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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by MarieMurph on April 21, 2001, at 16:48:16
Guys I'm just curious to know if anyone out there has similar symptoms to mine.... and if so, what they did to help them. My whole problem started at the end of last summer right before school started. I was working at Dunkin Donuts, and I got really hot because the air conditioner broke. I think i got overheated, and felt dizzy and lightheaded like i was gonna pass out. I got soo nervous and worked myself up soo much, that I didnt know what to do. Since then, I would get periodic episodes at work similar to that. Then school started, my sophomore year of college. The first few days, i was ok... but then i started to feel really anxious in class.. and i would get waves of hotness all through my body, and feel like i was gonna pass out... so I had to leave class a lot... it then got soo bad that even in my car, I would still feel anxious, and i felt almost like I wouldnt be able to make it home. Eventually it would pass.... but it was the worst feeling in the world.... it wouldnt really get that much better until I was closer to home though... So then I couldnt go to school, and I was out for a while... And when put in situations like that, I would notice a rapid heart beat, a feeling of unreality(i think this in the hotness bothers me the most)... Its almost like I feel like im not really "there"... like i have no control of whats going on.. almost like its a dream. Then i get really hot, and my vision gets weird, and sometimes i get nauseous, and hives. This mostly happened in grocery stores, malls, driving alone, and WALMART!!!.... I noticed that if I was in the very back of walmart... i would start getting the anxious feelings, and I would try to let them pass.... but then my legs would start to feel weak... and I would feel like i was either gonna pass out, or that I was sooo weak that I wouldnt be able to make it to the door. Eventually I got a little better.... but i still cant drive far alone, at all... or go shopping at malls and try things on in dressing rooms, unless im with a few select people. I was just wondering if anyone out there has or had similar experiences to this... and what they did about it... i mentioned in another post that i had tried paxil... but it made me really sick, but that might be because i didnt give it long enough... and now I am on ativan.... to be taken when necessary... but I find myself taking .5 everyday anyway.... but i just need something else... because summer is coming.. and I want to be able to do things with my friends... and I wont be able to work this summer(and I really need to) unless i get some other medicine....Does anyone actually ever pass out from panic attacks?? or is it just the feeling you get... i think i just need some assurance that nothing will happen to me...its just so hard because people that dont have it dont understand the feeling...My friends have been really good and helpful... but they just dont understan what it really feels like..... can anyone help??
Posted by mila on April 21, 2001, at 20:53:36
In reply to Can someone help me??, posted by MarieMurph on April 21, 2001, at 16:48:16
Hi Marie,
please, find yourself a therapist who is trained in Panic Control Treatment method ( different from older method of situation-exposure). one week of daily treatments, or 12 weekly sessions will make you panic free. psychological intervention is the key in treatment of panic disorder.
and no, no one actually faints during panic attacks. Passing out is characteristic for phobic reactions, because the physiology and psychology of these states are radically different.
best regards,
mila
Posted by MarieMurph on April 21, 2001, at 21:19:15
In reply to Re: Can someone help me??, posted by mila on April 21, 2001, at 20:53:36
> thanks mila for responding, its just so frustrating... because even though i know that I'm okay... and i know nothigns gonna happen...but when its at that moment.... i just cant get it out of my head how awful i feel, so something must happen. I see a therapist.... shes not especially trained on panic disorder though, however she has helped a lot... but you think i should see someone specially trained in that??.... thanks again!
Posted by Miss Amy on April 21, 2001, at 21:47:06
In reply to Re: Can someone help me??, posted by mila on April 21, 2001, at 20:53:36
Dear Marie,
I am here for you. My story is almost identical--seriously. Because it is so similar i will spare you the details and get to the point! : ) Get into therapy NOW and talk to someone about behavioral cognitive therapy---basically the same thing as what Mila was talking about. DO IT NOW. You are in the beginning stages of this, so the sooner you get into therapy the sooner you will get better. I have had numerous doctors, friends with PD (panic disorder) and read in numerous places that there is NO MAGIC PILL to curb panic attacks. Granted, they can help get you to a place where you might be stronger to deal with them, but I CANNOT EXPRESS how much the therapy helped me. Of my friends that have panic that went the medication method alone (4), NONE of them learned the coping skills that they needed to manage it. They rely solely on their medication and not their own strength to deal with it. And it keeps coming back over and over again. They feel that they will always need to be on meds. For me this was not true. And for many others it is not true. I know the feeling of being totally lost and unable to go places. I could hardly leave my house for over a year. i am not going to get into the details unless you want to hear them, only because I found that as soon as I heard other people's panic symptoms, I would start having those symptoms too! ; ) It is a totally illogical disorder. : ) But the sooner you convince your self you can live with it, the sooner your panic episodes will diminish significantly. The more terrified we become of our attacks, the more they will happen. The more we accept it and say "Okay. I feel completely crappy right now. But I am going to remember that these bad feelings NEVER last forever. NOTHING is permanent. I have no control. I am just going to ride it out. Just because i am feeling hot and weak does not mean I cannot sit through the rest of this movie. Just because I feel like I may pass out does not mean I will. These are all reactions my body is having to stress--maybe it is stress I have created myself, but the source does not matter.It is my bodies natural physiological way of dealing with these things---and my body will not kill me." It is all about explaining to yourself and understanding what your body is doing and why. My mother has a wonderful book that explains what is happening to your body when the numbness, dizziness, tunnel vision, sweats, nausea, and those crazy heart attack symptoms. They are all normal physiological reactions. i will find out what the book is called and post again. Once I read what was happening to me I started feeling a little better. And I started feeling less afraid and confident that I could do something about it. It is "the fear of the feelings" that gets that big anxiety ball rolling. It takes strength to deal with anxiety. But YOU HAVE THAT STRENGTH. Everybody does.
