Breathing and Anxiety

I have had difficulty breathing off and on for the past few years, but it has gotten much worse in the past two weeks or so since I stopped my L-tryptophan medication.  In fact, I have developed what I would call a "breathing fixation."  I have not taken ONE SINGLE breath in over a week without having to consciously think about it.  I think it is related to an autonomic nervous system condition called POTS I had diagnosed back in 2005.  This breathing obsession interferes with my concentration and drives me absolutely nuts...I actually ended up in the hospital one night because I was hyperventilating so badly.  I think it might have been related to a sinus infection and the tryptophan because I had only stopped taking it a few days earlier.  Since then I have been taking Xanax and last night I started Paxil, but it caused such horrible images and nightmares that I refuse to take it again.  When I have tried not to think about my breathing, I get startled literally a few seconds later because it feels like my lungs are not moving at all.  Could this be related to autonomic nervous system damage, or am I just super-anxious and need to give it time?  I really think the drugs are making things worse because I am even more anxious now than I was a week ago.  I would really like to just stop taking them and focus on counseling, a better diet, and making myself do things even when it seems impossible.  Could any of you comment on that?  Thanks.    

[MistyBrooke444]

I know exactly what you're talking about. It is simply mind over matter. I have had trouble for a long time with consciously thinking about my breathing which causes me to overbreathe. The trick is to get your mind off of it and realize that your body knows how to breathe. That you don't have to manually do it.It is just a bad habit that you've developed.