Anxiety panic attacks ? what meds or methods have helped you?

[Tywais]

Post and reply to it removed due to suggesting an illegal activity.

[Neeranam]

Panic attacks (and many other unwanted states) may be the result of something wrong with you - but you don't know what.

For me reading Eckhart Tolle "The Power of Now" was (and still is) very helpful.

I know this might not be a solution for everyone, but it's worth a try.

I recently read this and it is a wonderful book. I was having problems sleeping but now don't.

I came to Thailand initially for meditation and medication to try and solve my problems with anxiety, panic attacks etc.

I ended up taking 100mg+ a day of diazepam. This drug is easy to build up a tolerance and like has been said, it is a nightmare coming off it, AND the original problems come back worse. Stay away from benzodiazepines, they are evil. Even if they stop the panic attacks/anxiety, you will live your life in a trance. You'll end up not being able to remember most your life.

Anxiety is a stupid word - recognise it for what it is - FEAR.

The best thing in MHO is CBT.

For a while,before I found CBT, tapping helped me.http://www.emofree.com/eft/whatiseft.html

[phiber]

A friend of mine had panic attacks and used 2 differents meds. He wasn't even able to go to the supermarket by himself. After 3 months he switched to something that's illegal in Thailand - Cannabis. Dropped from meds and is now on/off cannabis smoker. Last time I heard from him he said he was fine and wasn't even smoking daily. I'm not suggesting it, I'm just saying what helped him.

[estefaniw]

Panic attacks, anxiety, and stress are 3 different things that are sometimes inter-related to varying degrees.

For panic attacks and/or anxiety, I recommend The Anxiety Cure for a wide range of suggestions and exercises. <iframe src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bridgicapita-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0471464872" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Infrequent use of short-term anxiolytics, like clonazepam which is restricted in Thailand and only available via a doctor, can help break the cycle.

[Neeranam]

Panic attacks, anxiety, and stress are 3 different things that are sometimes inter-related to varying degrees.

For panic attacks and/or anxiety, I recommend The Anxiety Cure for a wide range of suggestions and exercises. <iframe src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=FFFFFF&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=bridgicapita-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0471464872" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Infrequent use of short-term anxiolytics, like clonazepam which is restricted in Thailand and only available via a doctor, can help break the cycle.

That link doesn't work for me

[Loptr]

Having had a family member that suffered from anxiety attacks for most of their life and having tried most of the remedies stated in this thread, I can only recommend what worked for this family member. She had been prescribed Valium, then Xanax when first released. We had to have her committed to an asylum to get her off the Xanax. So don't go that route. What finally was found to work with zero side-effects was a drug called Lexapro. It evens out the peaks and valleys without feeling doped up.There is a generic version available now so you might cross-reference the name.

[topthai]

Breath exercise helped me a lot but the most important was to change my life for an other one with much less stress and more sleep.

The last and most difficult step was to persuade myself to be stronger as it, sounds crazy and unbelievable but it's the fear of the attack who give you all this horrific symptoms.

[Addonvalue]

Check out Neurofeedback online. -- the natural, non-invasive way to retrain the brain in dealing with issues like anxiety, depression, addictions, as well as autism and brain-related issues. Also trains the brain to optimise peak performance, and focus. There's a Facebook page for Neurofeedback Thailand. Check it out there.

[ableguy]

My brother had these panic attacks after two years of BS it was discivered he had Lou Ghericks disease sometimes called Crones syndrome a fatal disease. Hope this is not your case good luck for the future .

[sweatalot]

My brother had these panic attacks after two years of BS it was discivered he had Lou Ghericks disease sometimes called Crones syndrome a fatal disease. Hope this is not your case good luck for the future .

don't let this panic merchant trouble you. statistics is on your side:

lou gehrig's disease is very rare:

per year only 2 to 3 of 100.000 persons worldwide aquire lou gehrig's disease

but

about 1.700 of 100.000 are diagnosed with panic attacks

My uncle was treated for knee pain 10 years, then it was discovered he had stomach ulcer.

You see the connection?

[Mario2008]

1 troll reply deleted.

[Sheryl]

Whatever you do, do not self-medicate (other than herbal remedies if you like).

Benzos are highly addictive and addiction is a frequent occurrence among people with anxiety disorders, needless to say makes matters much worse.

There are non-addictive drugs which can be helpful, some of which other posters have mentioned, but these are serious medications which need to be prescribed taking your over all state of health into account. So only under the supervision of a psychiatrist specializing in anxiety disorders.

