Having really bad panic attacks
 

They are getting worse and happen every day. I had made it to 11 days sober then slipped. Now back on day three. I have no cravings, the thought of drinking makes me feel sick, but don't know how to calm myself while in a terrible panic. It feels like I'm having a heart attack or something. My shrink won't give me ativan anymore so I have nothing I can take to stop them. He put me on neurontin for the anxiety but it doesn't seem to help anymore. Has anyone got any suggestions? I've gotten so desperate that I'm taking OTC sleep aids just to get that drowsy relaxed feeling. I feel like I'm in overdrive and can't stand it. I don't want to drink but want to dull this panic til I can't feel it so much anymore. This is awful. I just want to go back to sleep but am too agitated to fall asleep.

Do you use caffeine or eat junk food/high carb food? If so, stop.

No, I don't drink coffee anymore. And no junk food. No sugar either.

He knows about the alcohol problem. He just won't give me any tranquilizer-type drugs cause they can be addicting. But I don't care, I just want these panic attacks to stop. I can't do anything when I'm in a panic.

Celestial Seasonings : Herbal Teas

I use tension tamer, sleepytime and mood mender for anxiety and trouble w sleeping

I agree with nandm. Go talk to the doctor.

Alcohol withdrawal can produce nervousness, rapid heartbeat, confusion, high blood pressure, and panic as well as other symptoms.

It would be good to have your blood pressure checked and ask for help with the panic attacks.

I'm on a med for depression, also meds for anxiety and bipolar. my doctor knows about this, he just won't give me a med to calm me down. I've had a problem with anxiety for some time now. It's just getting worse. My dear ol' dad (not) has told me to just "take a deep breath and get thru it". Not very helpful advice but then, he intellectualizes everything cause he thinks he's the smartest guy on the planet.

I'm seriously having some big problems with anxiety that I cannot just "will away". I will try those herbal teas first. (tension tamer, sleepytime, and mood mender) and see if they help. I just can't stand always feeling like I'm on the verge of a heart attack or a complete mental collapse. And the current circumstances of my life are anything but calm: unemployed and broke.

Least,
I am sorry you are experiencing so much pain. Anxiety and panic attacks are every bit as bad as full blown depresson, I know because I have both.
I have family and friend that question all the meds. I am on, but it is not for them to judge. If they ever felt what I felt without my meds, they would take them too.
I have ativan that I take for anxiety, and would be lost without it. That is one of the reasons I have not told my doctor about my alcohol problem because I'm afraid he will quit prescribing me ativan, as well as vicoden that I take for pain from fibromyalgia and rhuematoid arthritis.
2 of my children have inherited some of my anxiety and they have sleepy time tea before bed like Frstmn suggested.

I feel lucky to have the Dr i do, hes been working with me since my early days in recovery. Knowing all about my past addiction problems he is very cautious about what meds he will give me...i know where your coming from the first yr was bad...constant panic attacks, but working closely with my Dr we kept trying different things until we finally found a combination that we were both comfortable with. yea there is stuff out there that are better and stronger...but I'm not willing to risk going back into my addiction for ANY reason. Good luck Least....hope you are able to find some peace.

I"m afraid there is no help for me, I'm beyond help. It 's only a mater of time.

Least -

it's hard .. hard-ER ... when we have to find solutions on our own.

I';ve been reading about your anxiety and have been waiting for someone to say that severe - SEVERE anxiety comes with detox from alcohol.
But it goes away. it's limited. IT's a physical response and then when the liver and other organs begin to clear out - it lessens.

As alcoholics - we have to learn to live without the depressant we've been overdosing with nightly for however long it is that we've been doing it.
That takes time.
It takes committment.
It takes perserverence.

There's no way that I know of around that fact.
IT's straightforward, and simple.
Pain in the a$$ and not what most want to hear but I'm being honest.

I had the shakes so bad, I couldn't drink out of a styrofoam cup for at least a week.
I'd shake so hard, I'd grip the cup harder, and boom! snap!
I'd break the cup.
Coffee..everywhere.

What the thing is, too that I'm seeing is - you're already drinking with so many other medications .. this is not just alcohol withdrawal we're talking about here.

I'm trying to help you realize that from what I am reading
isn't that the doctor isn't 'denying' you relief ...
he/she is not saying 'no I say no relief for you' ...
they ... CAN'T.
Legally - they probably can't give you anything else.

So it boils down to an old AA saying ...

You've simply ... got to WANT this.
You're gonna have to WANT to quit ...
AT LEAST as much as you WANT to drink.

Do you?

Yes, but I'm so afraid of the panic. I can't handle the panic. I feel like I'm about to fly off the face of the earth. I'm scared to death. I feel like I'm not going to live thru this. I've never been so afraid. I'm afraid I'll die. I want to stop drinking but am so afraid to feel this panic. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm sorry

I know, hon.
I do.

