My major panic attacks have always been nocturnal where I wake from sleep. They include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, which leave me sick and exhausted for at least half the day. I tried Lexipro for a month. It made me so sick. I had nausea, diarrhea and muscle spasms in the middle of the night. I've been off for 5 days and I still am woken up by diarrhea in the morning and a bit of nausea. I try to go back to sleep, but I wind up needing to use the bathroom several times. This makes me anxious and I get up feeling edgy.
When I get anxious, my stomach reacts first by knotting up. How do I stop that from happening? Alot of times I'm barely noticing what I'm thinking about and wham, the stomach jumps in. Then I have to deal with the anxiety by breathing and talking to myself. Sometimes It goes away quickly, sometimes more slowly, especially first thing in the morning. I also seem to get it alot in restaurants or while eating a meal, when I have to sit still for awhile. It makes my appetite disappear and I feel woozy until it goes away.
I'd really like to avoid the drugs if I can. I take 1/4-1/2 a Xanax (.25mg) when I really feel jittery. (I think I'm really sensitive to medication, so that's all I need, even though the doc said I can take 2 at a time if I needed it, but that knocks me out.) I haven't had a major nocturnal attack since I was told what they were, started seeking MD help and talked to a pychologist, but the issues that triggered them are still there (medical problems). How do you control your thoughts 24/7 and think positively when your body is not well? And why does my stomach have to be involved? I hate feeling sick. Ideas?
