Anxiety disorder

MoniJo82

I was needing advice about controlling my anxiety issues. I know exercise is great for your seritonin levels. But I still suffer from it. Has anyone ever had anxiety and panic attacks that have over came them?

SpazzyMal

I have anxiety and panic attacks too. Exercise helps, but when it fails, just try to keep calm, and remove yourself from whatever is making you anxious, if possible. Try to avoid things that trigger you when appropriate, and work on keeping yourself in good spirits throughout the day, not stressed or depressed. Keep on top of things and have good habits in place and so things don't back up and you don't get overwhelmed. Little things matter, so don't let stuff slide. Prevention is worth more than a cure, I think.

SunnyAndrsn

I was needing advice about controlling my anxiety issues. I know exercise is great for your seritonin levels. But I still suffer from it. Has anyone ever had anxiety and panic attacks that have over came them?

A good therapist and "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" You can get it on Amazon.

good luck.

ToEKnee213

I have GAD and take Paxil, have for years. I also had CBT.

Working out has helped me a lot, but I'm not ready to get off Paxil....especially since the withdrawl just plain sucks.

usedasbrandnew

Just knowing I'm in control of what I eat has really been helping me, and the exercise. It's nice to be absolutely in control of something...

FlynnMacCallister

I was needing advice about controlling my anxiety issues. I know exercise is great for your seritonin levels. But I still suffer from it. Has anyone ever had anxiety and panic attacks that have over came them?

A combination of counselling (CBT) and Lexapro are all that ended up working for me (combined depression and anxiety). Just unlucky I guess.

FlynnMacCallister

I have GAD and take Paxil, have for years. I also had CBT.

Working out has helped me a lot, but I'm not ready to get off Paxil....especially since the withdrawl just plain sucks.

Coming off SSRIs shouldn't be a problem if you do it properly -- you can't just stop taking them, you gradually reduce your dose down to nothing over a few months.

LadyGhostDuchess

I have had it. I actually just stopped my medication for it after four years.
I went to brain integration and that helped me out A LOT. They do acupressure.

With the advice from a friend, every time I start feeling anxious I do some push-ups and crunches. It helps. It is just a little thing, ten each, it gets the goodies inside flowing and helps to kill the anxiety. *hug* Hope you can find some help. I am here for ya if you need to talk about it

luvmydog2

Yes i have had this problem since age 35 yrs and now i am 64 yrs old ....Mine was triggered after i was involved in three seperate car accidents that were not my fault .....Was stationary all three times at the lights ...left me a nervous wreck and now have back and neck problems ......also on a disability pension .
You never can cure anxiety ...you need to learn how to manage it with the help of a doctor ....and Counselling also helps to deal with this evergrowing problem.
Some times you might need medication changes to get what suits you or perhaps none at all ....wish you well on MFP ...Add me as a friend if you like .

mopedgirl007

My anxiety is at its best after I workout and stays that way for a few hours. My overall anxiety has lessened since I lost weight and started exercising regularly. I don't think exercise alone will get rid of anxiety issues but in my case it really seems to help. Just make sure you and your doctor are on the same page.

Losing2Live69

I have a major anxiety disorder. I became addicted to Xanax for 13 years and had to go to rehab. I now have a service dog for my anxiety. She goes everywhere with me. That is her in my profile pic (Sweetpea). She helps me more than anything I have ever tried. She even goes to the gym and pool with me. She just sits quietly and waits for me. Message me if you have any questions about having a service dog.

LadyGhostDuchess

Sadly, like posted above, it is something you cannot get rid of. But you can take the best control of it that you can.
I hope that with the post from everyone you can try different things.

saragato

Your best starting option would be therapy and to try relaxing activities such as meditation and yoga or even just burning candles/incense in the house. Most people I've known react better to therapy and relaxation methods than medication since there are a lot of side effects and the possibility of addiction, not to mention some insurance companies won't cover them.

Myself personally I'm on Xanax because I have General Anxiety Disorder combined with Bipolar II which can aggravate it. I don't have any trouble with the medication but if I am outside my house and I am beginning to feel that working up, I tend to find a quiet place whether it's in the car, outside the building I was just in, or a restroom. It helps me gather my thoughts and be able to talk myself into calming enough to either resume what I was doing or leave without making a scene. Which is progress from before I was put on the medication and would sit on the floor in a fetal position and scream.

It's different for everyone and it depends on what your 'triggers' are or if it's just something that comes from out of left field. You can always check in your community for a support group or even some kind of group therapy since then not only are you talking about your problem, you get feedback from others who may know exactly what you're going through and what helped them or what they're trying.

If you're in to aromatherapy I hear lavender is a great scent to calm you. I have a lavender candle I burn when I'm working really hard (I work from home) because I tend to get stressed and can actually trigger an attack from that and it helps and just generally smells nice. Chamomile tea's good too but it tends to make people drowsy.

EDIT: Had a typo. Sorry about that.

Priincess_Natalie

I have suffered from varying degrees of anxiety and depression my whole life. It reached a peak for me about 2 years ago. I have a pill anxiety so medication is not an option for me. I tried counseling and it didn't do anything. I had doctors roll their eyes at me because of my pill phobia instead of trying to help me.

I took matters into my own hands and didn't even realize it . I cleaned my diet up. First and most important, I quit smoking and that actually helped. The next biggest help was quitting caffeine and all forms of soda/pop. I then cleaned up my diet. Cleaning my system up really cut down my anxiety. I'm not perfect now or cured but I feel SO much better than I did. I can control my anxiety better than I used to.

