coping without medication

[laura1200]

I had a reaction to propanolol so I went to see a doctor and he told me to come off it. My panic attacks are nightly and distressing.. The doc doesn't want me to take medication and has instead recommended some self help websites. I'm feeling really anxious and sad actually as I've tried self help in the past but it doesn't particularly help that much :-( don't get me wrong he was a good doctor I just wish I had something to take the edge off the panic attacks.
Does anyone else cope without medication or CBT? I'm concentrating on my breathing techniques which does help but the thought of another attack makes me feel anxious.

[WeaselWoo]

I have suffered for several years from anxiety and panic and did have a few sessions of CBT but never taken any medication. I am not free of the anxiety or panic but one of the ways I find of coping is to say STOP when you start to feel an attack and to move around and occupy yourself that takes your mind off the attack. I also find that talking to people about how you feel helps, I was embarrassed at first but you will be surprised of how many people suffer with these attacks.

Take care xxx

[kipperfish]

Hi there,

I was on citalopram for a while but I had similarly had a bad reaction to it, I've been off it now for coming up to 4 years and have had hypnotherapy and briefly CBT but it didn't work for me.

I still get panic attacks, more often than before actually but just try and say to yourself the opposite of what you're head is telling you. So if you're head is telling you to get out, run away, everyone's looking at me or whichever thought it is just say to yourself, nope I am fine, I feel calm, I feel relaxed. If you can get through one you can get through all of them.

Best Wishes x

[rufess1]

Im right there with you Laura1200, I also get nightly panic attacks, ive just taken my first propranolol tablet about 10 mins ago, I find walking around the house like a mad woman and tiding up or talking to someone helps, If I sit down they get worse, I feel really dizzy at first but it seems to wear off after a bit. Ive also been using a technique someone else told me about. Its a breathing exercise for when the panic first starts and when its at its worst.
Close your eyes and think of something nice like sitting on a beach, or something that makes you happy. take a deep breath in through your nose and as you do this say to yourself "peace" then breath out from your mouth and say to your self "full" PEACEFULL. Try and focus on the nice place in your head and not on your panic symptoms. I was a bit sceptical at first but you do actually come out of the panic quicker especially if your hyperventilating.
I take amitriptyline, I find if take one of those it calms me down a little bit because it makes me tired.

[Elf20]

Does anyone else cope without medication or CBT?
Yes. :blush:
When I feel awful, I find writing really helpful. It is hard at first place, but since i start doing it, it feels very relieving. I organise my fears, thoughts ect, i examine them from a distance, and usually i understand that they are not something dangerous. For me, it's mainly an issue of managing my thoughts, since i also have ocd. My therapist did not recommend any self-help websites, but she recommended, instead of getting lost in the thoughts and feelings, tryinng to examine them, to understand what lays behind and provokes them. For obsessive, "insane" thoughts, it is also useful to stop fearing them, and even provoke them yourself, just to understand that they're no big deal and you're not insane.:shrug:
However, the biggest relieving i've recieved comes from talking to my psychiatrist. She's awsome, really friendly and understanding. Such a good listener. Sometimes i even pretend to talk to her, in my mind. Even that, helps.

What's CBT?

[Pinktel]

Just a quick note about CBT. You can't have it "briefly" and say it doesn't help and dismiss it. If you want CBT to work you need to commit fully to it for months and months before you may start feeling results. Think of stroke victims who need to retrain the brain to walk etc, it takes months if not longer. We can't reprogram the brain overnight but we CAN reprogram our cognitions and behaviours if we practice, practice and practice for months.

This is why loads of people give up on CBT because it is not a "quick fix" and it involves effort and commitment. I personally find it amazing that they would much rather tinker with their brain chemistry. Meds will never cure or solve he fundamental root problem of what your neuroses are, it is a sticking plaster to cover things up.

[starlight78]

Sorry you are struggling. I agree with Pink about the CBT though. Sometimes people are not in the right place for CBT, or expect it to be something else.
It is challenging, it makes you face your fears and push through. People therefore sometimes feel that there anxiety is worse and stop.. If you are in a place to fully commit to CBT and stick at it for several months it works! It's definitely not an easy option though I know that.