Sally3127

I had a full blown anxiety attack today. Luckily I was at an AA meeting so I had plenty of people who really helped me. My job is just so very stressful and I'm going on 8 months sober and trying to work a good program. It's all so overwhelming at times. But I think this might have been a wake up call to me. I'm not sure what my plan of action is going to be other than staying sober. Has anyone else dealt with anxiety attacks before? It was really frightening.

Dee74

I know this is not your first one - have you considered seeing your Dr or a counsellor Sally?

D

bigsombrero

Hi Sally,

I've had them before as well. They are a real monster - in my experience when I have one, I usually become very worried about having another...which of course, inevitably leads to some pretty anxious moments, even when I'm alone! I can only empathize. I know many folks who have them find peace with taking long walks, somewhere safe like in a park, with no distractions. For me, that sort of thing works - as well as rest. The best thing for me is to "turn off my brain" as best I can.

Hope you find some peace moving forward. There is nothing wrong with going to a professional psychiatrist as well, if you are able.

Sally3127

My sponsor has also suggested to me about seeing a psychiatrist. I think I realized what my plan of action is going to be. Thanks so much!!

Mizzuno

Yes, I have had them. They are very uncomfortable and overwhelming. I think seeing a doctor about this is the best. I am sorry that you are experiencing this.

digdug

I have had panic attacks in meetings too. It's scary. I've had to get up and walk around the block or hide in the bathroom.

My psychiatrist finally has me on the right meds so now I can enjoy my meetings and even share without the crippling anxiety.

Sally3127

Actually I think I had more of a panic attack rather than an anxiety attack. Either way it was scary and don't want to suffer one again. I'm calling a psychiatrist first thing tomorrow.

LinzAndLetLive

Hi. Im new just joined! 4 days sober but not my first time trying. This thread caught my eye because ive also been having anxiety attacks. It happens every time i try to get sober especially the first week. However, i was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder a long time ago. Its one of the reasons i began drinking and what makes it hard to stop. I have seen both psychologists and psychiatrists for this issue and have been on various kinds of meds. I will warn u that those meds can be just as addictive so be careful if you go down that road. I am finding that deep breathing, taking a bath, or writing in my journal is helpful. Also vitamin b6 is supposed to be helpful. But that being said i know how out of control it can make you feel and im sorry. Right now im just trying to remind myself that its probably caused by a rush of sober reality, that ive been avoiding, to the head! I think it will lessen in time....once i get past the i dont want to get out of bed and get my butt in gear phase. :-)

Regretter

Yes, I've been diagnosed with Social anxiety disorder due to - allegedly - 25yrs of substance abuse so I can feel for you. I get them often and prescribed meds (usually antidepressants) simply do not address the issue for me and the side effects are worse than the anxiety! So, I was self-medicating with Etizolam and Codeine which works, but that's causing problems now in itself that I need to address sharpish.

Anxiety is a terrible thing to cope with and it can hit us out of the blue, and those who don't live with it seem to think it's a minor issue, however for some of us it means, for example, getting through a job interview or being in crowds a near impossibility so it can have quite a serious impact on our ability to just live normally!

It can be a serious life-affecting condition, whatever its root cause, and I'm learning that self-medicating, or even most GP medicating isn't always a smart move as it's a tradeoff at best.

In my view (could be wrong) the anxiety in most people comes from deep within spanning many years into the past, even childhood, and using or even coming off of certain substances can really aggravate it.

After a bit of research I've just asked my GP for beta blockers (Propronalol) to use for interviews and the like and so far I've found them the best option as they help me feel mostly normal but lack the sedative side-effects of other meds, and they can be taken periodically as and when needed.


All I can say is yes I know what you're feeling and I hope you find a way to deal with the attacks in a way that works for you.

Best wishes,

AllieB

Sally,

I've had them, and you have my sympathies. Hope the doc is able to help you out. Just as a possibly superfluous word of caution, don't let them give you benzos. Benzos are great for panic attacks, but they are highly addictive. If you can tell your doc about your addiction history, she'll avoid benzos. If you're not comfortable with your history in your medical records, just turn them down if she offers.

(I don't speak from personal experience b/c one of the few smart things I've done in my life is tell all my doctors up-front that I have a history of addictive behaviors (anorexia, a million years ago, tobacco, etc. I don't mention alcohol because it's more recent) and that they shouldn't give me benzos. Then, later, when I'm more desperately anxious and I ask them to prescribe me benzos they can say "no," which is the correct answer for me. While I don't have personal experience, I came to this caution re benzos by dint of much research.)

JaylaaKent

I ditto this comment - and strongly concur. The only other thing I would add is exercise. I've had anxiety my whole life also - and had panic attacks so bad during my drinking spells I had to call my boyfriend, who lives an hour away, to come get me at work because I could not drive home. Then go back a week later to get my car. Alcohol - while it "alleviates" anxiety for about 1-2 hours of initial drinking - ends up circling around and having a rebound affect - magnifying anxiety - at least for me and most ppl I know who have anxiety and have been heavy drinkers. The anxiety will subside, but after a few weeks you'll forget and be like "Nah it wasn't that bad - why don't I just have one drink?" ahh then the cycle begins -

Regretter

From personal experience with Benzos I definitely second this advice. Benzos can actually create a host of other subtle problems like wrecklessness with other substances, accidents, depersonalisation and of course, using them long-term can create very serious withdrawal symptoms that can last for years and even be fatal if not tapered-off slowly over a long period.

trikyriky

Yes , daily

pinkdog

Hi Sally, I had bad anxiety and panic attacks. I use urge surfing. Google it. It really made all the difference for me. Very best wishes to you.

Calnius

Hey Sally, I too have suffered from panic attacks and severe anxiety. So much in fact I have skipped class because I was three minutes late and didn't want to walk in and have everyone stare at me. Some people in society don't view panic attacks or anxiety as a serious condition if you suffer from it, but it is very hard to deal with. This might sound weird, but if you notice you have panic attacks in a particular area, try to find a place where you feel 'safe' where you can remove yourself from the situation and think/say peaceful/calming things to yourself. This helps me quite a bit.

joygirl

hey, Sally!

I've had a few Panic Attacks. If yours was like mine, you really thought you were going to die- like a heart attack. I had them when on opiates for pain. Then I was given xanax.
In retrospect, I shouldn't have taken the xanax, I should have gotten off the opiates of course! So my recovery has been from both of those lovely drugs.
I second, or third, what someone above said- try to avoid benzodiazapines for this. There are many many alternative therapies for panic and anxiety. Give them a try first.
Best of luck!