anxiousrock

My anxiety, stress, panic, depression has been spiraling out of control the past almost 3 weeks.
it is unmanageable.
The doctor understood and prescribed me .25mg clonazepam.
At first I didn't want to take it but one night was so bad, I thought i would end up at the ER so I took one, and with 30mg melatonin I slept the entire night, even though I was having a panic attack. It was actually a miracle!
But now I'm still having panic attacks almost every day, and have taken a clonazepam almost every day (almost a week).
So I can't just keep getting refills because my Dr only prescribed 14, I'm going to run out and I still don't know what to do about this stress.
I guess I'm just venting in a way.
I DO NOT want to rely on benzos....I wish these feelings would just go away.

BeABetterMan

AR, I have had to do this exact dance. 15 pills of lorazepam per month. And panic out of control. I tried so hard to stick to one pill per two days but could not.

I know enough about you from posts to know your anxiety is real, severe and persistent.

Is your anxiety worse at night? Taking your melatonin earlier can wrap up the night earlier, less suffering.

.25 is a very very small dose. If your panic attacks are helped with that little of a dose that is great news!

You CAN talk to your doctor and ask for more. I just got done doing this. I explained how bad my anxiety was and she agreed to bump it up to one per day for a few months.

The most important thing I can tell you, that I know from experience is that you need to understand that just because you are feeling panicked/overwhelmed/anxious today, that does not mean you will always feel like that. The idea of a benzo is to hold you over until you get your feet under you. You can recover.

Are you taking any other meds? Like an SSRI?

There are other meds that help with anxiety that are not benzos that docs are much more comfortable
prescribing. Hydroxyzine and propranolol are two I’ve taken in the past. Not as effective as the benzos, but not too bad. Maybe ask doc about those.

Make sure you’re getting exercise during the day. Get the good chemicals flowing.

Is your doc a psych or a general practitioner?

anxiousrock

Thank you for this, makes me feel better that others have also been onba benzo and are not anymore.
my doc is a GP and I am on wellbutrin, she just upped my dose as well. I've tried other meds but it's important I don't gain weight and a lot of them do that.
not sure if wellbutrin is helping or hindering.
It just feels like it's been going on so long it will never go away.
I used to take 50mg of melatonin per night! There's no dose information so I just kind of kept taking them. Then someone said max 30mg so I'm trying to cut down, and just take 10-20. But the klonopin helps too. Ugh.

BeABetterMan

AR please tell me to shut up. BUT, Wellbutrin is one of the drugs that helps some peoples’ anxiety and exacerbates others. Wellbutrin had me crawling out of my skin. I tried it because of the lower incidence of sexual side effects but could not tolerate it at all. I won’t go into too much detail but when I hear someone with bad anxiety that is on Wellbutrin, I shudder a bit.

And AR, it can go away!! It will go away. Three times in my life I was absolutely devastated by crippling anxiety. All three times I recovered. And whether I like it or not, the right medicines get the most credit for that. I wish I didn’t have to take medicine to thrive, and maybe someday I won’t. But every time I’ve weaned off of the medicine, things went south. Sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly. So now I take medicine. It’s what I need to do to function. And I’m ok with that.

Wastinglife

I've been on Wellbutrin for just over 5 weeks now. My anxiety is heightened and I have horrible insomnia. I know it can take up to 8 weeks so I'm going to tough it out until then. I might have to ask my GP for an SSRI to counter the insomnia/anxiety. I'm single so I don't need a sex drive haha

BeABetterMan

I feel you in the sexy drive thing. I’m grossly single and that doesn’t seem likely to change soon. Ugh . But yeah man, WB really had a negative impact on me, and I’m not alone. I have been on almost all the others and every other one was better for me. I started Trintellix yesterday. I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

And yes, 3-8 weeks it can take. But I can usually tell if it’s working by weeks 3-4.

anxiousrock

Yeah wellbutrin is a weird one. I take it because no sexual side effects and no weight gain normally.
I just dont know if i can handle another change in meds...I've tried about 6 already

anxiousrock

yeah, it helps some people so much and I wanted it because it has less side effects but, I just don't know if it is helping.

BeABetterMan

Good news is there’s nothing you can do about it at this exact moment. So don’t stress it. In the end, it might work for you. And if not, you’ll work through that too. But you can definitely tell your doc you’re struggling and you want to avoid ending up at the ER for a panic attack.

