Best way to treat anxiety / panic attacks ? I have this also e tech and this is not good for us and i take paxil to help me and it has helped and i dont have to deal with this now as much , sometimes i get a little problem but i deal with it much better and can just go on now and this makes life so good and normal . and this effects lots of people and the meds today take care of this and it starts any time in life and no one knows how this effects us but us and go to the doctor and get help and they hear this all the time and know now how to better treat this condtion and dont live in fear any more help yourself with any med that they give you. panic attacks make you sick and fear lots of things but paxil for me makes me strong and fear nothing.

I would have done this a long time ago, but have no insurance. I also tried herbal supplements, no luck. I use to enjoy going out to dinner, now I fear it, knowing an attack will happen, leaving my son and husband alone at the table to run to the bathroom or outside because I'm having an attack. My husband looks at me different, I know he doesn't understand what I'm going through. For the longest time, I didn't even know what it was called and I thought i was loosing my mind.

Etech, I too have suffered with this - agoraphobia. I did take medicine in the past (klonipin) which worked great, but I understand you can't go get on medicine. Mine started because once I was in public and I passed out - because I was pregnant and hadn't eaten much for days - I had been so nauseous with the pregnancy and couldn't eat. After that I started to feel like I was going ot pass out again no matter where I went. I am better now, but still am not quite normal. Sometimes I get very anxious when I have to go somewhere far away - like to visit my parents who live in another state. I am generally okay with going to restaurants and shopping now; shopping is easier than restaurants for me. There are some things that help me. I often reread this little piece of an article if I have to go somewhere that bothers me and I'm feeling uncomfortable:

To Cope with Anxiety, Remember A-W-A-R-E
The key to switching out of an anxiety state is to accept it fully. Remaining in the present and accepting your anxiety cause it to disappear.

A: Accept the anxiety. Welcome it. Don’t fight it. Replace your rejection, anger, and hatred of it with acceptance. By resisting, you’re prolonging the unpleasantness of it. Instead, flow with it. Don’t make it responsible for how you think, feel, and act.

W: Watch your anxiety. Look at it without judgment – not good, not bad. Rate it on a 0-to-10 scale and watch it go up and down. Be detached. Remember, you’re not your anxiety. The more you can separate yourself from the experience, the more you can just watch it.

A: Act with the anxiety. Act as if you aren’t anxious. Function with it. Slow down if you have to, but keep going. Breathe slowly and normally. If you run from the situation your anxiety will go down, but your fear will go up. If you stay, both your anxiety and your fear will go down.

R: Repeat the steps. Continue to accept your anxiety, watch it, and act with it until it goes down to a comfortable level. And it will. Just keep repeating these three steps: accept, watch, and act with it.

E: Expect the best. What you fear the most rarely happens. Recognize that a certain amount of anxiety is normal. By expecting future anxiety you’re putting yourself in a good position to accept it when it comes again.

Adapted from: Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective, by Aaron Beck and Gary Emery

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/panic_disorder_anx iety_attack_symptom_treatment.htm

This link might also be helpful. You might have to just learn the best way to manage your symptoms - they might not just go away without medication... but you can definitely work at it an take the edge off. For a time, I did see a therapist, who told me that in her 25 yrs, she has never ever heard of anyone actually passing out because of anxiety, so no matter how bad you feel you probably won't! Also her main thing was that your perception of reality is not necessarily reality. For example, two people win a trip to Tunisia. One person is excited thinking of all of the fun and adventures they're going to have and gets excited to start packing. The other person, however is just a ball of nerves, wondering: what if the plane crashes? What if I hate it there? What if I forget something? Same event for both people, but they both see it in different ways. So you might look at a restaurant and think - 'torture chamber' whereas someone else might see it and think of calm family fun. So just because you feel like you need to panic, what you fear is not really going to happen. I know that this really sucks. I am at a point that is better than where you are (I have been there) but I still have a lot of work to do myself. We just have a certain way of thinking and reacting that is difficult to overcome on our own! Good luck to you & hugs

"If you run from the situation your anxiety will go down, but your fear will go up. If you stay, both your anxiety and your fear will go down. "

This is the part that I like the best...when I handle a situation that would normally make me panic I feel victorious!

OK etech i think they have the generic at walmart or Kroger's for 4 dollars for 30 days and i think the name is paxatine or something like that its the same med and you need to spend the money to get the med to help you ! a one time doctor vist may help you get on this med and i want to help you so much and also if you can find a free clinic they will help you out also or go to the health dept and call them and tell them you need help .

That's true - it would be ideal if you could find someplace free to be checked out. I hate to know you're suffering, when it is so very treatable..

I see a lot of clients with anxiety and panic attacks and in my experience a combination of hypnosis and cognitive behaviour technique (CBT) works very well. CBT alone often helps people understand the behaviour that they want instead of the anxiety but they often already know that. In my opinion it's the hypnosis that helps people to think differently about their anxiety and so is the most effective way to reduce anxiety and panic. Read some more at www.mindblockssorted.com/getridofanxiety

Hello e-tech......I would strongly urge you to seek professional help with this...The symptoms that you describe is indicative of a condition known as Agoraphobia.....This condition requires the expertise of professionals. Try and find a community resource that can offer you suggestions of how to obtain the help you need...Lack of insurance is a problem that many patients are faced with this day and age..However, there are certain community programs that cost nothing or at least a very minimal cost...You may also try to call a Hotline and speak to someone who can guide you in the right direction....This is something that certainly is not going to go away without treatment...That does not mean that you are going to require medication, however, that is a possibility...You must start somewhere. A hotline may be the first step...If you would like more information on the condition that I mentioned above, please, visit our homepage, WebMD and use the search engine and type in <agoraphobia>. You will find much literature on this particular condition....Good Luck to you and God Bless. Keep us posted.

