Severe Panic Attacks... Medication question..?

Question

I have been having severe panic attacks for 2+ weeks now. I am a mom of 2 boys (1 & 2) a fulltime college student and my longtime bf left us 2 weeks ago. I cannot function due to the severity of the attacks. My Dr. prescribed 25mg of Visteril and it DOESN'T work..I need something stronger like XANAX to chill me out when they hit..I am afraid that I WILL go over the edge soon..how do i get the Dr. to give me XANAX? They look at me as if I am drug seeking which I am not I really need the help right now.. I do have a history of mental illness and have previously been medicated for Bipolar and mood disorder. Thanks for any info..

I have taken seroquel which is an antipsychotic medication..I have also taken Lamictil, Remeron, Prozac, Trileptal and Trazadone.

Answer 1

xanax is very habit forming. I too took it for panic attacks and it works well I was lucky to not develop a dependence on it. Talk to your doctor honestly It may be temporary due to a break up. Those are hard but don't let your studies fall behind. Throw yourself into your classes. There is plenty of time after college to find a boyfriend. There are anti-depressants that work for anxiety also. Good luck honey don't despare God loves you and has a plan for you.

Answer 2

Visteril is a cousin to Xanax. Talk about grounding with your therapist. It sounds like you are going through a really tough time right now and your therapist can give you more info on how to prevent a serious attack. Have a friend stay with you a few nights or have a relative take your kids for a night. You won't go over the edge. Give the Visteril time to work. Two weeks isn't long enough for it to be into your system. I have been where you are too many times to count. I have been on more drugs than I care to admit. 20 some years worth. Talk this out with people and give yourself time to mourn your loss. Xanax and other benzo's only hide the problem, not solve it. But since you have been down this road, I don't need to tell you more.

Answer 3

Buspar can help reduce the number, frequency and severity of your panic attacks but it will take a few weeks for it to become effective. Buspar is safe and not addictive but doesn't have an immediate downer type effect like xanax or valium. Xanax should be a treatment of last resort since they are very addictive and make you very prone to rebound anxiety. I have a close friend who is addicted to them and I can tell by how they are acting whether they have taken a xanax or not.

With your BF leaving you are in a stressful period of your life. Unfortunately life is full of stress but this is a temporary thing and won't last forever. Exercise more until you are tired and don't focus on things you can not change. Remember there are millions of new guys out there. Also remember that most of them don't like women hooked on xanax. good luck

Answer 4

I totally identify with this! The first time I had a panic attack, I thought that I was having a heart attack....spent 4 hours in the ER and was put on a heart monitor for 24 hours.

After lots of tests (expensive ones I might add), the docs said that they were panic attacks.

I am taking effexor xr 37.5 mg 1 time a day and atenolol 25 mg 1 time a day....took about 4 days to kick in, but no more attacks!

Tell your doctor exactly what you are experiencing. Try to describe the feeling to him so that he knows you are not just trying to "get some drug".

Good Luck

Answer 5

Yo have to first be honest with yourself --- are you in search of a quick fix or are you looking for something more long term? If the latter is what you have in mind then more work on your part is required as opposed to the former. But I assure you the route without medication is more fufilling for you and especially your children. I use to have panic attacks and to be honest they can be started and stopped by the person having the attack. Think about the attacks that you have been having, they all started with a thought that came into your mind. A feeling (fear, anger, confusion) followed suit and you continued harping on the thought(s) and continued experiencing the feeling(s). We all have negative thoughts or worries, the trick to kill off an attack is leaving this as a thought by implanting more productive and positive thoughts in your mind. If this doesn't work and the feelings start, then you need to learn the methods of deep breathing. This is where you breathe in thru the nose and out thru the mouth with only your stomach moving up and down. To practice this method you can simply place one hand on your stomach and the other on your chest and observe which hand is moving as you breathe in and out. You can find more accurate info about this breathing method on mental health websites.
You have to notice that when you are having a panic attack that you have restricted breathing and sometimes you stop altogether. The lack of oxcygen is a factor in that tightness in the chest so learning to breathe is detrimental.
You say that you have been requesting medication because you are afraid that you will "go over the edge." This is a handicap in your thinking because you are telling yourself that you will fail. In other words you are setting yourself up for failure because the pills will not cure this problem only you can. I would advise that you not be reliant on medication because there are no pills that can prevent panic attacks. They might help you in staying calm or being more carefree but they cannot stop or prevent an attack. Good luck.

Answer 6

I have panic attacks while I am sleeping. It wakes me up and I get violently sick. I use Imipramine.
Although you feel that Xanax will mellow you out, it still won't help the panic attack symptoms. That's why your docto won't give it to you.
Xanax is ok, is your a bit overly stressed due to a death in the family, divorce etc, it really doesn't target the nerves that have to do with panic attacks.

Answer 7

Yes, I found that the cheesiest lamest thing I swore I would never do actually helped me better than medication, therapy, everything, and lame as it is try relaxation tapes or CD's. I only listened to the tape a few times but do it every time I feel stressed now and my anxiety attacks have almost dissapeared, so it may help you. Get the ones that tell you to go down stairs and through a door and all that while controlling your breathing.

Answer 8

I started having panic attacks in January 06. My Mom and Grandma both have them. My psychologist said that it is somewhat heredity. He said that if you have something traumatic in your life happen that this can trigger it. I had to go back to work in Jan for the first time in a year. I have had 2 kids and we tried me staying home. Then my normal babysitter bailed on me and I had to find someone new that my kids didn't even know. It has turned out great.

My doctor put me on Prozac and Xanax when I needed it. I found myself taking 2 .5mg tablets a day and I would still have them. Once I saw a psychologist he put me on 1mg of Xanax XR. I take it before I go to bed and haven't had one in 2 months. I really think that this is what has helped me. Xanax XR is a time release tablet. I am normal now and never freaked out at all. My husband says that I am normal now.

I would see a psychologist and see if he recommends this. When I had them to take as needed. I was almost taking them at the same time everyday so they wouldn't happen, but they still would. My life is back to normal now. Next week he is lowering my Prozac. There is HOPE!!!!!!

Answer 9

I have read some litterature about panic attacks. But they allways seem to have a more scientific approach and that is nothing I need in my struggle to survive those horrible panic attacks. This is a "hand on" and very practical book. I felt it was written to me. I am sure that you are going to feel the same.

Joe Barry writes exactly how I think. The examples are perfectly described. And the method is genius. I recommend this book and thanks Joe Barry for writing it. It changes your life

Answer 10

If you're interested in a cure that does not require the use of medication, then check out this site:

http://www.cureanxietydisorder.com/?utm_source=YahooAnswers&utm_medium=link%2Bpost

It has helped many people that have had panic/anxiety attacks...

All the best...