trying to Deal with Panic med-free

[Afterlife 0]

Hi everyone.

i've been dealing with panic attacks for anumber of years now. For 4 of those years I was on Klonopin. My Dose was increasing and increasing,soI decided last summer to get off of the Klonopin. It took me 6 LOOONG months to taper off of the benzo. It Sucked pretty bad.

Anyhow, after the benzo withdrawal had settled down I felt pretty good in about 6 months or so, give or take a few months. Then around Christmas time my panic attacks came back with a VENGENCE! I began having what I call "Rolling panic attacks" in which I will have an attack that last for an hour or so, then another one and another one etc etc this goes on for DAYS, where I have them back to back all day long.

When I get an attack I CANNOT sit still, I end up pacing all over my house,outside, I will jump in and out of showers trying to calm down. Of course nothing seems to work.

Then as quick as the attacks begin,they will go away for weeks. I will feel totaly normalfor weeks and weeks, then again,they start up again and stay for WEEKS.

When I was on the Klonopin I was fine. I just did not like being "addicted" to a medication to feel normal. I also did not like then fact that I had to keep increasing my dose. But this is HELL!!! The attacks are really wearing me down.

I need advice. Anyone that deals with this without using medication, can you please give me some advice/tips on what works for you?

Thank you

Afterlife

[Gilly 1086]

Hi Afterlife. I have been dealing with anxiety and panic for about 10 years now. It got really bad at the end of 09 but I have managed to stay med free. I know those days you describe where it just keeps coming in waves all day long. I had a period of that in December 09 for 3 weeks, every day. Horrific. I try and do something when it comes on, get busy, reassure myself it WILL pass and try to say to it come on, give me your best you cannot harm me.

Lavendar and music have helped me. I go jump in the bath, lots of lavendar bubbles and lay there and breathe whilst listening to some music. Camomile tea is calming too. I replaced coffee/tea/pop with camomile when it was bad. And one thing that gets me through the worst panic attacks, and I have kept a bottle with me at all times for the past 10 years, Bachs Rescue Remedy. I squirt and squirt until I feel that calmness come over me. Regular exercise helped me a lot too.

[Afterlife 0]

Hi gilly! I hope you are having a wonderful day!

Thank you for the reply. I have heard alot about the rescue remedy,but I have never given it a shot. I wasn't sure if it really worked. I will certainly pick some up today!

I always seem to go into this weird dreamy, out of it state of derealization when the attacks go on for weeks, its like my brain just "checks out" for a bit and goes into the derealization state. very scary feeling!

Thank you very much for the advice I will look for the rescue remedy today!

[Gilly 1086]

You're welcome Afterlife, and thanks. Chilled day for me today It does work, I promise you that. It takes the edge off which really helps, and you can take as much as you like. Only thing is it tastes a bit like whiskey. Maybe that's a good thing lol

Oh and yes, I know the derealisation all too well. Get it a lot!

[JOYCICLE 654]

Hello Afterlife ! I ve been battling panic and anxiety med free for huge portions of my adult life. I did self medicate with alcohol and 'other' things for a while. It was n't until I quit drinking that the panic came back and got me good. I have a list, *( i can hear my fellow chatters roll their eyes now cuz i've stated it so many times , hehe ) Sleep 8 hrs for every 24 hrs no matter what. Get sunlight every day no matter what. Take in minerals , either a liquid supplement or mineral water or a sea salt . Make sure your mineral source is high in magnesium.. When the going gets super tough I get a massage. it does wonders for the mind's tension to remove the body's tension. Like you said, when I'm panicking, Im pacing the house , constantly on the move , looking for , picking up , adjusting this or that to do that one thing that might relieve it. By all this time , it's a wonder we still try when we KNOW it wont' relieve it , but the pacing does serve a purpose and that is to burn off extra adrenaline and not let it buld up in our body !

[josephconrad 1]

Congratulations- I think it's great that you're going to drop the med and tackle things head-on. Here are some tips that I know work:

-7-8 hours sleep

-Run first thing in the morning, every morning (take a day off every week to relax)

-Take omega-3 and a good vitamin B/C

-Situps are really a fine exercise. Unlike pushups you can never hurt yourself by doing too many of them, and they will really alleviate anxiety quickly.

-Drinking now and then is fine, but don't do it if you're purposefully trying to self-medicate yourself.

Good luck!

[Esperahol 0]

I use a mp3 player with headphones and a good pair of walking shoes. Panic makes me antsy so I walk from my house to wherever and if it takes me a couple of hours that is simply what it takes.

[shaun 6]

As you know, dependence on drugs is not a healthy way to live your life. I believe these drugs cause more harm than good and they are often not very effective at their purported job.

How to manage anxiety attacks naturally? Meditation, breathing techniques and cognitive behavioral therapy should do the trick.

[Reynaldo76 0]

When dealing with anxiety, you should be aware of symptoms. Fortunately, most panic attack signs and symptoms are highly visible. To begin with, the individual feels a debilitating feeling of anxiety and panic when the attack hits. She or he starts thinking of extremely illogical and unreal thoughts and begins feeling dreamy and “floaty.” Many people who are suffering from panic attacks even seem like they don’t exist. This is known as depersonalization. The individual also loses charge of his / her action and the scenario.