Huh,A beta blocker,I have a similar med called lopressor for high blood pressure,but since being on the pain meds and the ativan I haven't had to use it.I would be afraid to drop my heart rate any slower.And Ive tried those stupid breathing exercises to,but honestly when I'm in the middle of a panic attack my thoughts are on will I be able to call 911 if something happens.Panic attacks are a nightmare,I see the shrink today and I have got to stress the need to get rid of these things,they are really starting to take over my life.
I know it's hard to convince yourself, that you are not going to die, especially when you are having chest pains, sweating, and rapid heart rate, sometimes you can make it worse, by thinking you are going to die. Another thing that works, (so they say... honestly I cant do it durring an attac, but it was suggested by my dr,) take a deep breath and hold it for 10 seconds, and blow it out, keep doing it until the pain goes away... It hasn't really worked for me, because I sometimes hyperventilate... ;)
You know, I have bipolar, depression, and anxiety, and have for years. I usually take xanex Extended Release 2 mg On top of other meds. One day, (last Saturday) I went to my psychiatrist , honestly thought I was having a heart attact, I had ALL the symptoms. My Dr. said my heart rate was 130!!! It should be about 75.. He gave me, Propranolol 20 mg, and it worked wonderfully!!! Ask your doctor about it!
I take Buspar in conjunction with Paxil. I find it helps with my anxiety symptoms...the shaking, nausea, etc. However, it needs to be taken WITH an SSRI or else it has very little effect.
The pain meds are for back problems deg.discs,a couple of bulging discs,infectious bursitis,and osteo arthritis.I get the pain meds from my PCP and the others from my psychiatrist,they both know what I'm on,I always make it a point to ask if they will clash.As far as the Ativan goes I just don't want to be dependent on anything else,I have a cabinet full of Valium I wont even take because of that.He gave me something called Buspar that I haven't tried yet,I want to get some more info on it first.Thank you both for your reply.
I am familiar with your situation since we both frequent one of the other forums. My suggestion is to take an Ativan (or half of one) in the afternoon. When it comes to pain or anxiety, it is best to treat it pre-emptively, in anticipation of it--- instead of trying to "chase it" once the cycle of pain or anxiety begin. Thinkin' of ya, Lisa
If you don't mind my asking, why are you on pain meds? I probably missed it somewhere in the posts. It seems like you are on a lot of meds, and sometimes it can cause adverse effects and do the opposite of what they are supposed to do. Is it one doctor that prescribes all the meds or different doctors? If so, do they know what the other one is prescribing? If you are not sure of the interactions, I would suggest to go and speak to your pharmacist. They seems to know much more about drug interactions than the doctors. Also, speak to your doctor if you feel that you are on too many medications and see what can be done to lessen them. Sometimes they can give you one medication that can do two things ( pain and anxiety in one) just a suggestion. Hope you are feeling better today.