Nocturnal panic attacks?

[thots]

I've had anxiety problems since I was about 16 and since then I've been waking up every night in panic. I jump up out of bed, shout or throw the pillows or grab my partner or sometimes wake up standing up looking out of the window or on the landing or another room. I gasp for breath and my heart beats so quickly and really hard.
I've always thought it was anxiety so just left it and the zopiclone I have been taking for 3 years has helped most of the time but even that doesn't seem to be working anymore.
I read about nocturnal panic attacks and it does sound similar.
I've been on pregabalin for 6 weeks now (150mg per day) and it has done nothing. I've had constant anxiety for months and now I'm waking up all night, every few minutes with this panic.
My partner has been watching me while sleeping lately to see what I'm like before i jump up. She says the first thing I do is take a huge breath so we're considering the possibility that some kind of sleep apnea, even minor, could be involved. But the doctor says it is anxiety and it will pass when the anxiety does. Not much help at the moment though!
Anybody else have a similar thing?

[Barnabas75]

I started to get panic attacks and anxiety attacks after I stopped taking valium.Started taking it after my mothers heart attack.I guess now I should of got more information about what I was getting into.I stopped the valium to quickly and even though it was only 7 months it was enough to give me crazy withdrawels like panic and anxiety.The worst ones were at night so I feel for you because I had 3 at night which scared me senseless.The previous meds you were on I think it begins with a T may have stopped working for you or you just became tolerant to them and now you are suffering the after effects of really bad withdrawels maybe.I have also started taking lyrica.It might be that you are so freaked out that your nervous system is over riding what the meds should do.I know it was like that for me for the first 6 weeks.When I stopped valium all the parts of the brain that it numbs came alive in a crazy way and hence the panic and anxiety.The lyrica is supposed to help and does not have the same affect on the brain as benzos.If whats happened to you is anything like what I had then you nervous system needs some time to heal so try be patient if you can.I am taking a small dose of zoloft also 25mgs which helps.Hopefully you get through this.I know how bad the night attacks are.I could not sleep for 3 weeks because of how scared I was to sleep.The more I thought about it the more power the fear of them got.Slowly but surely I am giving them less thought and slowly its getting better.As I know what caused them(abrubt valium cessation) I know I just need time to heal from that.Get well and get good advice.Stay off benzos if you can and slowly taper of meds.I speak from experience.from a really horrible one.

[Dawnz07]

Hi, Im sorry that you've experienced nocturnal panic attacks :( I am experiencing them too, once it happened so badly that I felt my heart being squeezed in my chest, it was terrifying! im not taking any meds, so I think its just anxiety, maybe hormone related? Has anyone else experienced these type of panic attacks? id really love to hear how people have coped with them and if they went away

thanks

[Barnabas75]

I woke up 3 times having an attack.I had nearly no phyisical strength.My muscles were all tensed and my heart felt like it was sinking.I really thought I was dying and after the 3rd one got such a severe anxiety attack that my mouth and tongue went completly dry.I thought I was going crazy and called an ambo and went to the hospital at 4 am.They did tests and I have had multiple tests done since then and they keep saying its panic and anxiety.Because of the toll it took on my mind I was to afraid to sleep for nearly 3 weeks.Also I could not sleep because I was so anxious.I have had to go on meds and hopfully it only short term-(so far I have not had another like that.I am seeing a councillor and thats helping.Sometimes i feel one coming on but now I know what it is.At first i was very afraid when it would start to happen but as each day goes by I say no to the fear a bit more and am hopefull, although sometimes despairing, that I will overcome.

[Dawnz07]

Hi Raindrops, I was really interested to see how you handle the panic attacks, im going to try them tonight! Thanks

---------- Post added at 22:20 ---------- Previous post was at 22:18 ----------

I woke up 3 times having an attack.I had nearly no phyisical strength.My muscles were all tensed and my heart felt like it was sinking.I really thought I was dying and after the 3rd one got such a severe anxiety attack that my mouth and tongue went completly dry.I thought I was going crazy and called an ambo and went to the hospital at 4 am.They did tests and I have had multiple tests done since then and they keep saying its panic and anxiety.Because of the toll it took on my mind I was to afraid to sleep for nearly 3 weeks.Also I could not sleep because I was so anxious.I have had to go on meds and hopfully it only short term-(so far I have not had another like that.I am seeing a councillor and thats helping.Sometimes i feel one coming on but now I know what it is.At first i was very afraid when it would start to happen but as each day goes by I say no to the fear a bit more and am hopefull, although sometimes despairing, that I will overcome.

Hi gregoryd, I am so sorry you are going through this, I really hope you get over this soon

[Barnabas75]

Thanks Dawnz.I hope so also.greg