Has anyone gotten over panic attacks and social anxiety?

Question

I was wondering if anyone gotten over these problems with out having to take medication??

I can't believe how big this question is, I want to think everyone who answer this question. I have just started to have panic attacks, but there not that bad usually i can control them. I just can't control well when i'm in a public place, thats when i fall apart~~ But, like i said i wish everyone else who is going tho the same thing as me, luck!!! I know it's hard getting over this problem, we just have to learn to fight off our brains.. lol

Answer 1

I am on medications for panic attacks..and everytime i feel better, i stop them..then, a year later..they act up again..so, i have to go thru the torture of getting the pills and getting them in my system....so, i decided to just not stop taking them...and i feel great...there are alot of meds that won't make you gain weight, decrease your sex drive..etc...i'm on zoloft and i feel great on them..plus they are safe if you're going to have a baby...and the good thing is there is going to be a generic version of it..and it will be only 4 buks to get!
so, in my opinion, drugs are good!! if you really need them....and don't feel well at all without them...then why not?

Answer 2

I have recently, actually. I didn't use any medication, although I had once, when I was about 15. The medication made things worse, in terms of my health, OCD, depression and even the anxiety didn't ease much. I got off it a few months later and never considered any pill again.

Last year I took a job working at my mom's restaurant, which was very scary for me, and I would always worry abut messing up peoples orders or making something wrong. Which happened a few times, and I would literally sit in the back room and have a panic attack, and cry. Because my mother was my boss, she let me cool down until I was ready to work again.

But I realized the more she let me have that comfort the easier it was for me to fall back into a panic attack. Since then I have gone back to working there and I just go with the flow and find it easier to talk to people. I make myself look confident, so even if I made a mistake it's no big deal. For example, today I handed back the wrong change and the lady got really angry and tried to make me look stupid, so (although it's rude and should never be rude to a costumer) I said to my co-worker 'Here, you deal with her, I'm busy." Even though I felt my heart racing and wanted to break down, I realized I handled the situation well. Rude, but well.

If you can just trust yourself and believe you can do something right, you most likely will be confident enough to not break down. My chest still races and I get the need to have one every once in a while, but all I do is try. Almost anything can be taken care of, mentally, if you try hard enough, and not let it happen.

Try taking up a job that has to deal with costumers, patients, or anyhting related so you can learn to communicate. You may not get panic attacks from communicating, but it's a good way to build confidence for anything that may be causing it.

About the medication though, for some people it does wonders, for others it's a mistake (like me). If you are thinking baout trying the medication I would suggest trying it for about two months and see if it makes a difference. I don't believe in the use of meds tha will basically change who you are, but if you have no problem with it, I have no right in saying not to.

Goodluck with everything, I know it is a tough thing to deal with, but everything will turn out just fine!

-Becky-

Answer 3

I was on meds (Effexor) for about 4 years. With a doctor's supervision, I was able to get off the drugs all together. For many months, I didn't have any problems, but then they (attacks) creeped back up again. I decided to stay off the meds and seek a behavorial psychiatrist for counseling. I am quite amazed with the help I have received. I have seen my therapist 5 times and have had no episodes... as a matter of fact... I feel wonderful. I feel like my old self again.

One of the things I learned in therapy was that I was predispositioned to anxiety - very much like someone who is predispositioned to diabetes. I will always have a predisposition to attacks, but I can live without them - medicine free.

Therapy has helped me address the thoughts/emotions that send me into panic mode. Now I address those thoughts and feelings as they happen instead of piling them up over time. I am more relaxed and no longer afraid of having an attack.

Please don't go for medication (people on here are stupid to suggest that) - it isn't the answer and horrible advice. The side effects of some of these meds are horrible and messing with your brain is not the solution. Anxiety comes from how you deal with stress, your inner voice, and whether or not you are preconditioned for the problem. See a therapist - a behavioral one. There is no cure - but there are tools to help you work through the panic when it occurs and how to recognize your daily thoughts, etc, that get you to that point. Contact me if you need more information or support.

