Advice please

[SmokeyJo]

Hi All, I haven't posted for a little while. As you may know I am reducing my Seroxat and my panic attatcks have been getting bad this week. I shake more or less constantly and my panic attacks can last for over two hours with me shaking on the floor and so tense and feeling just panic stricken. I have phoned my GP who has put me back up to 20mg I've been down to 5mg). Do you think I will ever feel better or will I always feel like this???
Everything 'sets me off' and I start to think 'it's coming, the panic is coming now' it's awful I feel so self obsessed! I can't stop thinking about my panic even when I'm busy Thanks for reading XX

[orangeblossom]

Hi Jo,

You are doing really well to be coming off the Seroxat - so well done for that!

It does take time to come off medication - it took me a long time to come off the diazepam I had been taking continuously for well over a year and then intermittently for many years after that - and it often feels as if you will never feel better whilst doing this, BUT! You will!

This is a temporary situation and although it does feel hellish right now, there is most definitely a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I can speak from experience.

You just hang on in there and know that it will get better.

Best and Hugs,
Sx

[milly jones]

sorry just sending hugs jo

milly x

[Liverbird67]

wishing you all the best hun,

Lots of love

Debbie

[Krakers]

Hi Smokey - I'm in a similar situation, just with a different med. I reduced from 50mg to 10mg of Librium in 8 weeks, and the anxiety came back quite strongly. I'm now back up to 20mg and fine. The plan is to reduce a lot more slowly down to nothing - probably over the next 6 months.

It takes time to come off a med and your body to readjust to it not being there. I think my next planned reduction is going to be 20mg one day, 15mg the next on alternating days for a few weeks. They could give me a liquid version (as I'm sure they can for most meds) and actually make it 19mg then 18mg and so on. I just thought it'd be too fiddly so haven't gone down that route.

I'm sure you will get off it eventually, just at a slower rate of reduction to avoid or limit any potential withdrawal symptoms. Have you discussed the different possibilties for reducing with your doc ?

Krakers.

[lee270780]

hi, sorry to hear you are going through such a rough time with this.

it sounds like you are fearing the actual panic attack in the first place and this is sending you into a spiral of panic.
the thing to remember is a panic attack is never ever gona hurt you physically and if you feel one coming just breathe deeply and say to yourself this is just a panic attack it will not hurt me it will not kill me and i will beat this and just accept the feelings as they come. the worst thing you can do is fight these feelings as soon as you accept a feeling of panic it automatically feeds from that fear and worsens . if you let the feeling wash over you like you are in the shower just let it go and let it wash over you in through the head and out through the feet. imagine it like a breath just in and out.

please please please do not fear the attack it will not harm you and i believe every1 can beat it

all the best
lee

[SmokeyJo]

Thank you everybody your your kindness and advice X Lee you are dead right it's a spiral of fear and if I try to let it pass without thinking 'oh god it's happening again!' and let it wash over me it does work! I went to my GP and told her how I had been feeling and she said to go back up to 20mg a day again. I have and I feel so much better again!! She said that it was the wrong time for me to come off them. I know that I still need to work thru this because there will be a time when I do come off them and I need to learn to manage my anxiety. Thank you everyone XX