Forgive me for rambling---my heart just really goes out to you and to all people that suffer from anxiety disorders. It feels so claustrophobic and confing and frustrating. Suddenly the things I used to be able to do seemed impossible--going to a show or out dancing or even having a cup of tea at a close friends house. They were all overwhelming challenges. So I feel I can truly sympathize with you--and I send you many prayers and good thoughts. You will get better--and the strength will come from within you. It is already there. Let me know how you are doing! Good luck!
Miss Amy
Posted by MarieMurph on April 21, 2001, at 22:03:32
In reply to Re: Can someone help me??, posted by Miss Amy on April 21, 2001, at 21:47:06
> Miss Amy.... I really appreciate your response, it really helps to know that there are others out there... because when your friends are all out doing things.... "normal things".. that i used to be able to do a year ago... it just makes you feel so alone, like your the only one like this. Do all therapists practice CBT?? or should i find one that specializes in it?? ive been going to one for a few months now, and have an appointment next week, so I'll talk to her. ANd also, I was just wondering if your completely better?? Did you take any med's?? or just the CBT?... thanks again... I sincerely appreciate it... My heart really goes out to everyone with this... because I never thought that "anxiety" or what i used to call just " nerves" when I was younger could ever reach a point, like you said, where going over a friends house became the biggest challenge of the week. I just want to be my normal self again :(
Posted by Miss Amy on April 21, 2001, at 23:24:16
In reply to Re: Can someone help me??, posted by MarieMurph on April 21, 2001, at 22:03:32
Hi there! I do not know if all therapists practice CBT--it seems like they should at least know about it--it seems like. If yours does not, and is against learning about it, find another therapist that does or will. Do you live in a largely populated area? I lived in a town of 3000 when I started therapy for my panic and found a good therapist right away. Part of it is a good therapist and part of it is your willingness to change. As far as my panic--it started when I was 14 (I am 28 now) and I did not go to CBT until I was 23 or so--they had always been somewhat managable up to that point, or so far and few between that I didn't worry to much about them. I'd just crawl into bed and call it good for a day or so. But then this one panic attack sent me reeling. I was in the parking lot of this grocery store and could not go inside--i forced myself too and was immediately afraid I was going to vomit--so I ran outside and waited for my boyfriend and his friend and then we went to their house where I promptly went to bed (at 8 P.M.) and shook and sweated and "freaked out" until 4 A.M or so. They started getting wosre after that because i was TERRIFIED of how it felt. I mean it was sooo debilitating I thought I was losing my mind. i am sure you can relate. My biggest fear was that i was going crazy--now that I have gone crazy, It's not so bad....just kidding. Anyway--of course panic cannot drive someone to madness, and is not a symptom of it, but that was the fear that drove the anxiety. Never feel alone with this thing. There are lots and lots of people who have PD, which is also something I took comfort in. As far as my recovery (I just can't help typing these enormous posts! Forgive me! : ) I was in therapy for the PD for about a year and a half. But the anxiety symptoms lessened after just one visit to my counselor. I had started reading a book about Panic (I think it is called the Panic Disorder Handbook) and was practicing some of the coping skills already before I went to see Joe (my therapist). So he and I talked about some of his knowledge of PD, and my knowledge of it and he actually borrowed the book from me and read it before our next appointment. I told him that i did not want to take meds; that I wanted to try figuring it out with my own skills first before I incorporated any meds. I was VERY against medications back then; my knowledge of them was very slim, and the people I knew who had taken them for PD had to rely on them and planned on being on them forever--any time I would try to talk about what i was learning in therapy they turned up their noses . But after just a few weeks I was the one making progress and they were still battling it switching medications and such trying to find the right one. Anyway, I have not had a full blown anxiety attack in years. I still get a little anticipatory anxiety before i fly somewhere or go on a long trip. Last year i went to Thailand for three months and was very nervous about it until I got on the plane. But once we took off I was fine. I did not have one panic attack the whole time I was there! Even in Bangkok! Holy Cow! I was so proud of myself when we got to the island of Ko Tao I burst into tears. So believe me, in time you will be able to function again. Your functioning right now probably! : ) I still have to use my positive self talk now and again when I get anxious (which is very very rare these days--maybe once a year or so but as far as full blown "I