You have received some really great feedback from your fellow members. It is a really great idea to consult with your doctor when you see him/her in a few weeks regarding the physical symptoms and medications. Stay optimistic and check in soon!
Thank you. That was a wonderful explanation and exactly what I was asking. I will keep working through this... so far, I'm pretty pleased w/ my decrease in Xanax and my ability to 'breathe through' panic.
I'm also a big believer in a non-med fix... it's the only way!
I had to think on that. I am still capable of having a full blown panic attack if I let myself, which I don't. But you know how they sneak up. One moment I would be happily going through life and I'd start to think about some thing that bothers me. And there just like turning on a light would be that same old feeling. Only not the same, there is no Adrenalin rush. No racing heart beat. No need to get to the bathroom. No chest pain and no shortness of breath, just this uncomfortable feeling that all is not right even though I know it is. An Analogy: It's like your looking out the door on a beautiful day and some unwanted animal scurries in. Well you just put it out and close the door and it's Ok. Trauma and anxiety build a pathway to your brain and for a long time after you get control of your thoughts it is still there. But positive thoughts and the right attitude allows you to nibble away at the ends of it so it isn't as efficient as it was and eventually it doesn't work at all. Now your xanax doesn't allow you to use this pathway, BUT it leaves it there. Thus the rebound when the Xanax or any other Benzo is used. Buspar lets you nibble away at it, which is why I think it is safer to use. If you do it right when you stop the Buspar you should have that unwanted pathway blocked and no rebound. I'm going to get a bit long winded here. Each receptor on the pathway to your brain has a hand full of receptors on the input side of it like fingers on your hand and it is just one finger in the next receptor. At each one of these fingers is a guard that decides if the information coming in is necessary. Most of the information is discarded. Over years from child hood we learn what to let in and what not to. During trauma the guards get a little sloppy and let too much through. Thus this sense of impending doom. This chest pain when there is nothing there. this confusion because there are so many signals and which one is right. Xanax works by blocking most of the signals but it does it random so that some of what should have gone through doesn't. This is Ok on a temporary short term basis. Buspar on the other hand seems to just make the guards more vigilant. So you can see where some thing Traumatic can set off panic. The pathway was built a long time ago, just never used. This is why I say that although the symptoms are chemical,(adrenaline) but the cause is mental. You can teach the guards to be more vigilant and over time you can destroy the unwanted path. The other thing you will learn to do is distract yourself so the unwanted information isn't there in the first place. Mantras and meditation are good for this. So is Box breathing. The guards need oxygen to work. This is why there is no overnight cure even though we want one. A house of sand will crumble, a house of stone will last for ever. Which one do you want to build to keep the demons out. So if you need to use Buspar or something else while you build your house of stone then do it. And if you need a little extra on top you can try, L-theanine. (from health food store) or scalded milk. It makes triptophan when heated, which is a natural tranquillizer. Some of the mints. I like Ginger Mint because it calms the butterflies also. So to answer your question. Does it go away? Yes it can and it should, it depends on how well you can change your thought process and how good you get at telling it to go away when it tries to sneak back in. At least you now know how and why it happens and that you are dealing with a real thing and real things can be changed. Any more questions just ask and I'll answer if I can. Get well life is good this side of the fence. You can do it with the help of the program and remember I and every one else here is a shoulder to lean on.
Buspar has worked at controlling the panic attacks... they come much less frequently and even the severity is lessened. Not to say that it's easy, but I've settled myself down without going to the doctors.
In the last 3 months I've taken very little Xanax... for 2 reasons... it makes me feel like crap afterward and if I continue to take it, it requires more and more med to have the same effect when I do have a panic attack... something I don't want to happen.
You've pretty much 'nailed' what I've heard and read about anxiety and panic. That it's a learned response that no med will permanantly remove... only manage temporarily. The only 'cure' is to learn about your body and live with it... accept it.
I was wondering about the physical symptoms when you get anxious... for me I get chest pain, pin pricks in my chest and abdominal discomfort/spasms. Has the above symptoms lessened after you've learned to deal w/ your stress better? Or do you still get them w/ the same frequency and severity as when your stress/panic started? I'm working through the program and am interested, if you don't mind answering.
I can only give you my personal experience and those that I have personally dealt with. Buspar is slow to work but if the dose is right it works as well or better than Benzo's without the nasty side affects. NO medication will not cure panic attacks, it will only control them temporarily. If you are only taking Xanax PRN and rarely then Ativan would be better. None of the Benzo's are a good choice. Wish you could see my therapist, she would explain the hazards of Benzo's. Short term they are OK, but long term they do damage that takes a long time to repair. (personal experience) Of all the Benzo's Valium is the oldest and the safest. I can explain how benzo's work and how they do damage if used long term but it would take some space and I would have to find how to add a drawing for part of it. Medication will stop the panic but it will leave you fogged in and it is a false sense of well being. BUT quite often they are necessary as a stop gap while you do the program. The program is the only thing that can give you a cure. The symptoms are chemical but the cause is mental so a balance of medication and mental skills is the only answer for most with the goal being to stop the medication when the attacks are under control. You might never get totally better. You might get the odd attempt at panic but with the right skills it becomes just a nuisance. There will always be things that set me off but I can now make it go away very quickly and according to my journal the instances are getting farther apart. I was an Ativan addict for four years so I know how bad they can be long term. I used Buspar with good results. I used Celexa also. You will notice I said used to, I haven't used any thing for over four months. The reason you feel bad after the Xanax is called rebound, it's common but can make your panic worse over the long term. It helps if you realize this is what is happening. The only one that panic could hurt would be a very old person with a heart condition so try to ignore the thoughts. You have no health problems right? Now the one thing nobody talks about here is actuall mental illness For that I am afraid there is no cure and only Medication as a control. No sense sugar coating it. It is a fact. I don't know if this helped but maybe it will give you something to ask your Doctor.
Question: Did anyone have physical symptoms of anxiety/GAD and/or negative thoughts that were helped or totally eliminated by meds? If yes, are you still on them or were you only on them for so many months?
I ask because I'm on Buspar which I find only marginally effective. I have a doctors appointment in 2 weeks and will ask directly. I'm interested in responses... not really sure how much meds are supposed to help. Are meds supposed to 'signficantly' reduce the symptoms and negative thoughts? Also what meds worked w/ anxiety and/or panic?
(I have Xanax for panic, which works, however I really don't like how I feel afterwards! In fact, I've only taken .5 twice in the last 2-3 months)
I'm managing through my panic symptoms, although w/ great effort. I stay optimistic, however struggle daily w/ thoughts of heart or serious disease issues. Thankfully, so far, I appear to be ok except for anxiety.