The other idea I had, could you use a pill cutter and split the pills so you’re taking half of one pill per day? Maybe just enough to keep full panic at bay? Dee or Anna, I know I’m toeing the line here of what’s acceptable, so I’ll stop there.

anxiousrock

I know you're only making a suggestion, not giving any medical advise.
I am currently only taking any pills at night time because I can't risk it making me even more sleepy during the day.
I limit caffeine since it worsens anxiety.
My schedule is going to be weird until thr end of the month so tonight I'm working until 5 am and I'm already exhausted so I won't need anything to sleep when I'm done.....I think. Lol.

Bubovski

Maybe an anti depressant? Finding one that works well for you can take time. Benzos are terrible, as I sadly discovered.The longer you take them the worse the taper.
A check of all other life style factors may help and maybe Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Good luck!

Dee74

AR you really need to talk to your doctor.
Other peoples experiences can help but noone here knows your medical history like your doctor would.

With all due respect to people who I know are trying to help...we can share experience but we shouldn't be recommending drugs or suggesting people might change their dosage etc. without them consulting a doctor first.

What worked for us may not work or even be suitable for others.

If anyone here is in any doubt about the medical advice rule this is it:

Lets stay on the right side of the line - please.

Dee
Administrator
SR

anxiousrock

of course! Thank you for letting me vent though, I actually feel a bit better talking to people who understand not wanting to rely on substances.

ScottFromWI

I used to feel that way a lot too AR - like there was nothing I could do that would help my anxiety/panic. I can remember leaving full carts of groceries in the checkout line, panic sitting at a stoplight waiting for the light to change. A also remember how many things I didn't do because of the fear that I might have a panic attack while I was there - even work related meetings. And I was absolute dead-set against using any drugs of any kind, which is of course ultra-ironic as I self medicated with a very strong CNS depressant for decades ( alcohol of course ).

I can't say there was any one thing that worked to help me turn the corner, but a combination of many. The biggest and most effective one was counseling - and not just the sessions but the tools I learned to use myself. That was another misconception I had - that my counselor was going to "cure" me of anxiety somehow. In the end, just like overcoming my addiction, it was all about me doing the heavy lifting. Coach/Mentor might be a better term for my counselor once indeed my diagnosis was determined.

Mindfulness and meditation was also a very powerful tool in teaching me self-awareness, and also the ability to catch my anxious thoughts and acknowledge them before they turned into irrational worry, and then of course panic. The anxiety response is a natural and very necessary one for our survival - and an instinct we will never rid ourselves of. It's the same response that keeps us safe when something legitimately scary or dangerous happens - like avoiding an accident or defending ourselves physically, etc. Self-awareness helps us learn to recognize what's really a threat and whats not ( like the grocery store ) and develop alternate thinking to just go on with our day.

Some other physical things I did was to cut out as much sugar and caffeine as I could from my diet. Early on, even one cup of coffee would have me on edge like you wouldn't believe, and I LOVE coffee. Thankfully, once I got things back to a better place I can indeed drink coffee in moderation without the nasty side effects.

Exercise, sleep and avoiding stimulating situations like TV / internet / social media for at least an hour before bed helped me get better rest. I also pretty much removed myself from social media in general as it's very anxiety inducing, but also mostly a waste of time anyway ;-)

Lastly, and one thing my counselor told me, is that I recognize that my anxiety isn't going to kill me. Even when things are at the peak of panic, it's going to subside and things will be fine once again.

saoutchik

A walk or a hike that takes in some nature always lifts my mood.

Anna

I take an antidepressant, but I did not want to take any anti-anxiety type medicine. For me, taking anti-anxiety medication for a week or two would not solve the problem because I would be right back in the same situation when I stopped taking it. As Scott said, there is no cure, and there is a lot of hard work involved to manage anxiety, but it's worth the effort. I still deal with anxiety most of the time and I still sometimes get panic attacks, but for the most part, I can manage it. Getting out in nature and walking is extremely helpful, and the following books also helped me a lot:

Amen, Daniel Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

Bassett, Lucinda From Panic to Power

Burns, David MD When Panic Attacks

Chodron, Pema The Places that Scare You

Doidge, Norman MD The Brain that Changes Itself

Dyer, Wayne Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life

Orsilla, Ken Mindful Way Through Anxiety

advbike

I'm so sorry to hear of your anxiety AR. I hope you get it figured out.

