Very good possitive attitude. You know that, that is half the battle. Someone else here said "if you raised your blood pressure exercising you would think nothing of it so why during a panic attack? " Well because it's a panic attack and nothing then is rational. I have one advantage over you. Because I have Arthritis I have pains in my arms and chest often so when they came from the panic it was easier to say "this is Ok." If you manage to think of it as just an inconvenience like a cold or the flu it will just fade away. Easier said than done I know but Ive been there so I know it can be done. You sound much better in this post. That's progress and progress deserves praise so congratulations. You may need the meds just so you can think rationally. This is Ok, they can be tapered off and quit later. First fix the panic. I no longer take anything stronger than Mint tea. You will be able to get off them. Good luck with the program, it does work even if some of it may seem unnecessary. Every little bit helps. Especially the journalling part. Please keep posting even if it seems you have nothing to say. Posting is one of those things that helps everyone.
Welcome to our wonderful support community and thank you for sharing your story with us. There are many people within this support group that share the
same questions and concerns as you. We are all a group of
individuals who support each other.
If you look to the left of the screen under "TOOLS" you will find
many supportive tests. These tests are not diagnostic tools and are
not a replacement or substitute for a physician's advice. The purpose of these
tests is to prepare you with information that you can present to your
physician. When you're finished the test, you can either print your Final
Report or email it directly to your doctor.
We also have developed a Panic Program. This program is 12-weeks and
involves the tools mentioned above. Each session is based on the
previous session, so we strongly advise that you work slowly through the
program and not jump ahead.
These tests may or may not be for you but they are
"free". If you have any question or concerns with our
“TOOLS”, you can contact us at support@paniccenter.net. We are the
Support Specialist for The Panic Center and are open to any questions or
concerns you may have.
Please continue to strive forward and lean on us for support.
I believe some progress has been made on my part... and I'm not a fan of meds and have no intention of staying on them. My therapist suggested meds to 'get over the hump'. Frankly, I'm skeptical but will give it a try and hope the overall level of anxiety decreases because of them. I'm going to a psychiatrist in Dec, specifically about the meds.
I've been able to make it through a couple severe panic attacks without going to the ER... a big step for me. However, I continue to have aches, pains and burning sensations in my chest, abdomen and occasional 'fluttering' in my chest. All of which is 'normal' for anxiety, even though it scares the heck out of me. The aches and pains are very real to me... I do my best to just accept them.
At the end of the day, I believe I need to come to grips w/ these aches and pains... all the meds and therapy in the world will only help, not cure. I've been working through this program and believe I've made progress.
I took buspar when I was withdrawing from Ativan. And I found it acceptable. I took it with Celexa. But you know everybody is different. Your right about the therapy. If you think negative thoughts hard enough, they will cut right through the medication. This I know from experience. I still get unwanted thoughts trying to cut in. I still get anxious and depressed but I have learned how to control them. Anxiety is normal, turning it into panic is not. If you do a combination of the meds and this program, you will eventually be able to get off the meds. I know when panic hits it seems that nothing will make it go away. And all the pains and unwanted thoughts are very real and very scary. But take my word for it, you can stop the panic or at least lesson it to the point where it doesn't count any more. I was a mess for a long time and I'm pretty much Ok now and getting better all the time. As a last ditch thing you could, with your doctors permition, increase your calcium. It has a large calming effect and I find myself treading the panic road without it. Try the program, it works. The moderators will explain any questions you have.
I'm a 43 y.o. male who has panic disorder. I've been thoroughly checked by my MDs for heart and other issues and everything is fine. After much reluctance, I finally asked my doctor to put me on something for my nerves... the MD wrote for Lexapro and Xanax. I didn't tolerate the Lexapro at all... so he started me on Buspar and am now taking 45 my daily. Frankly, I'm not sure if it works all that well, because I still have continual thoughts of dying, cancer or heart attack... even after I've been cleared by my MD. Also, I'm not a fan of Xanax... frankly, I feel crappy after taking it, although it does relieve the panic in the moment... which is the only reason I take it.
It AMAZES me that even after getting cleared these thoughts are powerful enough to overcome me... a couple questions.
Anyone take Buspar and another med to control anxiety and / or panic? What med and how effective w/ everyday negative thoughts and panic?
After all I've read, it appears as though meds are only a partial answer... the 'main' answer appears to be dealing w/ the stress through therapy... does that sound right?
Lastly, can someone comment on these constant negative thoughts... is it normal for anxiety sufferers? I do have burning sensations and pain in my chest, sternum and arms... however my cardiologist insists that it's stress related due to several ok EKGs and good findings in my cardiac stress test, enzyme studies, echo, x-ray and coronary calcium study.