Agoraphobia sounds very similar on what I am going through. I do stay in my home because I fear having panic attacks in public. I never knew that's what agoraphobia was. The problem with that is, I don't have social phobia, I guess that means the fear of embarrassing themselves in front of others. The problem is I don't know why I have the panic attacks in public, I try to always figure it out, and I get nothing. Nothing traumatic has happened to me outside.

Agoraphobia and social phobia are dfferent, but they are both anxiety disorders. :)

All of this is based purely on assumption...You need to get to the root problem of this irregardless of whether it is agoraphobia or other disorder...No one needs to go through this alone...It simply must be dealt with by individuals who can help you...Please, seek the advise of a counselor or professional with this..You do not want to go through the rest of your life this way and you don't have to..There is help out there...Gather your resources by calling some of your community entities or call a hotline and get advise on where you can receive proper diagnosis and treatment...Again, God Bless

I have suffered from the same thing for the past 15 years. I have recently started taking Buspar for the anxiety. It has been a miracle drug to me. I have just recently started to leave the house more often.. I had to take it in baby steps. When I first started leaving the house again I would have someone go with me. I would try to go to the park or somewhere unconfined first then go from there if it starts to help. Mine got so bad that I would not even drive for the fear my car would blow up, so I recommend to anyone who is going through this to get ahold of it as soon as you can and do not let it get to the point mine was. I am still dealing with it everyday. I pray for your recovery. Oh by the way praying helps more than you can imagine. God bless.

I actually get tons of anxiety attacks but I've learned to control them using some meditation techniques that I would like to teach to you. I would also recommend doing them before bed, or anytime you need to unwind.

The first technique: The Bubble

Imagine a protective bubble around you. Go into complete details about the bubble, what does it look like? What color? pattern? material? shape? What does it smell like? Would you have any favorite objects in it? Do you hear any sounds or music in it? It's a protective bubble, so anything that could harm you just bounces off or it slows it down so it can't hurt you. Use humor and breathing ot your advantage

The next technique is called 5 - 4 - 3

When feeling anxious or having a panic attack, stop and focus on:
5 things you see
4 things you hear
3 things you can touch
Repeat until you are calm. Breathe and focus on each item


Third technique - Safe Place

Close your eyes and think of a place that you feel safe and happy in. Picture it in your mind. What do you see? Be specific, just like with the bubble. What does it look like? What objects do you see? What colors? What do you hear? Is it day or night? What do you smell? This is best to do in a quiet place if you can, and is very good for getting to sleep at night. Use it with slow, deep breaths

These were just off some notes a psychologist gave me, but if you need anymore, just look up some meditation techniques online. I really hope this helps you!

E-tech, it sounds like your anxiety/panic attacks are moderate to severe in which case, I recommend you seeking professional counseling. I used to work for a therapist and saw many people find relief and overcome their difficulties. Mild anxiety/panic can often be 'home' treated by various relaxation and/or meditation and/or exercise techniques but I believe yours may need more than 'home' treatment. I understand that money is a major issue but there are many social service organizations who offer counseling on a sliding scale -- meaning you can pay what you can afford. Check your yellow pages under 'Social Service' or 'Human Service' organizations and make a few phone calls. There are also county agencies that can help. Blessings!

One method that some former panic attack sufferers have used is to not resist them but to actually invite them to occur. While this sounds strange at first glance, it is a method that in-essence tricks the "fight or flight" response into reversing itself. This anxiety mechanism thrives of resistance and fear, in fact these are triggers for panic attacks. By literally challenging anxiety to takes its best shot, you cause it to shut down because the fuel is not there for anxiety to run on.

Part of this method can also involve learning to flow with anxiety, so that you work with it, rather than it working against you. By practicing this aspect, one can eventually learn to channel anxiety into a positive direction, such as toward a creative process (i.e. art, sports, writing, etc...).

One PhD psychiatrist in the UK discovered that by having her patients to conjure up torrid romantic fantasies, they could stop anxiety and panic attacks in their tracks. Again, an unusual method but one that her patients found relief from anxiety by practicing. This would be more-so in the "diversion method" category and one that other psychiatrists have found effective in different versions for many years.

Exposure therapy is a method in which an anxiety sufferer exposes their self to those things that trigger their phobias. They do so gradually until the fear comes under their control and that will sometimes completely subside for them over time.

These methods take time and effort but can be effective in overcoming anxiety and panic attacks. It can also help to join anxiety forums and read & share personal anxiety experiences and coping-gains with fellow sufferers.

I would also suggest you buy and read the book Hope and Help for your Nerves by Dr. Clare Weeks. This book cured me of anxiety attacks without the use of any medications, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is suffering--you can cure yourself.

Hi,

the best way to treat anxiety and panic attacks is to practice medition to calm down your mind.

The best way is the following :

1.) Relax immediately
2.) Drink a lot of water
3.) Remove the clothes and relax and sleep for three hours.