made me feel better reading them :) xx