oxazepam

[chili2424]

hey,

I went to the doctor about 2 months ago about my anxiety and panic attacks and he gave me oxazepam (a benzo) and I'm unsure of what to do. I'm only 15 and I don't really mind taking the drug but am just wondering WHEN to take it. Every single day for the past 3 months I have suffered from anxiety. The only good part about it is that some days are manageable and others are not. I am at the point where I have no idea when this will go away and I'm so scared I'm going to be stuck with this for a very long time. (I'm going to see my doctor again next week but I'm currently on vacation in florida at disney world) My main symptoms of anxiety include 3 things: Breathing difficulities (not feeling like proper amounts of oxygen is getting in and manual breathing), jittery/giddy stomach(shakiness and unpleasentness in the stomach), and lastly mental "fog". I feel derealized and depersonalized and its all so scary. Is it safe to take this medication when I'm feeling this because I thought I was only supposed to take the meds when I'm about to have a panic attack, or can i take it when im simply feeling very uncomfortable? appreciate answers, thanks

[gtrgrl3369]

Most meds like that are to be taken either before or when you feel anxiety coming on. If you wait until you are in full blown panic it will seem like forever for the meds to kick in. I hope you are trying to enjoy your vacation..sounds like fun.

[mary1]

Hi there, hope you feel ok today. I have heard so much about this medication and i know so many ppl take it i tried it myself two times once when i was having a very bad panic attack and it made me calmer and sleepy soo soon after taking it which i liked really but the next time i took i was just feeling on edge and soo anxious i took half of it(5mg) again and it made me soo powerless which i didn't like!! but my mom's been taking it for a time now and she likes it it makes her soo calm and relaxed though. I too have breathing anxiety and then feel panicky and scared of dying!! I never took any med. except for this when my mom intruduced it to me! I wish you get better soon. Enjoy your holiday. Mary xx

[mary1]

Hi again. lol i forgot to mention that i too feel detached and the "fog like" feeling most of the time! you try to ignore that feeling coz when i do that it becomes less and with time it goes away belive me don't give it any care!! I know how you feel about not taking enough oxygen coz i do feel the same and it makes me soo anxious and i end up with yawning so many times !!!Be strong you will beat it.. Best of luck xx

[jothenurse]

When I had my first episode of panic attacks I used this drug (Serax) and it did help alot. My doctor at that time told me to take it 2 or 3 times a day to keep my anxiety calm. It did seem to help, and I eventually worked through the anxiety and then tapered off the medication.
This time now that I have another problem with the panic attacks, I tried a couple of SSRI's, but even after just taking them for one or two days, I ended up having bad panic attacks and just didn't want to take them. So the MD put me on Ativan prn. She said I may need to take them on a regular basis to help me relax and then hopefully taper off of them when I am feeling better. They are addicting, which bothers me, but then I did get off the Serax before just fine. I also have bad palpitations at times which I have been in the ER with, so I am also on a beta-blocker for that.