Question:
Here's my story: My first panic attack appeared out of nowhere
several weeks ago and I ended up in the ER thinking I was dying from a
stroke. The syptoms seemed severe: extreme dizziness, and could not
feel my arms, legs or face. The ER doctor explained that my symptoms
were caused by hyperventilation. For the next two days I required a
steady diet of Xanax to keep the syptoms from reappearing. They
gradually subsided and one week later I only required occasional Xanax
for general anxiety (mostly concern over having another attack) Last
week I saw my GP for a follow-up and she started me on Lexapro plus
refilled my Xanax to last me until my first appointment with a
psychiatrist in about 3 weeks. I understand that the first few weeks
on Lexapro can be rough, and in my case the panic attacks have begun
again - always with the dizziness and numbness in the limbs/face, and
they're occuring sometimes 2-3 times a day. Xanax works beautifully
on these attacks.
What baffles me is this: I've always considered "panic" to be a state
of mind, yet my "panic attacks" seem purely physical. I feel no
anxiety before or during the attack (aside from my initial attack and
the fear of dying from it). As far as I can tell there is no
particular emotional trigger - it's just a sudden physiological
response to absolutely nothing. Is this how it works for some of you?
Do the PAs just come out of nowhere and knock you on your ass? I'm
still finding it hard to believe that my brain has turned on me like
this with no explanation.
Answer:
I had a very simliar reaction when my panic attacks first started and ended
up on the ER quite a few times (due to not knowing what the problem was and
having numerous tests done to rule out anything physical) and the numbness
feeling (for me anyway) happened during a symptom called 'out of reality
feeling' or derealization and also expeirenced the feeling of fainting,
chest pains, etc.I was first put on Ativan but it didn't help much then
switched to Xanax and still on it today...
I had switched to Paxil CR last July and my panic attacks returned as well.
I had to double my Xanax dose just to relieve the extreme energy (more like
mania) that Paxil caused. Tried it for 3 months, did nothing and stopped
taking it. Of course Lexapro (the new Celexa) suppose to have less side
effects...
Sure does and works great for me as well. If Xanax alone does the trick you
should ask the psychiatrist to prescribe this med by itself. A lot of
doctors are afraid to prescibe Xanax for the long run but a psychiatrist
should be more informed than a GP since he/she specifically deals with
mental disorders. Of course Lexapro could work as well if you give it enough
time, but since Xanax does work for you, in my opinion, stick to what works
and I find benzo's (Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, Valium) work much better than
SSRI's with less side effects...
As I came to find out is that the word 'anxiety' or 'panic' is somewhat of a
misnomer meaning my anxiety rarely involved actual nervousness but symptoms
of it such as dizziness, lightheadedness, shaking, breathing problems, etc.
They have for me plenty of times, and also other times I could feel the
physical symptoms coming on and continued to increase without stopping, then
I would actually have a textbook panic attack (adrenaline rush) out of fear
of having a panic attack. If that makes any sense ; )
Yep. Many panic sufferers start with seemingly "out-of-the-blue" panic attacks. The trigger is supposed to be there, but could have been something very small, like the sound of a dish crashing on the floor, that pushes your anxiety level over the edge, so to speak, causing a physiological reaction roughly akin to an acute stress reaction. My last "out-of-the-blue" PA was while reading; wasn't unduly anxious about anything, but I know that I read something that caught my attention because I stopped and backed up a few sentences to re-read it -- then bam!!! the PA hit. Tried to find the trigger in the book a little later, but couldn't figure it out. But notice that your post mentions fear of dying and fear of having another PA. In some people, that fear creates the anxiety which causes more panic.
Ask your psychiatrist about Cognitive Behavior Therapy; there's a specific program that teaches you how to learn not to be afraid of the attacks.
