Panick attacks and medication

[Lisa711]

I have been struggling with anxiety and panic attacks for about 12 years. I was on paxil with great success for 3 yrs and stopped due to pregnancy. i felt ok for 4 years and they came back so I started taking Lexapro which was ok but came off it after 1 year. Now I am having them again but am afraid to get on something and I don't know why. I acquired a phobia  of feeling "altered" I guess. I can't even enjoy a drink anymore because I have an attack if I start feeling buzzed. My dr gave me paxil 10mg and I took it for 2 days. I felt dizzy, out of sorts, weird, very sweaty and just not right. Everyone is saying I made myself feel that way, but even so how am I supposed to take meds if im making myself sick over it. I don't even take tylenol unless i absolutely need it. How can I get myself to a point where I don't need meds or that I can take them comfortably?

[Lisa711]

Thank you so much. It is comforting knowing I am not alone on this!

[RubyWitch]

You had good results from both the medications you've been on in the past......you tolerated them well. But, as you stated, somewhere along the line you've developed a "phobia" about taking anything that leaves you feeling "altered."
I think the feelings you had when you attempted to restart the paxil were normal side effects and would have subsided given enough time. (Perhaps you'd forgotten that you went through similar feelings the first time?)
I would suggest a discussion with your doctor about SSRI's. Perhaps switching to a medication aimed exclusively at anxiey/panic rather than depression would not leave you feeling as "altered?" That is simply a guess on my part, but it seems logical to me that if you're not depressed, why take medications for depression?
I understand that anxiety/panic and depression often go hand-in-hand, but just as often, they don't.
Bottom line is that you need to talk to someone far more educated in these matters than me. Lisa made a good point in considering some talk therapy. It may be the one thing that will keep you OFF meds but if it's determined that a medication would be beneficial for you, then a therapist can certainly help you feel comfortable taking them. Your feelings of not wanting to be on meds that leave you feeling altered is a feeling shared by most of us on this forum and is one of the main topics we talk about here.
I wish you the best of luck getting this issue figured out. Keep us posted.
Peace
Greenlydia  

[theotterone]

Talk therapy may help.  A therapist can help you sort through the emotions and help you see the logic side of your dilemma.  I stayed on Paxil with my youngest, and coming off of that had to be hard.  Also, make sure you are communicating with your doctor about your feelings about medication.  Good luck! and you have support here!