I am new to the Menewsha community and I since I have been suffering from panic disorder for several years now, I thought it would be interesting to see how other people cope with their anxiety or panic as well as inform those who aren't aware of it and the impact it has on lives. I have depression with panic disorder. I actually just found out recently that panic disorder generally masks another problem, in my case, depression. It seems funny that two issues that seem so opposite go together. I want to know what some people deal with. I would like to have some examples of symptoms that you experience or have experienced. What things have left an impression on you? Do you know what things trigger your panic? I just would like to have a discussion on this, because sometimes it is difficult to find people in your community to talk to and have support.

i get very severe anxiety attacks about once a week.
i've had them as long as i can remember, but they were never that bad until i got put on medication for another health issue.
they're awful now - it gets to the point of me passing out, then waking up and hyperventilating, and continuing like that until someone feeds me diazapam. >o<

i've found that i have to avoid overly bright, fluorescant lights for long periods of time, small spaces and crowds as much as possible.
this helps.
i've also noticed that i can feel one coming on about fifteen minutes before it happens. if i sit down as soon as i notice the shaking/odd feelings then i can usually breathe my way through it without having to get completely panicked.

I do not suffer from anxiety/panic attacks, nor do I think I know someone who does (until I entered this thread). We're actually learning about this in psychology right now. Not to generalize or anything, but don't also people who suffer from anxiety/panic also somewhat agoraphobic and afraid of going out into public and losing control in social settings? Losing of control, meaning that they cannot stop an attack from coming on and such.

I suffer from what has been diagnosed as depression. Unfortunately I went to the doctors about a panic disorder I believed I had. I really don't understand how my anti-depressants are suppose to help panic attacks. I have been on medication for a few years now, & none of it has really helped.

@Wynna: [Hey! Also a psychology student?] Usually agoraphobia is a result because of the panicattacks. People don't want to get them so they stick to their safe places ^^ Which usually is staying home or avoiding large crowds.

@Liekomgz; Did you already told your doctors about this? Anti-depressants have been known to help with panic-attacks but they don't work for everybody, so maybe you need a different treatment. Like therapy?

Personally I don't know anyone with a depression or panic attack.. my aunt does have borderline, but that's not really the topic here. I do hope that you guys can overcome your fears and panic attacks one day! ^^

i don't think i've ever really had a panic attack or anything, but i sometimes get REALLY anxious or nervous, usually when i'm outside around lots of people. like if i;m on the bus and it gets too crowded, it gets difficult for me to breath and i get really hot/dizzy. obviously it gets hard to think straight and i also get headaches/stomach aches.

i've never gone to the doctor about it or anything, i just try to ignore it and stay away from people, but i obviously don't have it as bad as most people in this thread >>

lol /big help XD;;

Your diagnosis is exactly the same as mine. The depression was pretty much undetected for years until I had a major depressive episode and had to chill out in hospital for a while. I thought I was merely exhausted from being on edge all the time because of the panic attacks. The attacks usually come on extremely fast -- I'm always worrying about them, and sometimes it can just be the worrying that can trigger it. I'll get clammy, my chest feels hollow and maybe within a minute of that, if there's nowhere to run and hide, I'll be hugging the floor because it seems like the most solid and real thing I can feel and have my body against for support. And there's always tears, and loss of breath. Always.

I was prescribed diazepam for about a year before I had to stop and be put on antidepressants (Effexor XR - nightmare drug, but it works.) So far I've been coping really well with a combination of medication, regular visits with my psychologist and practical work with an occupational therapist which involves putting myself (gradually) in situations which I find trigger panic attacks (crowded places, catching public transport etc)

I hope this helped somehow. If you want to talk about it, feel free to drop by my profile and leave a message. It's always good to know you're not the only one -- and I'm all for supporting others who are in the same struggle.

Nevermind. This just isn't a comfortable subject for me to speak openly about. D= But yea, I have some kind of thing related to this thread.

I have anxiety and depression, but think that it may be something worse, like bipolar disorder.

I'm on lexapro for my anxiety, it helps, but I still get so scared sometimes.

I too am taking Effexor XR. I had trouble for a long time with meds working for a little while, and then things getting worse. This medicine finally seems to be the one for me. I still get anxious and have panic attacks, but not nearly as much. I don't like crowds very much. I don't like driving in bad weather or long distances to somewhere i haven't been. Sometimes I have agoraphobic tenancies, but usually only after a particularly bad attack. I usually hyperventilate and get very nauseous when i'm having an attack. My chest will feel tight and sometimes hurt. Sitting down and sipping water helps a bit. I try to do something that keeps my attention and concentration, but it's hard. My therapist wants me to try to draw when I feel a panic attack coming, because i've never had one while doing art.

