Does anyone have Anxiety/Panic disorder?

I was wondering if you do have anxiety/panic disorder what have you done to feel better?  What kind of therapy has worked for you?

I take medicine and see a therapist, but I still feel like I need something more.  Does anyone feel this way or felt this way and found the way out?

Hey jbart- I have anxiety and panic attacks too. And it SUCKS to say the least. I pretty much have a stomach ache every time I leave the house- worrying about the possibility of having a panic attack. I have found that exercise helps A LOT and as far as medication goes I haven't really found anything that helps... Haven't tried a lot but I try to treat it more w/natural or herbal remedies... And some days are better than others.

I think my anxiety is at its worst when I am going somewhere that I have never been & don?t know what to expect... I HAVE to drive my own car- I can't be in the passenger side. I have to feel like I am in control of the situation- And I have to have an "escape" plan everywhere I go too.... I have to locate the restrooms upon arrival as well as all the exists... I hate going to movies (especially on Saturday nights when I know they will be crowded) and I hate having to stand in lines. Amusement Parks send me through the roof! LOL! I hate a lot of people around me and again- the line thing, not to mention the rides- the thought of being trapped on a ride? well, let's not even talk about it!

So yes. I too suffer from anxiety & panic attacks. You are NOT alone- most people suffer from some kind of anxiety from time to time... It helps to talk about it too- to know that you're not some kind of crazy person! ; ) (like me!)

I was perscribed paxil, and it actually helped a lot.

Yup Ive has panick attacks and huge axiety attacks for many years.  It got so bad a few years ago that i stopped leaving my house... i went to the store once a week and thats it. We dont have insurance so i had to push myself to get out < i have 4 children>.  I started baby steps.. id take the kids to the park at 7pm when most families were having dinner so we could have the park to our selves. I started shopping at wallmart between 2am-5am so i didnt have to deal with crowds... Im not cured still have panick attacks but I am out and about and enjoying life again. Ill not let my fears and worries control me.

I recognize when im having a attack and I can then have a mental discussion.. this is only a attack.. every thing is ok.. a few big deep breaths, and sometimes a little time out..specially if im in a crowded place.. and i get over it and move on

good luck to ya

I have anxiety... I was prescribed Xanax and Luvox... I see a therapist and I'm also in a DBT skills training group... maybe you can check into one of those in your town.  DBT stands for Dialectic Behavioral Therapy.

Sometimes it's nice to know you are not the only one!!!

inside:  I will look into the DBT, thanks.  How is it working for you?  What do you like about the class? 

jossette:  I do the talking myself through them, it helps.  My husband when he is around is a big help.  My therapist taught him how to help me, so that helps me too. :)

cupid:  What is your anxiety like for you?  I used to take Paxil, now I take Lexapro.

shmoopy:  I used to try to do the herbal approach, but that was not working for me.  I just talked to my doctors assistant and she told me that exercise is what helped her.  I really need to get on the elliptical everyday, that is what she suggested.  I just need to do it!!!

my therapist prescribed me 'A Cat' I kid you not.  She determined that medication was not likely to help with my anxiety attacks, but that a little furry companion might.  It really worked too... now when I feel an attack coming I hug my cat and she purrs and I feel better.

yoga!! It helps he relax because you have to concentrate on somthing you control: your breathing. and you don't need to be in a yoga studio you can be stitting on a train or waiting in line or somthing. It's very relaxing and helps you focus on more important things than your anxiety.

I suffer from anxiety, depression and panic attacks, heart palpitations etc...

I recently decided on meds (I'm in England), but was wary because I'm not big on pills!!

Anyway, I'm not going to talk about my personal thing with meds, because you're on your own pills! However, I got increased anxiety, even though the depression diminished when I first started.

I want to try transcendental meditation. This was suggested to me by a mental health nurse, and friend, who has also suffered from anxiety.

Other than that I try and eat as nutritiously and wholly as possible. I try to follow Macrobiotic principles, and they balance out my emotions better, allowing me to feel more like a person, and less like a wreck!!

Having someone close who you can talk to, without necessarily getting advice can also be great for "those days".


Overall, I would suggest self help books, continuing with therapy (I want one!!) and some sort of meditation, or mind-body exercise. Taking time out to calm the body and mind really helps you reconnect on a deeper level.

Good luck xx

acupuncture and the chinese medicine that goes along with it.

yoga.

qi gong.

deep breathing.

exercise, and a healthy diet.

I used to take citalopram but it was considered unsafe during pregnancy and breastfeeding so I have been off of it for about 2.5 years (baby is 21 months). I tell you it was wonderful while it lasted but I have found a substitute in magnesium. It works pretty well and getting by butt off the couch and working out helps too although I am very lazy by nature, LOL.

oh yeah, magnesium is very soothing, i love it!