*hugs*

I remember.
And you've got this PLUS a disorder.

I'm trying to help ya get psyched up here, not doing very well, huh?

Prime for the fight and all that :vd

sweetie don't be sorry - LOL
I just thought if you could separate out one from the other,
it'd help?

I do appriciate your help. I just feel so out of control I've never felt this bad before in my 56 years. I would give my right arm for a few ativan. but my shrink won't give me them anymore and I feel like I'm coming unglued. I'm glad that you understand me. I don't understand myself most of the time. I feel like i'm letting down my kids, myself, andmy dogs. I don't know what to do anymore. thank you for trying. you understand. that helps.

Hi Least....

Your experience is bringing back my very horrific experience with Panic Disorder which eventually turned into Panic Disorder with Agoraphobia. I am one of the very few men who has suffered from this and, interestingly, I have not had a Panic Attack since 1996. I do have to make the admission that I am still on Klonopin, but I am tapering off of it.

Every one of your words in this post I said in 1988, when I had my first Panic Attack, and the attacks became so frequent that I did not know what to do.

I finally went to a psychiatrist who prescribed me the Klonopin and it worked on removing the attacks which were so debilitating. However,when one is placed on these medications--including Ativan and Klonopin, tolerance to these drugs develops quickly, and dosages are frequently adjusted. When I first saw a Panic Disorder Specialist, I was immediately placed on 0.5 MG of Klonopin, three times a day. This was a very small amount. Two years later, I was taking 16 MG of Klonopin, and I was very near the top dosage.

For me, the problem is that I am a drug addict and Klonopin, or any other drug in this class, I treated like tic-tacs, and my addiction grew to the point that I had to get into a rehab.

That said, I feel very bad that your pychiatrist is not treating a very real condition. I cannot give medical advice and hate when anyone does on message boards, but one thing seems clear. Your psychiatrist is not responding to your debilitating condition.

I am not, in any way, saying you should find an doctor who freely writes scripts for anti-amxiety medications. I am not advocating drinking alcohol, either.

I am advocating getting a "second" opinion from a Panic Disorder Specialist, and I am certain that your very real problem, will be addressed in a better fashion than simply ignoring it.

Good luck, and I know what it is like--sometimes it feels like you are in another world or that you are going crazy, or that you will die alone. Nothing is worse, in my opinion, than Panic Disorder when it goes untreated.

:ghug

well said ksos!

I am sorry for the pain you are going through least. I've been through severe panic attacks and they didn't have any medication to treat it when I had it. They didn't even have a name for it. I had it so bad that I was hospitalized and they never told me what was wrong with me. The adrenaline going through my body was so severe I couldn't move my legs or arms. I couldn't even dress myself. They tried to give me medication at that point and it didn't help at all. I've never been so scared in my life. My body kicked in and I had severe muscle spasms that burnt up some of the adrenaline. After that I didn't feel like I was going to die. I had panic for a long time and learned to cope with it. Coping alone finally made it go away.

I survived it at a time when there was no help available. I actually left the hospital with a diagnosis of an adjustment disorder.

Your panic will probably go away a lot quicker than mine did. Mine was brought on by trauma. Yours seems to be a result of alcohol withdrawal. I've seen many posts here from those in withdrawal with major panic attacks. I also see posts now from the same people who no longer feel anxiety.

These are common symptoms of panic disorder

Shortness of breath or smothering sensation
Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
Chest pain or discomfort
Trembling or shaking
Feeling of choking
Sweating
Nausea or stomach distress
Feeling unsteady, dizzy, lightheaded, or faint
Feelings of unreality or of being detached from yourself
Fear of losing control or going crazy
Fear of dying
Numbness or tingling sensations
Hot or cold flashes

As severe as my panic attacks were they never harmed me. I did not die. I did not go crazy. I did not lose my mind. I did not lose control even when I was in the hospital. I now know that I don't have to fear the adrenaline going though my body. It was very uncomfortable, but it was that second fear that caused all the problems, not the initial anxiety. I had extra adrenaline flowing through my body that caused the anxiety. The fear of that caused more adrenaline, which produced a panic attack. Our bodies are made to react like that when we are afraid. It gives us extra energy to fight if we are in danger. The problem is there is no fight and we don't use the energy. That's why I had the muscle spasms.

I know it is easier said than done, but you don't have to fear that feeling of adrenaline. It's no different than being startled. It just lasts a lot longer. It always helped me to sit in a quiet place and close my eyes and take deep, slow breaths. I did a lot of self talk. I told myself I wasn't going to die and I wasn't going crazy. I was having anxiety that would go away soon. I can live through it until it goes away. It's only too much adrenaline that feels like fear. There is no threat and I'm not in any danger. I kept talking to myself until it passed.

My heart goes out to you. Look at all of us and know that we've been through the same thing and we are all ok. You will be too.