Panic Attacks During Exercise

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FitnessFanTO
FitnessFanTO Posts: 2
in Motivation and Support
Hello all, I stumbled across this great website and thought to post in case others have similar stories...

I have recently been suffering from issues with Panic Disorder. I have started taking some medications and doing therapy to help me get back to my regular routine. Unfortunately, my panic seems to manifest itself the most when I'm exercising - presumably because the symptoms of a panic attack are very similar to those that you experience when you are exercising (heart rate increase, heavy breathing, heart pounding)... I have seen a few doctors and all have reassured me that my heart's fine and that there is nothing wrong with me, but for some reason I can't seem to stop myself from getting nervous. Overall, I'm in really good shape and exercise 7 days a week - but have not been able to exercise for the past 3 weeks because of my fear of exercising.

I just started today going back to the gym, but have had to really dramatically scale back the intensity of my workout. My therapist has advised me to practice deep belly breathing to help calm my body during my anxious periods as well as to challenge the ideas that have been making me anxious during my panic episodes (thoughts that my heart has problems while I'm exercising). I've only been doing this for a day now, and found it somewhat helpful, although I did still experience panic-like feelings. Does anyone else suffer from anything similar? Would love to see the kinds of things people have done to get over panic disorder that is induced by exercise. I've lost some muscle mass this past month and it's been really frustrating that I have not been able to exercise.

Replies

  • MurphyIzzy11
    MurphyIzzy11 Posts: 7
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    I can sooooo relate!

    I have been on Lexipro off and on for nearly 5 years now. I was diagnosed with anixiety in 2009 (GAD - Generalized Anxiety Disorder). After talking through the issues I was having in college, she recommended I see a certain doctor on campus. She thought I had a form of depression, but after talking with other health care professionals and a different counselor last year they told me that it was anxiety. I use to fear going out in public, driving a car, and just fear the fear of having a panic attack.

    How long have you been on the medication? I know when I first started on it, it took about two weeks to a month for it to really work for me. I really noticed the changes in me probably 6 weeks into the medication.

    Panic attacks and anxiety is not a quick fix. This is something I struggle with everyday and have to work through. I use to hate going to a gym and working out for fear I would have one and people would think I was having a heart attack or something and call a parametic.

    My recommendations are first...BE PATIENT. With this kind of thing, you have to allow yourself to be patient and relax. How I have gotten through I lot of my difficulties is taking baby steps. Also, let your body get use to your medication. My blood pressure was a little higher than it should have been for a long time before I got on my medication. It took about two months for it to go down, and when I knew it was rising while I was exercising it scared me. Do not over do yourself more than your mind can handle. What I felt comfortable is being at home. If you have to get some work out tapes to keep exercising, do that. Doing something is better than doing nothing. Also, maybe instead of being in a gym, just go walking outside or in more open areas verses on machines. I have found it better for me to be on a track walking with the ipod or in a gym more away from people. I have this issue with having more personal space than necessary sometimes.

    I hope this helps! Like I said, let your body get use to the medication, and don't stop taking it. That was where I faulted. I felt good for about a year off of it, then during a majorly stressful time in my life (switching careers) the panic attacks and anxiety chest pains continued to come back. I also went off of it for about four months a year ago, and noticed I was having the attacks again but thought it was more of an acid reflux disorder. When I had my first panic attack, and came down off of the "High", I knew i needed to take action. I even went to the sister form of Lexipro, and I was great for about two months and they started again. It wasn't three days later of taking it I felt like myself again. I am at the point in my life where I take it every night before bed, and kick myself if I fall asleep early and forget to take it.

    If you have any more questions feel free to PM me!
  • FitnessFanTO
    FitnessFanTO Posts: 2
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    Thanks so much for your reply. It has definitely been a struggle. I've been on the medication for almost 4 weeks now and am starting to notice big changes. I also started counselling for panic disorder and we're slowly easing me into exercising again. It's amazing how being in a really stressful time in your life can really trigger these episodes. I feel another thing that generally causes me to get anxious/panicky is when I start having unrealistic thoughts and tend to start fixating on those thoughts/my breathing/heart rate/etc... Have you tried any things to help calm your body more and get away from those negative thinking patterns?

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