is it a panic attack

hi ive been suffering from so called panic attacks for two years now all the doctors try and perscribe is antideppresents which i refuse to take as i am not deppressed and when the "panic attacks" accur im not in any stressful situation
symptons are:
strugling to breathe
a tight throat and chest
dizzyness like im going to faint
and i just go as white as a ghost

just recently i have also been suffering from dizzy spells with jus a bit of breathless-ness is this to do with the "panic attacks"?and i am always tierd

i find when i lay down i go dizzyer and more light headed but i can sleep after a hour or so and when i wake up im fine, but this isnt a solution when i am woking

[jamiegutz]

Hi,

I get very similar things happen to me ... more recently the struggling to breathe.

Most of this is due to the fact that you are focussing on your breathing .... if you get a distraction then you will not even notice it.  The fact that you focus on your breathing, makes you anxious, which raises your heart rate, which in turn makes your breathing faster. Its a viscous cycle im afraid.  then comes the dizziness etc.

For me the dizziness is caused by too much oxygen in my blood by me breathing to fast i.e. hyperventilating.  One thing i have found help is to limit the amount of oxygen i breathe in through one nostrel.  It feels hard (particularly if you feel like you are gasping) at first but keep persisting and you will find the anxiety drift away in seconds (it does for me anyway).

Another for me is Xanax ... i know you may not like this but believe me it does the trick and a dose of 0.5mg enables me to continue working normally without any anxiety.  My doc tells me this is a 'very safe' drug and i have been prescribed it to use 'as and when' and this was five months ago.  I have not become addicted or reliant on it.  Some times all i need is the security of knowing i have it to hand if needs be without even actually taking it ... this keeps the anxiety at bay.

hope this helps and good luck

J

[uphill7584]

First of all, Xanax is not a "very safe drug." It has a high potential for abuse and addiction, and withdrawls from it can get extreme enough to kill you. Used correctly is very effective, but is only supposed to be used for short periods of time. If you want to know more about drugs for panic disorder, I would suggest directing a message to a poster named Ryan, his screenname is RCA...something. He is very knowledgable about pharmacology. Ask him about Klonopin. It is a benzo, similar to Xanax, but approved for longterm use specfically for Panic Disorders. He will be able to give you some great answers along with the science and biology behind them. Good luck.

[ninamaria77]

i had severe anxiety attacks for 2years my symptoms are exactly the same they tryed lexapro etc... but im not depressed so i dont need them.the only thing that helps me is to relax in a dark place with ni noice,if that doesnt work after about an hour ill have to take a xanex.its hard for me to find a quiet place having 3kids but i try.i have anxiety almost daily so know how yoy feel.shortness of breath,pounding heart nausea dizziness its horrible.your not alone.  nina