Massive aerobic exercise is the only thing that saved me from my anxiety, over the years. For several years I flew twice a week, 100 round trips a year, to meet with clients and do presentations to reps. And I am an introvert, lol. I always had a pair of running shoes, shorts and a t-shirt in my bag. ALWAYS. You can run anywhere. I even ran in -10 deg in Minneapolis in dead of winter. It saved me.

I know you work out, just wanted to reiterate how beneficial it can be to stress reduction and also brain health.

kittencat

I'm so sorry you're struggling! xx

Mizz

I can only tell you what has worked for me. My last full blown episode of anxiety was in December 2020. That episode lasted for an entire day leaving me exhausted and knowing that I needed to find solutions that were going to help me to stay sober. Some people use medications along with other methods. I do not use medications. I am, for the most part, an anxious person internally......Some people are just wired this way. I accept this as part of who I am but I also know that If I employ certain activities into my life that I can keep the full blown episodes at bay.....

- Daily prayer ( for me this prayer involves chanting. Nichiren Buddhism to be exact)
When my head starts to cycle or when this brain of mine does not and will not cooperate (which happens often) I chant. I return to chanting. I continually chant. The chant replaces the thoughts of worry or whatever I am thinking about with something that feels good and is productive. I cant chant and worry at the same time. Its one or the other. Find a mantra or chant that resonates with you and GO FOR IT!

- Daily vigorous sweat inducing exercise. 6 days a week is the goal and for the most part I make this goal happen. I take Sundays off. Sometimes if I have exerted too much energy in the week I will take the weekend off. If I don't exercise for a bit I notice my anxiety levels rising. No one needs this. NO ONE! So, running, weights, walking, skipping, skipping while singing, jumping, running while singing, sweat, sweat and more sweat. Jumping Jacks anyone? Burpees? Sprints?

- Baths with essential oils or epsom salts. Super relaxing and I can practice chanting at the same time. Hot water seems to really help me in times of distress. I wash away the day and wash away the worry. I think about how calm I will be and how calm I am becoming. I also get to experiment with all different kinds of essential oils. Water has a lot of healing power and with "intention" we can change our inner dialogue. We can change what we think. We can change from being anxious to being calm and serene.

- Chamomile. I think I should get stock in this particular tea. I have always gravitated towards Chamomile as its healing properties are amazing. Calming and soothing. It even helps with digestion. The action of making a cup of tea also has calming benefits. It signals my brain that we are calming down, not worrying and relaxing.

- I have certain herbal combinations that I use when I need them and they work for me. I am not on medications that would interact with any herbs I use. They are non-habit forming. We don't talk about that here so I will leave it out. There are also homeopathics that people use for anxiety and panic attacks. Not to be talked about or recommended here but those things are available and do help people.

- Journaling. Write that **** down and then burn it. Let it go. A releasing exercise that may or may not work but its totally worth it because you get to light something on fire. Its symbolic.

-Talking with my friends and spouse (sometimes in a circular pattern and once I recognize the "circle" Its time for tea or a bath or a chant or something else entirely.

- Getting on here to talk or to read

- Set bedtime and set wake up time. Structure keeps me here on the planet and in my body. ( For the most part. I feel like a visitor to Earth the past few days but that happens sometimes.) Structure is an anchor. I firmly believe in it! I feel more stable and more in control.

- Know that you have the power to change this anxious state. That power is in the decisions that you are making for yourself. Having your doctor available and speaking with them is a great decision that you made. Taking steps further and implementing some of the suggestions will be another way that you have power over your life and you are making good decisions. Believe in yourself and empower yourself. You wont always feel so anxious. It can get under control and you will go on with productivity and with more tools you can gain some control over the severe anxiety. You are amazing! Keep on keeping on!

- Shake it off. Yell it out of you. Get loud and let it out. Your neighbors might wonder about you but that shouldn't matter. I like the saying "its none of my business what other people think of me" and this gives me permission to be me and to help myself in various ways.




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2muchpain

I really feel for you. Panic attacks are no joke. For a while, I couldn't go food shopping, and depended on fast food drive thrus to eat. Driving was a nightmare. Rarely left my house. I'd sweat bullets at work and have to take breaks to the restroom to calm down. Eventually ended up on meds. There are neurological reasons for panic attacks. Today, I am on an anti-depressant and anxiety medication and exercise a lot to burn up the anxiety. I still have problems, but this combination helps a lot. I still occasionally have mild panic attacks, but they are not bad. Hope this gives you some comfort and ideas on how to deal what you are going through. John