I used to struggle with anxiety, but I've improved to the point where it doesn't really bother me anymore.  At the height of it I was seeing a therapist and taking Paxil.  Paxil, although mainly for depression, is probably the best anti-anxiety drug on the market.  The downside to Paxil is that it can cause significant weight gain. 

Sorry it took so long for me to write back. My anxiety would come and go, like I'd be at the grocery store and all of a sudden freak out and feel like everyone was looking at me. There were times I'd put down my shopping and leave the store and not leave the house again for a few days. I got anxious at night a lot too, like every noise I was someone trying to break into my house and hurt me. I went to therapy for about 6 months and took paxil and found out the source of my anxiety and most of my other problems (manic-depression, ED's when I was in my late teens) and it really helped. I'm much better now and have panic attacks less than once a month. Like in my case, many panic disorders accompany other problems and are a result of trauma during childhood. I hope everyone is working toward being comfortable and happy, you all deserve that.

I have been diagnosed with social anxiety disorder. My doctor put me on these pills called Clonazepam. I think they are anti-siezure meds but work well at calming me down.

Problem is, they made me really tired and I felt drunk. The first time I took it, I took half a pill, and then passed out in my dad's truck for about 3 hours. No one could wake me up because I was knocked out.
Now, I take no meds. But I don't get anxiety attacks anymore because I don't have a job. I would only get them when I was dealing with a lot of people. This problem has caused me to quit 2 GREAT jobs.

I still have really bad anxiety though. I can't drive in a car by myself, without feeling like Im going to have a heart attack. My heart pounds so hard just at the thought of it. What if I get pulled over? What if I get in an accident? What if I do get pulled over and it turns out I have a warrant for my arrest? Am I still insured?

I hate it.

I had anxiety from 8 years old to about 15 years old. I couldn't eat at restaurants, sleep over friends houses, be in crowded rooms, etc. I would wake up in the middle of the night and feel like I couldn't breath, shake, nauseas, etc. I even passed out once.
I went to a psychiatrist who taught me breathing/relaxation techniques which helped a lot. Then they put me on medication which I had to take daily or else the attacks would come back..but I was able to be weened off it. Now I'm panic/anxiety free. If you can't talk yourself out of an attack, get professional help. I highly recommend it.

I have pretty mild anxiety, but have read quite a lot about depression, anxiety etc.

The best book Ive found so far on the subject is the one Im reading now. A few highlights:
- our bodies were not designed to deal with the constant stress most of us encounter in day to day life
- anxiety disorders, depression and illnesses such as chronic fatigue are all caused by complex interactions in the brain...and are becoming more and more prevalent due to the rapid changes in society (more stress, less family, less community, less interaction with nature, etc)
- recent scientific discoveries in the mind/body connection show that your EXPERIENCE CHANGES YOUR BRAIN! literally, how you experience, what you learn...changes your brains chemistry. this means we have the ability to choose our experiences and therefore to choose to some degree how our brain develops

I would highly suggest reading it! Its called Undoing Perpetual Stress: The Missing Connection Between Depression, Anxiety and 21st Century Illness

Well, I have always been a bit of a worry wart, but here is a funny story.
On the first day of my honeymoon-my first panic attack!!  Isn't that sad.  I thought I was gonna die.  I had stomach problems, went in to a tiny store and the whole place seemed to spin and I started sweating and trying to figure out where they would have a restroom until I basically ran out and ran back to our hotel room.  I just told my (new) husband I couldn't find any medicine there and that I had to lie down for a while.  I obviously must not have been in the store long because he gave me some of the strangest looks and asked silly questions.
I had a hard time with going places I had not been to before after that episode, but I gradually talked myself back to "normal".  although I have never been diagnosed, I seem to suffer from quite a bit of anxiety.  It sort of tends to take control when I think of large crowds and germs.  I have two small children so they used to get sick often and that is all I can think about.
Some nights I walk around the house for hours.

I don't have panic attacks per se but do get sweaty palms and arms tingle when I get anxious.  I take Lexapro and Xanax at night to sleep.  I've taken about every kind of sleep medication known to man because my anxiety seems to effect me in the middle of the night I wake up in a panic due to some thought I had so the xanax helps keep me calm enough to sleep and stay asleep.

I was trying to cut the lexapro to 10 mg again, but the anxiety reactions started up again so I'm back on 20mg.  I don't want to take em forever but every time I try to wean off of them the reason I take it becomes apparant.

Dagi,  I love yoga, I just need to do it too!  Why don't I do what I need to do to help me, lazy I guess.

Lately I get into bed and just can not sleep.  I wonder if I am starting to go through the change of life early???

dbacker:  I take Lexapro too, it seems to work for the most part.

crzymom:  How horrible for you on your honeymoon! I would have hated that.  Do you take meds for your anxiety?  Do you have a therapist?  These things do help.  I just have had it for so long.

Okay, talk to you all soon.

Cognitive therapy.

I'm off meds. I was on Paxil for one year.