I was diagnosed with a depression and anxiety disorder when I was a child. So I've been taking prozac for a long time now. There are times when I have anxiety attacks (or whatever you call it) and can't cope with certain things. I've been struggling to get a driver's liscense for a long time now because I can't stand having a stranger in my car with me. I am driving fine but the person in the car can sense my stress and anxiety and it makes them not want to pass me. It frusterates me to see all the young, happy-ass teenagers pass. :/

I've never been diagnosed officially with panic disorder, nor do I claim to have it. Although I tend to panic a lot when I'm in unfamiliar areas, namely places that I want to visit really bad. My stomach starts getting queasy, and I already hate the feeling of vomiting as it is, it only seems to escalate when around large crowds of people. It really tends to ruin my fun, because in the end I have to end up going home because I cant stand the feeling. It occasionally happens when I'm at home, usually late at night I'll wake up short of breath, or when I'm getting out of the bath tub. I recently went to a anime con, and was only able to make it one night, before having to go home the next day,because it was too overwhelming. I didn't only ruin my fun but my sister's,who was really looking to the convention. I realize this could be from something different from panic disorder, but it sounds a lot like it. If anyone has any advice on what I can do, to cope with the feeling I'm willing to hear it. Its becoming a real nuisance,especially since I enjoy traveling.

I dont have a disorder but I do have really bad panic attacks. Like, if I get yelled at or if I get into a fight I freak out really bad and start to panic so bad that I cry.

Originally Posted by apocalypse rei

I too am taking Effexor XR. I had trouble for a long time with meds working for a little while, and then things getting worse. This medicine finally seems to be the one for me. I still get anxious and have panic attacks, but not nearly as much. I don't like crowds very much. I don't like driving in bad weather or long distances to somewhere i haven't been. Sometimes I have agoraphobic tenancies, but usually only after a particularly bad attack. I usually hyperventilate and get very nauseous when i'm having an attack. My chest will feel tight and sometimes hurt. Sitting down and sipping water helps a bit. I try to do something that keeps my attention and concentration, but it's hard. My therapist wants me to try to draw when I feel a panic attack coming, because i've never had one while doing art.

Art can be very therapeutic, especially when your mind is racing. You can do pretty much whatever you like when drawing.

Do you ever get those horrible side-effects when you miss a dosage of Effexor XR? I went away for a weekend once and forgot my meds and it was absolutely awful - it's the only thing I hate about it. but it's the only medication that has worked for me so far. Valium was too much and anti-psychotics were making me too sick (it seems that psychiatric meds hate me. hah.) but I feel like I have no other choice but to continue with what I'm on now. I'd like to switch to something else, but I'm too afraid to come off what I'm on.

Sipping water really does help. I take a bottle of water everywhere I go - it really helps with the hyperventilation because my throat gets really dry and sore after an intense panic attack.

i have some mood swings when i'm stressed out, and i do get really jumpy but i do not think i have any thing extreme enough to be clinically called out ( no offense)

well i have anxiety and ive only had one panic attack but from time to time i do get anxious but as one answer stated above ... i as she, just try to breathe in and out slowly or get my mind off of it by reading a book and ect.

they say that anxiety covers underlying problems and im sure once you deal w/ those underlying issues and maybe make changes in your life you'll be rid of your anxiety ..i know mine is partly due to my family life all the arguments ect. and yah
but its not that bad ...i truly hope that everyone who poseted here about this gets better :)

@Miserine: Perhaps if you explain to them before-hand. No one likes to be labeled as one with special needs, but if you have the confidence to keep taking the test and are sure you can drive if there isn't a stranger in the car, hopefully they will see this and be a little more lenient.

@kollusim: I don't remember missing a dose and feeling much for side effects, but I'm usually pretty good about remembering. I was however in the hospital for an appendectomy and they didn't give me my meds for some reason. I think the reason I didn't have any effects is because i was totally out of it anyway from pain medication. I have still had bad panic attacks, but not nearly as many as i did before the Effexor. I took Lexapro for a little while once, but I built up a tolerance to it. I have also gone to therepy on and off throughout the last few years. I just started going again after not for a long time. I have only had two sessions with this particular doctor though, so I am not sure how I feel about her and the therapy yet.

When I was in highschool still, about a month or so before graduation, i started having panic attacks all the time and i had a really hard time going to school and such. There was a guy I liked at the time and I think I freaked him out a little partly because of my anxiety. The strange thing is that at the graduation ceremony and the party afterward, I was completely fine, well, until around six the next morning, but that may have been from lack of sleep and being around a lot of people. I tend to be more anxious when I don't get enough sleep. A neighbor was nice enough to give me a ride home. I also missed several classes my first year of college. It was a really hard transition for me. I didn't have many friends. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Eventually, my meds got changed and I started feeling good again. I remember having one day where I noticed I hadn't felt that good in a long time. It was kind of sad, but it made me happy at the same time. I also went through a period of really bad depression a while ago. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my life. I didn't know what i wanted to major in and i just felt really lost. I would cry myself to sleep every night. I also felt burnt out because of all of the stupid generals I had to take. My boyfriend was supportive, but it was still hard. I changed my major about three or four times. Once I got started in my art program, I started to feel better and happy. I still am not completely sure what I want to do yet, but I do have some goals now.