am going to be sick, why does everything look so funny--this isn't real, I would rather die than live the rest of my life feeling this way" never happens any more. Sometimes the panic would manifest itself into crazy headaches, or my whole arm would get numb or srazy stuff like that--but as soon as I found out the name for that reaction (which escapes me now) and what is happening, it did not scare me anymore. And the more I stayed in the moment, silenced my mind and really focused on what my body was doing instead of trying to hide from it I would start feeling better. I mean, how can we hide from our body? We are our bodies! It's impossible! the more we try to run from it, the worse the anxiety becomes! Oh it's crazy. But very very real! I am on meds now for depression--panic is actually a good indicator of depression. I did not go on meds because I was anxious, but because I did not have the energy to get out of bed and face live. Not because I was scared but because I was starting to not give a shit about anything. And that was really unlike me, so I bucked up, went to the doctor on campus and asked her to set me up with some serzone! I told her my life story (which must have taken hours, you are probably thinking...is this getting any shorter? Haha!) So in conjunction with the CBT, talk to your therapist about what is going on in your life and what control issues or stress issues you may have because they all play a big part of what is happening to you right now. And feel free to post them here too--there is a "social-babble" board where some of these posts (if we aren't dicussing meds) may be more appropriately posted. Make sense? My brother is giving me looks and wants me off the computer so we can walk the dog! Talk to you soon!
Posted by Miss Amy on April 21, 2001, at 23:45:20
In reply to This is ridiculously long! *Marie!, posted by Miss Amy on April 21, 2001, at 23:24:16
I have been on serzone for only four months--and my depression is lessened. Partly meds, partly following my passions for once. Okay this one's gonna be short!
Posted by judy1 on April 22, 2001, at 14:32:00
In reply to Re: Can someone help me??, posted by MarieMurph on April 21, 2001, at 22:03:32
You definitely sound like you are experiencing panic disorder (which I share). I couldn't agree more with the other posters to find a therapist skilled in CBT (just call and ask) while you are still young. I have been on benzos for over 3 years (mainly for the panic but also for the other disorders I have) and probably will always have to be on them. My 10 y.o. son just started having panic attacks (this is often a genetic condition) and my psychiatrist who specializes in anxiety disorders has pushed me into sending him to a psychologist, not a psychiatrist, because he does not want him to go the med route. So let us know how the search goes, and I wish you all the best- judy
Posted by stjames on April 22, 2001, at 16:37:54
In reply to Can someone help me??, posted by MarieMurph on April 21, 2001, at 16:48:16
Sounds like a classic panic attack. Go see a doc.
james
Posted by MarieMurph on April 22, 2001, at 17:26:25
In reply to Re: Can someone help me??, posted by stjames on April 22, 2001, at 16:37:54
>Guys-- thank you all so much for responding.... James... i do go to a doc, but i think that Im at the point now, where I need more than just the ativan that i am on, maybe an SSRI, like celexa or something, since I had such a bad reaction to the Paxil
Posted by stjames on April 22, 2001, at 21:59:42
In reply to Re: Can someone help me??, posted by MarieMurph on April 22, 2001, at 17:26:25
> >Guys-- thank you all so much for responding.... James... i do go to a doc, but i think that Im at the point now, where I need more than just the ativan that i am on, maybe an SSRI, like celexa or something, since I had such a bad reaction to the Paxil
James here....
Tell me more. What kind of doc ? What condition does he/shde say you have ?. Paxil is an SSRI, too.
james
Posted by jimmygold70 on April 23, 2001, at 16:34:06
In reply to Can someone help me??, posted by MarieMurph on April 21, 2001, at 16:48:16
It sounds like you have Panic Disorder.
I believe that you should go to some sort of psychoterapy. I know very littles about the psycotherapuetic options of PD, but that should be your main direction.
In addition to psychotherapy, you might consult your family physician or a psychiatrist. Some meds work well for Panic Disorder, I have heard good feedbacks about Paxil. Also, you can carry Xanax with you, which you can swallow the very moment you feel the attack. 1mg of Xanax is extremely effective.
Jimmy
Posted by MarieMurph on April 23, 2001, at 18:14:28
In reply to Re: Can someone help me??, posted by stjames on April 22, 2001, at 21:59:42
>yah.. i know that paxil is an ssri, but i was just hoping to not have the same affects with another one.I go to just a therapist.... and we determined that i have anxiety/panic disorder.... and when i cant do the things i want to do... because of the disorder, i get mild depression.... Also, What exactly is Cognitive Behavior Therapy?? how does it differ from normal therapy... im confused... thanks again everyone----Marie
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