During that time I started exercising which I'm sure also helped. With the exercise I started Yoga classes which are nice for relaxation and calming those thoughts that trigger anxiety attacks. I have started to use those breathing techniques when I feel myself getting anxious and it works!!! It sounds so silly but it does help.

I really hope you find something that works for you. Anxiety was ruining and controlling my life and I hate to hear it's doing the same to anyone else.

lorro

The recommended treatment for anxiety and panic is Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and it has an evidence base of effectiveness. Exercise does help a lot. So does relaxation and worry control. Both of these are covered in this free online course which you may find helpful: http://www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/resources/infopax.cfm?Info_ID=46

The panic needs in person treatment (a short course) as it involves working directly with the body reaction (the fight of flight response).

Hope this helps, good luck :flowerforyou:

CaoimheAine

Bumping for later

Snapplejac

..........remove yourself from whatever is making you anxious, if possible. Try to avoid things that trigger you when appropriate,........

Hello no offence to the poster, but this is not good advice. This is a classic symptom of agoraphobia - avoiding situations that may induce panic or anxiety. PA and anxiety are bad enough without adding this to it. I should know! If you start doing this, you run the risk of cutting out certain things/places in your life. It may start with one or two things, but that list stands a good chance of growing. There are lots of good books about panic and anxiety, but CBT is an excellent start. If you want to do it online, look up CBT4Panic. It's cheap and effective

( from a recovering sufferer!)

MoniJo82

I wanted to thank you guys for the great information everyone has given me. I appreciate it sooooo much. It's amazing how many people suffer from anxiety. I feel better knowing that I can controll this and keep on livin. You guys are awesome!

SpazzyMal

..........remove yourself from whatever is making you anxious, if possible. Try to avoid things that trigger you when appropriate,........

Hello no offence to the poster, but this is not good advice. This is a classic symptom of agoraphobia - avoiding situations that may induce panic or anxiety. PA and anxiety are bad enough without adding this to it. I should know! If you start doing this, you run the risk of cutting out certain things/places in your life. It may start with one or two things, but that list stands a good chance of growing. There are lots of good books about panic and anxiety, but CBT is an excellent start. If you want to do it online, look up CBT4Panic. It's cheap and effective

( from a recovering sufferer!)

No offense taken. I wasn't meaning to imply anyone should entirely avoid basic things or cut people out of their life and such, just avoiding entirely unnecessary things for a short while when they're already stressing. I do think there is something to be said about not compounding your stress and avoiding unnecessary things that you know just trigger you when you're already stressing out. Likewise if you're in the middle of some sort of attack... well, getting out of that situation first can do a lot to calm you down, I think. Then you incorporate it back as usual when you're feeling a little more ready to handle it.

Maybe that's bad advice too, I can't be entirely sure what's good for others. I'm not a doctor, just dispensing things that seem to help me, personally. Other people are bound to be different. Everyone can just take what advice works for them and run with it, whether that's 0% of my advice or not, of course. I probably shouldn't have responded to this topic so late last night. Had I done it while I was more awake I likely would have explained myself a little better.

Scorpioangel

I have anxiety issues also and it sucks. Before I was on anti depressants with Valium then they were making me feel worse and worse so I had to withdraw slowly from them (it was pure &#%4). I was off of everything for a few months but then went back on Xanax.. I take a half of one every day to help with my anxiety issues. They started after I was in a head on collision (not my fault) and broke several back bones and was almost killed

lorro

I have anxiety issues also and it sucks. Before I was on anti depressants with Valium then they were making me feel worse and worse so I had to withdraw slowly from them (it was pure &#%4). I was off of everything for a few months but then went back on Xanax.. I take a half of one every day to help with my anxiety issues. They started after I was in a head on collision (not my fault) and broke several back bones and was almost killed

Scorpioangel if you haven't had one already, I'd ask for an assessment for post traumatic stress disorder by qualified professional (psychiatrist or CBT therapist).

R_is_for_Rachel

I've lived with anxiety and panic attacks for past 20 years but have mostly gained control of my life in the last 6/7 years. For me it was a combination of hypnotherapy, stress reduction in life/work and a patient partner. I really would recommend hypnotherapy as it really helped with the subconscious part of the brain.

Mirdir

I suffer from major depression and anxiety for which I have been medication for the past 10 years. I have felt better since I started eating better and getting some exercise but I am still getting panic attacks though I am having less of them and they definitely are not as bad as they were.

entropy83

A good therapist and "The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook" You can get it on Amazon.

good luck.
[/quote]

^^Yes, this book is really good for helping you work through the emotions and thoughts that contribute to anxiety attacks, and some CBT.

nikkiespo

I have anxiety and panic attacks. Right before I started MFP my doctor put me on a low dose medication to help me. A week later, I was back to dancing in my living room. ( i hadn't done it in over 5 years). A week after that I started MFP and I work out every day. At my last check up, my doctor was ecstatic that I was doing this, and had already started seeing my progress. I go back again in May, and we have discussed at that point that maybe I can start getting off of the meds.

Medication is not for everyone, and I get this. But for my own personal experience it has helped tremendously. AND I firmly believe that it enabled me to start exercising and eating properly. For me, breathing exercises helped, but I still couldn't get rid of the chest pain and passing out ( that is how bad my panic attacks were). To each their own. However, I STRONGLY suggest you talk to your doctor and explore the options.