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ativan - ??

I had a PA one month ago, after that i starts to focus with my breathing a lot. I can't take my mind away from thinking about it. Then i starts to manual breathing. I am exhausted by doing it.

I am taking atvian sometime only 0.25mg, it can take my mind away from thinking about breathing.  but i am concerned should i change to some other medicine, since this one has short life span?

thanks ,any suggests?

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Avatar universal
thank you guys so much. much appreciated.

I book the doctor appointment at july 11. My doctor will be on vacation for two weeks from tomorrow.

i hope this delay of getting medicine will affect my anxity too much.
Helpful - 0
212161 tn?1599427282
can i say you will get back to being yourself. up until  3 months ago i was a happy fun person no worries great life. my mom and dad has been living with me for 2 years now . my mom started having health problems, found out she had cancer so two months we ran test ,she has surgery, now shes cancer free, but in that time i let my self go down , i started having pac 6-7 a min for 9 weeks my cardio dr changed my meds for heart 3 times .than everything got better so my body let lose and i started feeling the anxiety/stress, which i have not has. i could not think ,i cried,i was weak,nerves, could not eat have lost 18 pds in 5 weeks, just felt really bad. went dr 4 times they wanted to put me on lexapro.paxil but i read about them and said no i wanted something just to get me through so i could get back to myself. i ws anxiety over being anxiety everyday hated waking up knowing i was going to be anxiety, so he put me on klonopin, i took it twice a day (also had ativan but didnt take it ) after a 3 days i felt better ,after a week i felt like i could come off of it . i have been off two days now and am pretty much myself a little anxiety but now i can deal with it , so get something just to help you out to get where you can deal with it . you will get back to self if you dont worry about it all the time , i needed the pill to help me get back to eating so i could get my mind on other stuff, yes i still felt it today but i got up and went out took my mind off ot it and tonight am good. it took me saying am not going to live like this to get passed it . i wish you luck and we are always here to talk . barbara
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Avatar universal
thank you so much to share your experience.

I feel much better now, since it is not a strange stuff.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
To focus on your breathing after having a Panic Attack, especially if it's your first one, is very very common. It took me about a month and Paxil to stop thinking about my breathing every other minute of the day. That was almost 2 years ago now and I don't think about it at all anymore. It will pass star.....stay strong and positive.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thank you guys.

I will try to ask my doctor for it. It really affect my daily life.

before one month ago, I am a very health person. I haven't seen a doct for quite a while,
this month I went to doctor's office so often at least once a week. If i can be healty again. I will precious my life more than before.

I try to distract my thinking, but it is not that easy. my mind goes away few minute, then it come back to breath. It is always like that. i just hope there is someway i can get rid of this strange thinking. Why i am so crazy with my breath? Anyway, now i have to live with it.

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Avatar universal
Tell your doctor that you spend time on the web talking with people who have anxiety because you're so anxious.

The bottome line is that you don't want to have to go on meds if you don't need to but if the anxiety is affecting your normal daily activities...ie....sleeping, eating, work, hobbies, interacting with family and friends..... for any considerable amount of time then it really is time to take a serious look at things. You can always set up an appointment with a counselor and discuss your situation with them or talk to a different GP.

You are your best advocate and you're the only one that knows how bad things are for YOU. I know that when I go to the doctors I always feel amazing. I think it's because I feel comfortable there...my doctor would have never known that I have anxiety until I had to get tested for something and I called every 2 minutes to see if she got the results.

What kind of things make you happy? Try and spend as much time possible doing those things. Get a freakin Wii.....that'll help refocus you! lol
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
thanks for all the advises.

I started doing some excise, ride bicycle and jogging.  
i just worry my doctor won't perscribe me anything your guys mentioned. Since he doesn't think i have anxiety. He said i am only alittle axious.
Helpful - 0
219909 tn?1189755821
Oh yeah, I know exactly what you mean.

Try looking up an old post of mine "Battle of the Benzos (and my doctor.)" I posted it only a few days ago, the people who posted to me really gave me the confidence to go in there and say, "Hey, this is my problem. This is what I think may help." After talking with him, we came to a comfortable medium i.e. no Ativan. (He's notorious for throwing Ativan at people like rocks at a window.)
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Avatar universal
I completely agree with you Underorbit. It's one of the things I forgot to mention in my long post earlier. Exercise seems to truly truly help people with anxiety. You've got to motivate yourself to do it. It has a positive effect even after the first exercise session!
Helpful - 0
219909 tn?1189755821
Although I'm sure they'd say that the rush from riding the bull capitalizes over most experiences.

Starshadow, and with that last sentence, have you tried exercising? As I've stated in previous posts/threads, nothing beats a "Runner's High" (or Bull Rider's High.) It may sound like odd advice as one of the things you do need to focus on while exercising is your breathing, but it'll also help train you better in managing your breathing in everyday situations, with the help of endorphins and strengthen your heart, lungs, and the like.

Cjplus, don't mind me too much. I like to try a bit of humour in everything. If it merits a smile, it's worthwhile.
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Avatar universal
Underorbit is correct that it certainly depends on the person and their chemistry. Whatever you decide to do though do it under the supervision of a professional. A Medical professional. Not like a professional bull rider or anything.
Helpful - 0
219909 tn?1189755821
I'm not a man of medical profession myself, but I honestly found Ativan (lorazepam) to be fairly bad for retaliations toward episodic attacks. Perhaps I have my facts wrong, and I know with all substances it depends on the person and their chemistry, but for me Ativan took a life time to come on (reality: an hour or so.) Which, for a few friends of mine whom have been prescribed Ativan have actually overdosed because of a lengthy onset. I, myself, have been a victim.

Right now, they have me on Xanax (alprazolam) while juggling the idea of Klonopin (clonazepam,) and for me it takes anywhere in the neighbourhood of 15 to 25 minutes to kick in.

As I have yet to take Klonopin, I cannot recommend it, outside of the success stories I've heard with it, but I'd suggest trying to get Xanax if they decide to ponder on it for a short time.

Don't take it this as a scare tactic, because I know people that can get Ativan to hit in the time it takes for Xanax to go through first pass metabolism. I also want to add I was prescribed 2mg three times a day as needed, and my bad story involved a sudden, strong anxiety/paniac attack and the length of Ativan for me causing me to continue to medicate until an unsafe dosage. Of course the worst that came from it was retrograde amnesia, and frightened friends. I was taking them when their back was turned and cursing the drug in my mind for not working during the attack.
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219909 tn?1189755821
Actually, it's anterograde amnesia, isn't it? See, never listen to me. :P
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Avatar universal
Hey there! Smile!

Who prescribed the Ativan and did they talk about putting you on any kind of a longer term maintenance med? When I went through my first panic attack in October of 2005 i was put on Lexapro and xanx. Neither one worked well for me. The xanx worried me because of developing a possible dependence and the Lexapro just didn't work. I was put on a low dose of Paxil and given Ativan. I only took the Ativan as needed, normally at night, but still use the Paxil to this day. The Ativan, in my opinion (and I am not a medical professional), should only be used to get you through a bad episode. You would need to speak with your GP about what kinds of maintenance meds he or she would reccomend and they sometimes it's trial and error.

The other option is distraction and then realization. I used to go into my "Man Room" and play video games. After about an hour i would stop and think to myself..."Self, why aren't you suffering from any of the things you were experiencing in bed an hour ago? It was because I was causing those things to happen with my mind. After about a week of the distraction/realization tactic I no longer needed to take the ativan and was able to go to sleep without help.

Be Happy!
Helpful - 0
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