dizzydolphin

Anytime I take an hour nap during the day I wake in a full blown panic attack. Racing heart, shaking and unbearable anxiety. It subsides after a couple cigarettes and and some serious self control to calm myself down. I guess the cure would be not to take anymore naps but the fact I only get 3 or 4 hours of sleep it's kinda hard not to. Anyone experience this while getting off the damn Oxys? On day 14 sober and still roughing it out.

Spica

Hey Dizzy, fellow recovering oxy user here. The panic and racing thoughts are sadly part of the recovery process and at 14 days you can expect them to hang around for a little while.

Don't stop with naps though - sleep is one of the best healers around and every minute counts.

One of the members shared some PAWS links with me (Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome). You can expect to experience some of these at various times.

Time does heal us. The article below let me know what to expect and for me knowledge about what I am going through helps me deal with it that much better.

Any questions please ask - there is a lot of great help here!!!

PAWS « Digital Dharma

p.s. This is one of my favorite articles about PAWS as it does not just explain the process but also provides suggestions for how to deal with it.

dizzydolphin

Going there to check it out now! And yes I'd like to know what's coming so I am prepared for it. I am very grateful for your help!

Spica

Anytime - glad to help!!

RubyRose

Hi Dizzy Welcome! I had panic attacks in reverse. When I layed down and shuy my eyes my heart would start beating hard and I would feel numb and then tingly. I was sure I was having either a heart attack or a stroke. A panic attack is a very scary feeling. I would lay there counting my heart beats, listening to my breathing,trying to swallow, I always felt like I was choking on a ball or something was stuck in my throat. I would hyper-ventilate til my head was spinning and light. Finally, after continuing to wake up alive after every nap and every morning it dawned on me that this was uncomfortable but not deadly. As I progressed with recovery (as well as a trip to the Dr. - no meds tho - I knew I'd just get addicted to them too and so did my Dr.) it started to happen less and less. The more times I woke up alive, even tho I still felt like crap all the time in w/d and early recovery, the more I realized it was part and parcel of the whole process. Remind yourself when you start to feel panicky - scary, yes - deadly, no.

This is just my experience but I hope some of it can help you to feel a little better.

...Ruby...

Mersault

I know I'm a new guy here but I'll but I have nearly ten years of quitting experience. My exp is much like Ruby's for me the panic attacks always set in prior to sleep, usually do to the thought pattern "I can't sleep, why can't I sleep, oh hell I've got to work tomorrow, I've got to sleep,I can't do another sleepless night!!!" Well you get the idea... Then the heart starts racing, bp sky rockets, head starts pounding, and that awful drowning feeling. Anxiety is awful, and I feel for you. But once you realize that it's your mind causing the problem, it's an empowering feeling... That's when I realized just how important my thoughts were. I've had excellent luck with meditation, breathing techniques etc. Or if you're of the christian mindset, centering prayer. It might sound goofy but it works. Think of it as a reverse panic attack if your cognitive mind can put you into an anxiety attack it can surely bring you back. Hope that helps, and big ups on day 14. I'm rolling into day 6. Just know it's only getting better.

Spica

Welcome Mersault - I keep hearing great things about meditation...now if I could just get my mind to simmer down for five minutes to try it...

Mersault

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Meditation is all about the journey, kind of like recovery. If you can't find the stillness for five mins, enjoy the previous four. Nothing wrong with practice.