need panic attack help

Hello all-

I've been dealing with panic attacks for most of my life, and lately they've become overwhelming, and I can't leave my house.  It's putting stress on my (new!) marriage, because my husband takes it on himself to make me happy all the time.  I really need to find something that works.  I've been in therapy and on meds for 10 years now, but nothing has given me any lasting relief.  So I'm posting here with a desperate plea to anyone suffering from panic attacks - what will work?
Currently, I see a counsellor once a week and am taking an anti-anxiety med.  I'm looking into hypnosis and vitamin supplements as well.

Thanks in advance,
peachy

I had a problem with them as well, so I understand where you are coming from and can totally understand how they can cause issues in a relationship.  (I had stacks of mail all over my house and was too afraid to open them, and that was just for starters).

Obviously there is no magic bullet for these.  Personally it took me 3 years of counseling, but I had the best possible counselor in the whole world (in my opinion).  He was great and took a very holistic look at the issue.

One of the best things that helped me personally was to realize what anxiety and depression really are.  He said to me "depression is fear of the past and anxiety is fear of the future".  That simply concept went a long way to helping me at least understand what I was feeling.

For a while I went on Lexapro, which worked really well for me.  I ended up only needing to be on it for about a year and then I used Lorazepam for the acute attacks to calm me down.  I had really good reaction to Lexapro and the Lorazepam was wonderful to just calm me down.

I was doing so well at my move, my consoler and myself agreed that I didn't need anymore treatment and I have been off medication for about 2 years and been away from consoling for about 4 months.

My advice would be a) change councilors if you feel like there isn't a good relationship there.  Be honest with yourself, but if you aren't getting out of it what you need, change.  There is no exact science there.  b) Think about changing your medication.  Again that is a tricky balance.  What SSRIs have you taken or are taking now?  Also are you taking something like Lorazepam or Ativan for the acute attacks?  If not, consider having that available to you.

Also, it might make sense for your husband to attend consoling with you.  It will at least help him possibly understand that what you are dealing with is a medical problem and not his "responsability" to make you happy.  I know that it can cause a lot of friction because he will have a hard time dealing with why you aren't happy.  Is he not good enough, etc...

Also, if you don't mind me asking, have you been able to identify your triggers, what makes the attacks come on and how are you dealing with them?  Also, have you and your consoler set objectives and have you been able to achieve them?  Do you feel you are making any progress?

One last suggestion, have you tried meditation.  It can be a very scary thing to undertake, but it can help a lot to just get the mind from running and running.

Feel free to PM me if you wish.  I would be glad to help however I can.

Hi. My husband suffers from agoraphobia, which is secondary to another condition (which we haven't found a way to treat.) Since I have known him, he has progressed from barely being able to walk down the street to traveling all over England. (He is working on being able to travel to other countries and eventually fly to America so I can see my family.)

He has had hypnotherapy and counselling, which seem to have been helpful. He does not take any medication.

I don't really have any advice, just to remind you that you're not alone.

If your situation isn't improving, you might want to try a different counselor or reassess your medication.


He put a page on panic attacks on one of his websites; I think doing it made him feel a bit better.

http://www.maljonicsdreams.com/panic_attacks/

Ask your therapist about Dilectal Behavioral Therapy. It worked wonders for me in some really stressful situations. I am so goal-oriented that I have great difficulty when things are beyond my control. This gave me a means of letting go of some of that stress.

Your GP can give you a referral to specialist mental health services. Things like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be effective for panic attacks but aren't going to be offered by your Primary Care Trust. You would probably be referred to a Community Mental Health Team for assessment as that is where a lot of CBT is carried out. Good luck!!!

From my personal experience, GPs are aware of the difficulty of accessing NHS specialists in a timely manner, and have lists of private non-NHS specialists available for different conditions. You just have to ask.

Thank you all for your comments and support.  I've tried Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Transactional Analysis.  I want to try hypnotherapy now and see if that helps.  I've been on Clonazepam (Rivotril) for a while now, as that's the only drug I've tried that's worked consistently.
It gets discouraging sometimes to have to deal with this, but my hubby is really trying to be so supportive.  I think the move across and having to start over with friends and such has made it harder.  But I know time and effort will help with that too.
Thanks again for everything!

Again, from a total lay person perspective, Clonazepam is a sedative and I am sure is useful for the acute panic attacks, have you had any experience with an SSRI?  They take a long time to potentially become effective (4-weeks) and depending on the SSRI can have some undesirable side effect, but for me, SSRI's were very effective in the long term treatment.  While I could treat the acute panic attacks with a sedative, my overall health was to get the SSRI's going and I was amazed at how things just seemed to get easier and more manageable.

Anyways, I hope the you find the sort of treatment you are comfotrable with and is effective for you!  Best of luck!

My panic attacks were the result of Post Natal Depression rather than psychological in origin.

Lustral was effective for a while, but then I made the move to venlafaxine and that helped much more.

I have a panic disorder too.  I have been through the system to get to see a psychiatrist (and will be starting CBT soon).  If you want to go that route, this is how it's been for me:

1.  Went to GP and explained my history and what I wanted.
2.  GP referred me to my local Mental Health Trust
3.  Arranged appointment for evaluation.
4.  About a month after evaluation, I was assigned to a permanent doctor.
5.  My psychiatrist is fantastic and we schedule our appointments so there's little to no red tape now.

That's not to say that I didn't have to fight for what I wanted.  I advise anyone, anytime to act as their own advocate.  You don't always have to be told what to do*, you can work together.  Aside from a few bumps, I'm pleased with how it's going so far.

I also have some experience with private care.  If you have any questions, etc don't hesitate to PM me.  Good Luck!!!


*I learned that at an early age when a doctor told me my only option was to fuse one of my hips and never walk again.  A second opinion, and I'm still walking.

I've definitely had a few panic attacks, although mine sound minor compared to what you have experienced.

I went to the doctor after I had a really bad episode when I was alone one night. They tend to come on when I'm stressing out about my wedding, moving to the UK, how much I miss my fiance, my job, etc. My heart is pounding, I feel like I can't breath and so on. I got a prescription for Xanax, which I had used for flight anxiety in the past and it has worked very well. It's really helped when I need to relax. Thank goodness I had some left over from a recent flight - it saved me that night.

Anyways, it is terrible to feel like there is no escape and to feel so helpless. It's hard to explain it to people who haven't experienced it. I wish you the best of luck in finding a solution!