Of course, if you can avoid medication altogether, that's best, some people can and some cannot, depends upon the severity of the condition. Seeing a trained therapist/counselor would be a good place to begin; s/he will be in the best position to gauge whether medication is necessary and if so will refer you to someone for a script. See the pinned notice on mental health resources in this forum.

[connda]

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)

Stay away from the drugs, especially benzodiazepines. If you do use them, just realize what goes up eventually comes down. Benzo withdrawal can be worse then the initial problem.

Look into MBCT. Best of luck.

[anon8]

Some say addiction to benzos is hugely exaggerated. Some even say there is no such thing as addiction to benzos.

Many people experiencing panic attacks only find relief using benzos, since cannabis is illegal here. So what is better, life long suffering of panic attacks to the point where functioning in society becomes nearly impossible (person afraid to leave a house, unable to deal with people), or taking Diazepam, Lorazepam, or Alprazolam, and coping with life?

People often talk about addiction, they say how horrible it is, but hey never describe it.

[alfalfa19]

Some say addiction to benzos is hugely exaggerated. Some even say there is no such thing as addiction to benzos.

Many people experiencing panic attacks only find relief using benzos, since cannabis is illegal here. So what is better, life long suffering of panic attacks to the point where functioning in society becomes nearly impossible (person afraid to leave a house, unable to deal with people), or taking Diazepam, Lorazepam, or Alprazolam, and coping with life?

People often talk about addiction, they say how horrible it is, but hey never describe it.

Well, since you seem concerned, let me describe it a bit. Let me begin by saying that I have been drug and alcohol free for 22 years. Thus, nobody needs to get on their high horse and start flinging insults. Before 1991, I had 25 years of very severe substance abuse. There may be a few people on this board who know the horrors of severe addiction. I will say this, and I speak with very intimate knowledge: Benzodiazepam withdrawals make heroin withdrawals, and even withdrawal from methadone, look like a pleasant walk in the park. If you would like to see a quite accurate depiction of this in a pretty good movie, watch

"I'm dancing as fast as I can" , a movie from the 1980's starring Jill Clayburgh. It's a true story of a NY television executive who had been taking large doses of valium for a significant period of time. One day, she just decided to quit because she was tired of them. It takes a couple of days for the withdrawals to start, because benzos have a long half life. At that point, she began vomiting uncontrollably, having full seizures, and completely losing her mind. She had to be sent to a mental hospital for quite some time, I forget how long. The same thing happened to me, except I did not have to go to the funny farm. The most terrible part is that the withdrawals can go on for months. Heroin withdrawals are over in a few days, methadone in a few weeks, but benzo withdrawals seem to go on forever. I am not trying to scare anybody. In fairness, I must admit that I was taking large doses, 100 to 200 mg per day of valium for several years. If anybody reading this is in a similar situation, I advise a gradual taper under a doctor's supervision. Anything else is folly. And I would like to point out that there are a large number of drugs which are benzos: valium, xanax, clonezapam, flourizapam, rohypnol, ativan, lorezapam, and a whole host of others. Basically, if it ends in pam, there's a very good chance it's a benzo. There are many many drugs which are benzodiazepams. If somebody is having panic attacks or anxiety, and they start taking benzos to help, they may be able to take moderate amounts for years with no ill effects, but if they are prone to overdoing things, they can end up a LOT worse than where they started. Benzos only mask the symptoms, and one can end up ten times worse off than where they started, having not only the original symptoms, but terrible physical and psychological effects which make the original symptoms look quite pleasant.

[alfalfa19]

Have a look: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I'm_Dancing_as_Fast_as_I_Can

One thing I forgot to mention about the withdrawals: You can completely forget about sleep for a long period of time. You can slip into psychotic stupors, but there is no sleep.

[Sheryl]

Some say addiction to benzos is hugely exaggerated. Some even say there is no such thing as addiction to benzos.

Many people experiencing panic attacks only find relief using benzos, since cannabis is illegal here. So what is better, life long suffering of panic attacks to the point where functioning in society becomes nearly impossible (person afraid to leave a house, unable to deal with people), or taking Diazepam, Lorazepam, or Alprazolam, and coping with life?

People often talk about addiction, they say how horrible it is, but hey never describe it.

I suspect the "some" who say these things are drug abusers. Certainly no qualified medical professional says such things and there is clear scientific evidence to very much the contrary. Benzos are highly addictive, full stop. That does not mean that everyone given them gets addicted, but many do and most particulalry so among those taking iot for severe anxiety/panic disorders.

Now there are situations in which becoming addicted to a medication is the lesser of the evils, for example use of opiates in terminally ill people. But treatment of anxiety is NOT one of these cases, especially since there are some effective non-addictive options.

