Severe anxiety attack

[Cassangel69]

I have been suffering from anxiety for years. For a couple of months I have bad depression and anxiety. Last week I saw my psychiatric and she increased my gabapentin from 300 mg to 400 mg three times a day and my depression and anxiety attacks improved, was feeling like myself again.  Well last night I was happy and energetic, playing with my children and dancing around. I sat at my computer and all the sudden felt very dizzy and light headed. Not the normal occasional light headed feeling, this was severe.  I got my children to bed, which was hard cause I was so dizzy and my legs felt like jello.  I laid down and took my blood pressure and it was a lot higher than normal - I am normally 119/69 etc with a pulse around 78.  Last night my BP was 154/84 and pulse was 92 with the severe dizziness and jello legs.  I took all my meds I take for anxiety, klonopin, gabapentin and vistaril and just laid there and tried to stay calm.  I was shaking all over, like the freezing chills but wasn't cold.  It took about 2 hrs for the attack to go away and my vitals to return to normal. It was very scary.  This is the 3rd time I have had an attack that severe.  I live with anxiety everyday and take my meds but last night was a huge attack that totally disabled me.  I woke this morning and took my gabapentin and feel tired from the experience and meds.  I hope one that bad never returns.   Has anyone else experienced an attack like this?

[Cassangel69]

I really appreciate the feedback =)  Makes me feel not so alone.   Wednesday the 12th after I posted - I called the pharmacy at my mental health facility and talked to a nice lady I adore that works there. I told her I felt the 400mg was too much and needed to go back on 300 mg.  She took a message and talked to the psychiatrist who agreed. So my 2 pm dose the 12th was 300 mg and when I went to bed was 300 mg.   I woke the 13th - yesterday - and took the 300 mg and felt bad - light headed, foggy headed, couldn't concentrate to speak.  I went back through my PC journals (they go back 4 years) and read over the last 18 months I have been on gabapentin for my anxiety and I saw it never helped me and recently started making me very depressed, was having panic attacks, etc - this is why I was increased to 400 mg - then I got worse - so gabapentin is not the medicine for me at all.  My experience with SSRI's have been bad as well as Trileptal and Saphris.  Meds just don't agree with me. I am very sensitive to medications.  So long story short, thanks for reading =)  I am now tapering off the gabapentin - I did a lot of research on this and called my pharmacist.  I do not want this medication in my body anymore. What makes things worse is my psychiatrist doesn't truly care and just hands out meds like they are candy...    Thanks again xoxo

[Alpha45]

Check out panic away on YouTube.

[Lawnyard21]

I have suffered from all of this on and off for the past 4 years. I can be perfectly fine than bam one little sensation sets everything off. What if this is wrong? What if that is wrong? I was doing great for awhile and I have recently had a few severe ones. I am glad I could find this site because everything I read I feel.

[birdie0907]

I think your post indicates you can't see doc, so maybe call the pharmacist for advice in the meantime.

[CRSeaside]

Please be careful while getting off GABA. I was on it too, & wasn't aware that stoping abruptly could cause trouble.   Pamela

[Cassangel69]

Thanks for the replies =)   I feel worse today on the 400 mg of gabapentin, today is day #7.  I am very sensitive to meds and do not want the 400 mg anymore.  It made me worse instead of better. Today my skin is burning from the inside out.  I went to my mental health facility and was just told they were too busy to see me. Very frustrating.  After doing some reading, I do not want to be on gabapentin at all anymore. I am not sure it was ever working to tell you the truth.  Hugs to all that suffer from severe anxiety, I truly relate.

[birdie0907]

"This is the 3rd time I have had an attack that severe. "

How long ago were the others? If you get through tonight ok then perhaps last night was just one of those things that doesn't recur.

[TCarol]

That's similar to what I experience.  A fine day suddenly turns for the worst.  The onset is usually tunnel vision, extreme dizziness, weakness, chills even when it's warm, just plain out of it hazy feeling.  It lasts only a short time under a minute but the after effects are still awful.  I can have the chills all day.  The bad episodes can last for several days to feel normal again.  Ive never taken any meds.  I've only been to a doctor a couple of times but never follow through with proper diagnoses.  Lately it has been taking over my life.  

[anxiety860]

For some medication an increase in dosage can cause side effects. You could have been suffering through one of those nasty ones. They should go away shortly