Answer 4

I have and it is hard. I started off taking medicine for about a year. It did calm me down and I was a lot happier but I always hated the fact that it took a pill to make me happy, I didn't like that it wasn't natural. Then one day when my medicine ran out, I decided not to refill it. When you're on anti depressants, you shouldn't just stop cold turkey. I did get a lot of withdrawal effects, for about a couple of weeks I felt worse then when I first started taking it. It took a lot of will power but I did get over it and I'm happier then I've ever been and don't have the levels of stress from the past. Now, I have to admit, I big part of my anxiety was from where I worked. I was there for over 7 years and the day I finally quit, I noticed my anxiety for the most part went away. So, take a look at your surroundings, what is making you so panicky? You'd be surprised, if you just step away from whatever extremely bothers you, how much that will affect your well being. Good luck!

Answer 5

I had a few panic attacks when I was a kid. In a few cases, I think the root was caused by my step-mother picking on me. This caused me more stress than a kid could handle. After I stopped going to visit my father, I didn't have to deal with her, I had no more panic attacks.

Until a few years later, I started smoking weed to fit in with my friends. I had more panic attacks then. After about a year or so, I stopped smoking weed period.

I live a healthy lifestyle, avoid high stress situations, I don't do drugs of any kind.
The result is, I haven't had a panic attack for over 20 years.

EDIT: by the way, I agree with the guy who advocates meditation. Then after a while, you shouldn't even need to do that.

Answer 6

Yes I have. I used to have panic attacks and social anxiety and took Paxil for it but it didn't help. After having a very difficult time getting off Paxil I started working on my outlook on life. Reading a few good books and gradually getting out more. I believe I have conquered my phobia of being around people now. If you'd like to try reading the books that helped me so much----

Answer 7

I would have them really bad right after Desert Storm /Desert Shield, it took years and dutch courage to get past that. Then 9/11 happened and they started again, fortunately by then I was in marital counseling with my soon to be ex-husband. The counselor couldn't fix the marriage (for the best anyway) but he did help by prescribing a med and then I got into counseling at the local VA. Definitely easier than the first time and I think my 2nd bout was the worst. You don't have to stay on the med but it helps till the counseling kicks in. Many people attempt to self medicate with alcohol or street drugs when they have an emotional problem. There is nothing wrong with medication if used
under supervision.

Answer 8

I used to take medication but I don't right now, for me the most important thing is to keep my blood sugar in check (not too many carbohydrates or too much sugar, lots of healthy proteins). If I haven't eaten or I've eaten poorly then I am much more likely to have a panic attack. Other than that I try not to procrastinate about things I have to do so that I don't have additional stress, and I leave early for appointments, etc. so that I feel everything's under control and taken care of. There are also herbal remedies like Bach's Rescue Remedy that can be helpful sometimes.

Answer 9

I have been off my medication for at least 6 months. I suffered from anxiety attacks and panic attacks for about a year. I also started having social anxiety. I had to stop my medication because I was also drinking very heavily. Almost 90 days yeah! Anyway, Prayer and meditation. You have to believe something, right? Find peace within you! Also, when I start having them I take a minute and examine the situation. I find I am typically creating something to worry about. I am not free from them, but I am dealing.

Answer 10

Felicia, you have to take control! When I was 18 (2 years ago) I kept having panic attacks that would have me going to the hospital many times a month making a fool of myself. Once, I even called the ambulance because I thought I was dying. One day I decided that I was being a b*i*t*c*h for having anxiety attacks and it just stopped. Then I laughed at all the dumb things I did, like going to the hospital thinking that I was going to die, or having to pay the damn hospital for all those visits I made.

Answer 11

I also had panic attacks and experienced social anxiety. Everybody, at some point in their lifetime have these. However, these two things won't go away, you just have to look at it as an everyday challenge. When I feel really stressed out, I always say to myself," you are stonger than this, I know you can handle this!" Also, I talk with my family and friends and listen to music with positive lyrics and even sing with it at the top of my voice. Try the last part, music is a good medication. Believe me.