The other point you need to understand is that in addition to addiction there is a problem of tolerance i.e. the drugs stop working, you need higher and higher doses and eventually even the highest dose does not work. This, as well as addiction, is of course a problem only when the drugs are taken habitually. Will not get that problem with rare use. But many people with anxiety disorders, once given benzos, find it hard to limit use to rare occasions.

BTW benzo dependency often first manifests as increased anxiety between doses leading the patient to take them more often) And of course withdrawal involves horrible anxiety. So in the long run a person with an anxiety/panic disorder will suffer far, far more -- fro mthe very thing they seek relief from -- if they make the mistake of using benzos on other than very rare occasions.

[NCC1701A]

probiotics:

http://www.livescience.com/15822-embargoed-probiotic-bacteria-treat-depression.html

[prighas]

A guaranteed solution to panic attacks and sleep apnea is: full lifestyle changes. You may not realize it but there has to be something about your lifestyle now that's triggering these attacks. Don't look back - make those changes and before you know it, they'll be gone. Only you know what those changes should be.

You need no meds to do this, just commitment.

[Sheryl]

probiotics:

http://www.livescience.com/15822-embargoed-probiotic-bacteria-treat-depression.html

The thread is not about depression.....

[MrHammer]

Solving things that stress you out in your life will help. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy will also work. Xanax is effective but dangerous.

[kblaze]

when it is happening try the 5 seconds breathing in, 3 seconds holding it in, 5 seconds exhale technique

[WitawatWatawit]

Have been thru benzo withdrawal. Still suffering (only mildly now) in fact, 9 months later. Anxiety was not my original reason, but it kicked in when I went cold turkey (accidentally) on the xanax. Suffered 2 brain seizures, btw. The anxiety frightened the hell out of me because I had no idea what it was. Tried many of the natural methods mentioned above - my experience has taught me that that is the way to go. Worked superbly. Picked up a lot of info on controlling anxiety on the benzobuddies.org forum (you can find me on there). Some fabulous people there. One other suggestion, which I'm not very good at explaining is to mentally force an attack to subside. I would stand outside and breath deep and tell myself "this is not going to beat me, this is not going to beat me." It sounds strange, but it worked.

OP, like others have said, you have friends here. Luck to you.

[cheeryble]

I'm interested if anyone has tried a CES device such as Alpha-Stim.

I was on Skype the other night to an old friend in England.

He was formerly a commercial pilot and had to slowly give up because of an anxiety syndrome.

Recently he has taken up again with microlight teaching.

He said he would wake up on days he would do tows with gnawing anxiety.

He started using Alpha-Stim.

First day nothing.

Second day a remarkable calmness happened which has continued.

We were both Buddhist practitioners so he knows his mind better than most and is quite sure it's not a placebo effect.

[jrtmedic]

I'm interested if anyone has tried a CES device such as Alpha-Stim.

I was on Skype the other night to an old friend in England.

He was formerly a commercial pilot and had to slowly give up because of an anxiety syndrome.

Recently he has taken up again with microlight teaching.

He said he would wake up on days he would do tows with gnawing anxiety.

He started using Alpha-Stim.

First day nothing.

Second day a remarkable calmness happened which has continued.

We were both Buddhist practitioners so he knows his mind better than most and is quite sure it's not a placebo effect.

At a cost of $1,195.00 I am sure it is worth a try !

This device seems to fall into the same category of scam as the famous ZAPPER which claims to cure all ills, even incurable ones and the Zapper is cheaper than the Alpha-Stim ! Only some $ 300 !

I have of course not included the the web addresses of these bogus products here but they can easily be found if one is skilled in the use of Google.

Buyer beware !

[Tywais]

The Alpha-Stim is based on a similar technology that is used in pain management and that is the TENS machines. The latter is a valid device, the former I don't know. I have designed and built a tDCS system (Transcranial direct-current stimulation) which has similar principles but more a static machine rather than wave shaped.

[sustento]

I used a book but it was 30 years ago and I suspect they've done a lot of research since then. Might sound a bit of a simple solution but it worked for me (and many others) by explaining the origins of the physical symptoms that I was suffering. Once I understood that I could deal with them. Magic book - magic woman. It literally saved my life.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Self-Help-Your-Nerves-overcoming/dp/0722531559

[sustento]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2-CY1l0Oco&list=UU_MXxbooJm4CKNKJkCRutuA

She is a hero to so many people. If I could I'd buy a copy of her book for everyone who suffers from anxiety states or nervous exhaustion.