Please help me

[CharityLynn]

Hello, I am 22 Years old and have recently been having panic attacks. The DR put me on XANAX .5 and PAXIL 20mg. I feel that nothing is working. I have a constant fear of death. When I have these epiosdes. I feel very faint, like I am going to pass out. I get shaky, my whole body feels numb and my chest and back have a achy feeling. I have had all kinds of tests run....EKG, some test to make sure that I did not have a blood clot and chest x-rays and blood work, but I am still scared that maybe they have missed something. I am so afraid that I am going to die. I have 2 beautiful children and a wonderful husband. I do not know what is causing this and I have no reason to be depressed, but I will cry at the drop of a hat. I don't know what to do anymore. I am seeking your advice. I am totally just frustrated by the whole thing. I thank you for your time in reading this, and I was reading other peoples questions and I am so glad that I am not the only one going threw this. Thanks for your time!

CharityLynn

[Nebula]

I was just in the ER for what I thought was Arythmia problems and it was just anxiety.  I had a 48 hr halter moniter and EKG's for anxiety. Great.
  I take Paxil 40mg for 2 years, and it stopped working, though I still take it(?).  Now I do cardio workouts and YOGA, which is a godsend.  
  I don't believe that God intended for all of us to nock ourselves out with heavy meds all the time.  There is supposed to be a cure for almost everything in Nature.  (Example - chewing the Betel Nut for skizophrenia)
  Please try aerobics and YOGA and then consult an Occupational Therapist Assistant for functional living with your disorder!!
   I want to get done with my Paxil so I can have a baby with my husband, since we're both in our mid-20's! Exercise and yoga seem to be the KEY according to my doctors.

[MicheleCosgrove]

C.L.

After a friend of mine who is my age (approx. 30) passed away suddenly earlier this year, I began experiencing panic attacks: unable to breathe, intense fear, diarhea, etc that would pass after 30-40 minutes. After some fruitless attempts to get care at these 'family health clinics' or 'doc-in-the-boxes' I saw a real doctor--a pulmonary specialist since I was convinced I had lung problems--who put me on Klonopin and Troprol (a beta blocker which slows my heart rate and other reactions to adrenaline). I still have bouts of nervousness (esp. during my monthly PMS time) but it's nothing like before. The Klonopin especially is a lifesaver but, above all, GET HELP FROM A THERAPIST! The medication was essential for the immediate symptoms I was experiencing, but I know I can't stay on them forever, and the psychiatric help is getting me back on the road to recovery. I encourage you to read some of the stories of the others in this forum who have faced tougher problems (and for longer periods) and come out on top. You're not alone, Charity Lynn; not at all. And help is available.
I'll pray for you.
M.C.

[pd]

hello C.L.
every thing in a nut shell do as the m.d. in this forum said e.g. therapy and meds.  have faith that after a bit of time this skilled physician will "make you feel well". do not listen to others opinions as they will only undermine your efforts. patience and working with your dr. and you will find a nice world does exist for you.
best of luck.
pd

[Doggies4]

First of all I want to tell you I like the name CharityLynn.  It is cute.  One of the most important things I have learned in my life is that "just because you THINK or FEEL something DOES NOT make it true!"  That is VERY important to know.  Also, it is very important to know that there are millions of people who suffer like that.  I didn't know it when it happened to me. I, like you, had two beautiful children when my fear first started.  I cannot tell you what it did to me!  It dictated my whole life.  I was afraid and actually felt terrified with every breath.  It went on for sixteen years.  I am not saying that to make you feel bad, I am saying that I finally got help through medication that I did not know was available for me during all of those years.  I feel like I wasted so much of my life because no one offered me medication to help me.  I also have been through therapy for years and the combination of both have freed me to live!  At first I tried Buspar, which is for anxiety.  Which really didn't work for me.  Xanax and Valium just made me sleepy, although it helped.  But my doctor finally gave me Risperdal.  It is an anti-psychotic and it would absolutely be a last resort, but it knocked out the fear for me and I am so thankful.  I am not some wacko.  I just needed to get rid of the fear and the thoughts that went with the fear.  Mine, however, was not about death.  It was something else I thought of.  Anyway, don't waste any of your life.  Try a medication, with therapy and then do what you have to do.  Please don't waste all the torturing years I did without help.  Good luck to you.

[bcrfowler]

It seems to me the doctors are so quick to hand out meds.  I wonder what taking 2 or meds actually does to ones' body, and if they cause other problems that then put you on another medication.  I understand we all need help, but does it have to be for the rest of our lives?  I wonder if we don't all end up being hooked on prescription medication.

[D ave Replogle]

Man u sound just like me and they have ran every test on me like a eeg ekg ent they did blood work and a bonescan all normal so they said it was anxiety so here i am still taking xanax wich i think is helping the most and i am on nortrptylin too i just staereted that a week or two ago so i dont no about that yet?i have three kids will that cause anxiety i bet it will ?

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

In addition to the medicine, you should be seeing a therapist who can help you sort this out. Its essential.