Constant panic assaults

[diana]

Heya Rick,

Just a little note to wish you good luck on the CT scan. Let us know how you do. keep us posted about how you are doing on the Effexor in a few weeks. I am thinking of requesting it myself. As I am a former user of it. I think you are well on your way Rick, "WEINER MAN" is coming back That is a good sign!!!!!

Take care,

Diana xxxxx

[Meg]

Hi Rick,

If that amount of xanax makes you drowsy etc , you're taking too much. Try a quarter next time.

Hope CT went well. As we've said previous - large amounts of weight loss are completely normal with acute anxiety and panic.



Meg

Watch your thoughts, they become your words...
Watch your words, they become your actions... Watch your actions, they become your habits... Watch your habits, they become your character... Watch your character, it becomes your destiny...

[rick]

Hi friends,

Just a short one - my fingers feel wierd, so i cant typw well. The effexor was a bomb BIG bomb. I got teh effects in three days that most get in three weeks, bummer. Weiner man done got de-weinered after that one. Once things wear off, gonna start a tradiotional old timey med, that I used back in 86. Going to the xanax, an well see what happens. at lteast i know that drug, and am familiar withits effects.

Statisticlly,. Im in the minimun bracket for efects - but, my metaboism is such that all mood altering drighs do weierd tings to me.

(God, i can barely type) My CT scan appessrd to be ok, Its loking like i just bascially ate the linng ouit of my tummy wit one and a half bottle of nyquil a week to help sleep, So, we'll deal with it.
I'm still working, believe it or not! Havent missed a day yet ovre thtss. Tehy all think someting serious is wrong with my tummy, so they don;t know aabout the Panic

I realize I am makeing no sense, Time to go to bed and let this terrible stuf fininsh working its way out of my body.

I knwo I usualy write a little better, but i am hammered and so groggy, I can barely see teh screen.

Take care , i love you

Rick

[diana]

Hiya Rick,

Sorry to hear the EFFEXOR did not work for you, but no fear there is something out there that will. So you are considering going back to the XANAX ey? If that works for you then that`s what you should be on. Do keep posting to let us know how you are getting along. Good luck good friend.

Love,

Diana xxxxx

[rick]

Hello, all..

I know I haven't posted on the site for a while. For one thing, I realized that, right or wrong, I was using the forum as a personal diary, sort of, and, after reading my last couple of posts, realized it probably wasn't of much help to anyone with my ramblings. (If I was wrong, I can sure start rambling again!!! )

Mainly, though, I had the disaster with Effexor, plus this terrible stomach thing. As of today, I weigh 218 pounds, down from 243 before Christmas. Actually I'm doing a little better, for at one point early last week, I was down to 214. I looked like a refugee from a concentration camp.

The Effexor was not good, and I now realize that SSRI's and I do not like each other. One thing that I was reminded of by a friend who was with me back in the days of the original panic episodes of 85-86, was that we had discovered that I have a very low tolerance level for most meds. I had pretty much forgotten that, but after reading some old journals and stuff, I now recall that, with the Tofranil episode (mentioned in my very first post on the forum), I did not have an adverse reaction. I was simply massively overdosed! I reread the FDA prescribing information sheet, and, indeed, the symptoms I had were that I had OD'd, nothing else. The only symptoms I didn't have, were convulsions and death. Pretty scary. Then, this same psyche doc hammered me on Xanax, if I recall correctly, 4 - 2mg tabs a day AS A STARTING DOSE!!!! I have practically no recollection of the next six months of my life. Finally, I was able to find someone who had some sense, cut the meds down, and finally was able to function normally and eventually get off the xanax, though not before destroying my life. Oh well, it happens.

Anyway, back to the present. I am working with a PRN dose of Xanax now, usually 1/2 of a .25 tab, experimenting with 1 or 2 doses per day, as needed, not every day. Its amazing that that small dose performs what 1- 2 mgs do for other folks. I must really have a clean system. (All that good living!!! - right....)

Full blown panic attacks have dropped off to about once a week now, though I still have a fair amount of anxiety. That's where we're trying to find the happy medium for the Xanax, until I relearn how to make my flight or fight responses behave themselves again. Its a struggle, but folks around me tell me I'm doing better, so, I guess I must be!

The wife and I have been working hard on resolving a lot of issues that have been pressing on us, and that has been very helpful. My counselor is absolutely wonderful, and I am so fortunate to have lucked into him.

One thing that has happened, and I kind of got the general feeling that this sort of thing was looked askance at on the site, and I apologize if my perception is wrong - but, I have made a peace with God, and that has helped tremendously. Not only has it allowed me to turn this over to a higher power, its good to have someone to talk to that's always there! :-) Really, rediscovering my faith has been a wonderful side effect of these attacks. All things happen for a reason, and perhaps this was one of them, along with, eating healthy, mending old wounds with people, searching myself to find inner peace, getting things straight with my wife... all sorts of cool stuff, not to mention the 25 or so pounds I needed to lose (terrible way to do it, though!)

The medical thing with my tummy has been a circus. My GP doc got my records fouled up, and his staff ended up calling me to tell me I had been scheduled for a bone scan. Meg, you're a medical professional, and you and I both know what that means - they know what you've got, and are just confirming it to see how far along it is and how much time you have left. Anyway, this girl called my wife (I was at work) and told her I was scheduled for the bone scan on that Friday. Scared her to death, she called me, scared me to death. That's when I realized it was time to get my life in order. When we went to my doctor two days before

[diana]

Hiya Rick,

Good to hear from you again. I was wondering what ever happened to ya. You`ve come along way Rick, as opposed to your first posts. You sound so much more at ease, so much more comfortable in your own skin. What an accomplishment. Keep up the good work, keep those positive thoughts flowing. I am glad to hear you are putting things in order and cleaning up some of the stress in your life. You are well on your way Rick!!!!! Good for you mate. I am soooo happy for you. Keep us posted as to how you are getting along. Sorry to about the mix up at the docs,I know that had to be horrifying, but kudos for you coping so well!!!!! You have pushed forward instead of allowing that to push you back. GOOD FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck mate, in all of your indeavors. Hey keep God close, he`s always there to guide us in the right direction, even when we mess up. He makes it right again. Though sometimes not without trial and error, but hey that`s life!!!!!!!!! right????? LOL..........

Take care,

Diana xxxxx

[Franz]

Thanks, Jim.
I appreciate your response and encouragement. I do have a queation of for you, or anyone else reading this... My poor stomach has been giving me fits over the past month or so. I remember, when I had the first eposodes (1985), whenever my tummy would act up, I knew I was in for it. It seems as of now, these attacks are coming from my stomach. (Does that make any sense??) It seems that, if I could calm my digestive system, it would stop those deadly twinges. I bought a bottle of pink poison (Pepto Bismol), and wonder if that'll do any good. (Just took a dose). So, anyone have any ideas on panic attacks from below???
Thank you,
Rick

Hey Rick. Your observation about stomach trouble totally chimes with my own experience. I started getting panic attacks (on top of longer-standing social phobia) about 4 months ago, when a person I'd been leaning on as a friend started to distance herself from me. I experienced a sort of hysterical emotional pain - and it kind of centred on the stomach.

Things slowly got better. THEN, a month ago, I caught a cold which gave me stomach cramp and - WHUMPH - quick as a flash, the panic was back. Nothing conscious about it, just an automatic associative response, as far as I can tell. That was a month ago and I'm still struggling. Though I feel a little better right now because of hearing someone report the same thing as me. A chastening thought for you, maybe, but all I can say is I truly sympathise.

Best wishes,

Francis