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I have found out that anxiety runs through my family. My uncle is having severe problems and is somewhat agoraphobic. My grandparents dealt with it to a degree. I have had a difficult time growing up, because my mom is hard to deal with sometimes. She doesn't realize that some of the things she does and says affect people negatively. I have been working with my therapist on this too. My mom has made some progress. She has also resolved to try to make herself a better person as well. She's not a bad person, she just may be a little neurotic and high-strung. She gets moody and acts like a child sometimes, but you don't dare cross her or you'll get put in your place whether it's right or wrong.

I suffer from anxiety attacks every now and then. It usually happens when I'm stressed out or extremely tired. >w<;

I'm afraid of going out in public. I can do it, but I'm not very comfortable in doing so. School is okay because it's an environment I'm accustomed to. But if I try going to the mall or something I end up freaking out. I take Lexypro for depression and stuff, too.

I deal with a lot of anxiety, but not without due cause. I study hard and also work hard, so when I don't keep up with my own life it all seems to suck the life out of me and leave me breathless, anxious and confused. Sometimes it morphs into self-loathing and then we're dealing with a completely different monster to the one here : /

I have anxiety.
But most of it is with talking to people and I avoid social contact.
Also, when people get too close to me, only with groups of people.
And it's been like this ever since I came to college (except for the closeness)
But my anxiety isn't to the point to where I get panic attacks.
I get all the symptoms (loss of breath, shaking, etc), but no attack.
And I have other worries too like money, family, etc.
So to help me out, I go to a therapist at the college.

I used to suffer quite badley, with anxiety and stress, even though i only had one panic attack that started it all off.
A remenant of my nervous breakdown three years ago, i became afraid to go in/near/alongside cars and busses. It got to the extent that i couldn't walk down the road without wanting to be out of my own skin to be somewhere else.

I saw a doctor, but i refused the tablets he offered, and later on, refused the counciling sessions. Reading the referal letter made me feel so mad, and i had hang ups about that. I hated the thought of being 'mad'.
After i had that letter, a lot of voices in my head went away. I could litterally feel something pop inside of me, and it got slowly better after that.

Despite the relative silence in my mind, I developed asthma because of the stress i was under, and eventually (two years later) i went to hypnotherapy. Three sessions and my fear was pretty much gone. I learn't to drive, and now drive confidently at 60 mph + weekly. It's such a wonderful feeling, knowing how far i've come in those three years, considering at one point i never thought i'd be able to look at a car the same again.
Those were some bad times, where i felt like i just wanted to die. I never want to see that again, but i'm much stronger for having come through it.

@ArsenicAttitude: It sounds like you just have some social anxiety. It may just because you are starting a new phase of your life with people you may not be used to. After some time it will probably go away. At least if you continue to interact with people. If people getting to close is a problem just tell them that you like your boundaries.

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@Sun: I am glad you were able to get over your fears. I have never really considered hypnotherepy. Maybe I will check in to it and do a little research.

Originally Posted by apocalypse rei

@ArsenicAttitude: It sounds like you just have some social anxiety. It may just because you are starting a new phase of your life with people you may not be used to. After some time it will probably go away. At least if you continue to interact with people. If people getting to close is a problem just tell them that you like your boundaries.

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@Sun: I am glad you were able to get over your fears. I have never really considered hypnotherepy. Maybe I will check in to it and do a little research.

I meant that as in it started to get worse when I got to college.
I've always had social problems, even with my close friends.
It's just that at college, I didn't eat for a while and then I was depressed (has had depression for seven years), started self mutilating again, and I over think a lot, which I did before college started.
So there were other problems too before college.

I'm so grateful I found this thread. I thought I'm the only one.I get anxieties whenever I go out, more when I go out alone. I'm seeing a doctor right now but he doesn't tell me much. He said that I only have depression. But I don't know.. I get so jittery in public. It got so bad that I stopped college. I just feel so unsafe and kind of scared there. I don't like going out of the house or even my room. I feel like such a freak 'coz no one around me really understands how I feel and they don't understand why I act this way. The school doctor said a lot of stuff to me like, I'm considered disabled etc.etc. And I'm just so confused! The school doctor tells me I'm sick and I have bipolar disorder, social phobia and other stuff but the psychiatrist I'm going to now doesn't tell me anything!

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I'm just really confused and i feel hopeless =(