Panic attacks
I have been having worse anxiety lately. Every day I seem to struggle more. There's a medication that works really well for me, but my doctor doesn't give me much of it because there is a risk of addiction. I try every healthy way I can think of to try and get better. I still struggle with this every day..I have a fear of going crazy or dieing. I see a therapist and a pyschiatrist, but nothing really helps except Lorazapam. If. I could take that every day..I wouldn't struggle every day. They don't want to get me addicted to it. I feel like I live in fear every day. An irrational fear of death. Maybe posting this will help. I hope I can connect with someone who can relate and understand.
@toughWalker2540 I'm sorry your struggling with anxiety so badly🙁 it's seems really silly to me that they won't give you what helps you😕 there's always chance of addiction with all meds, but at the risk of addiction or struggling through your days from mental health, I would of just assumed they'd chance addiction. Have you mentioned to them that your willing to take the chance of addiction?
@toughWalker2540
Damn, I'm sorry you're going through this right now. You know you have an irrational fear, but I guess knowing that it isn't rational doesn't stop the panic attacks, right? What ways have you tried to get better in the past that haven't helped you? I'm sorry about the medication thing- a friend who has anxiety also got meds denied to her because they have the risk of addiction and she got to a point where she would sit in the pyschiatrist's office and demand the medication or she would find a new provider. I'm not saying you should do that if you aren't comfortable, but it did work for her, because that was the only medication that worked and she'd been taking it so long and responsibly that there wasn't a chance she was going to be addicted- she knows herself well.
Thank so much for your responses. It helps me more than you know. I know I should be more upfront about the fact that I am a recovering addict. I am sober now and have been for the last 3 years. So the chance that I would become addicted to Lorazapam is very high. My doctor does give 10 Lorazapam to last me 2 months. I try to stretch them the best I can. If I took them every day I most likely would become dependent on them and that would probably be a worse feeling than the anxiety itself. I really don't have a lot of people in my life, so you responding to me helps a great deal. I know a breathing exorcize that has helped a little in the past. I also watch YouTube videos that are for meditation and anxiety relief. I've tried a lot of healthy ways to try and stop the panic attacks. Writing this message helps me to. And the fact that 2 people actually responded to me helps tremendously. It's nice to know some one else cares. Thank you so much!😀😀
@toughWalker2540 Happy to help! It's unfortunate about the meds- if only that medication didn't come with an addiction risk, right? But, there might still be another medication out there for you.
So, you're doing breathing exercises and following meditation videos. I have some other things that might help (and pardon me if you've already tried these):
keep spicy, minty, or sour candy with you. similiarly, you can carry a small rollerball of perfume with you too.
if your heart rate is up, try doing cardio- just jumping jacks, knee highs, and butt kicks and count down from 20 or count up to twenty in a foreign language while you do the exercises.
another method would be to try to spell your own name backwards in your head and then continue to spell the names of other people backwards. put on an engrossing tv show- you want to force your brain to stay engaged and not drift off. relaxing is actually NOT what you want to do. you need to stay occupied until you've calmed down. do wordle, sudoku. try to sing along to a song in a foreign language and then repeat singing along until you've remembered and pronounced everything correctly.
@Determinedsea ..Thank you so much! Some of the things I have tried, kind of unknowingly. I do love sour patch candy. I never realized that it was helping my anxiety. When I do have those candies I do tend to feel better. You just reminded me to put them on my shopping list for next month. Thanks! And yes I do try and keep myself busy with YouTube videos. That stimulates my mind. Because YouTube has such a wide variety of interests. From true crime to traveling type videos, there's always something to keep my mind stimulated. The cardio I never tried. So I'll have keep that one mind the next time I feel a bad panic attack coming on. They were all really great suggestions and I appreciate them very much. Thank you. This forum is also a really helpful thing too. It's great to hear others feedback. It also keeps my mind busy with something. Thank you much!