Have Horrible Anxiety Need Help Fixing

I was glad to see this post because anxiety is all too familiar! I was diagnosed with PTSD and as a result had panic attacks that left me in the ER 110% sure I was dying! I've gone through more tests than I care to remember most neurological and everything came back fine so that's when I got my diagnosis. I've tried group therapy and was on Prozac for about 7 months that caused quite a bit of weight gain so once I found a good therapist I was able to get off the medication and made up my mind to get healthy mentally and physically! I still have moments of anxiety and times when I feel a panic attack coming but I've learned a lot of ways to help myself.

This is actually, ironically, my first post here and I've been using my fitness pal for a while now but I felt I had to contribute since anxiety became a very big part of my life over the past year and it was actually very comforting to see there are others here not only battling anxiety but also weight loss! Especially considering how alone anxiety and panic attacks can make you feel. I feel like I've come to the right place for support, more than i even thought! I'm still new to this site but anyone who would want to add me please do so I think it would me amazing having buddies who understand.

I have. When I got a diagnosis of Panic Attacks, I googled everything I could find on it. Everything from Aspartame consumption to Hormones to Mitral Valve Prolapse could cause them. I started jotting down the times and dates I would get them, and come to find out. It may be a Hormonal thing. Lucky me....NOT :-( After showing my journal to my doctor, he agreed that it could be PMS. Well, I said it had to be a severe case of it. He never agreed to it being Pre-Menopause. Which, I tend to believe rather than PMS.
I do plan on talking to my Cardiologist on my next check up. I really pray that I don't have any more attacks. They are really freaky.

I'm in the same situation- honestly the best thing to do is to KEEP YOURSELF BUSY. The more off time you have the more chance you'll start getting anxious. Also, cardio has helped me out a ton- it's the only thing that really gets everything off of my mind. If nothing works you may want to try taking medication: I started a year ago- works WONDERS!

Finally got on meds here. Have been on my daily pill for 3 yrs now. I was at my wits end, last straw. I tried natural/herbal remedies first but unfortunately nothing worked.I get my prescription from my Internist. She has them herself and is on the same med so she understands. Best wishes dont wait much longer mine got worse as I got older.

I had panic attacks everyday for about a yr. i went to a therapist they explained self talk and I learned right away how to talk myself out of them. occasionally they still get out of hand but not so bad and it really worked. If you are spiritual at all I suggest praying to God or reading the bible, that worked for me also.

My cardiologist also linked it to mitro valve and woman with anxiety. I didnt want to take meds so I try to refocus and sip ICE COLD water, I read this is an old Japanese technique to calm down woman. It may be mind over matter but I feel so much better when Im sipping that ICE water , sipping not gulping.... also was told it was Reflux that made me feel that my heart was racing which made me panic. Also taking a nice relaxing walk always helps so does reading. Hope this helps.

I had anxiety attacks that started when i was 13 yrs old. Felt like I couldn't breathe which made me hyperventilate until I actually passed out a few times. What helped me was to breathe into a paper bag; Breathe IN slowly thru your nose, nice and slow and deep then Purse your lips into a very small opening And Very SLOWLY breathe OUT thru your mouth. After a few minutes you'll equalize your blood gasses and start to feel calmer. While u do this be sure to tell yourself that you are going to be OK and think calming thoughts. I actually repeated in my head, "Calm---Calm---Calm." Keep the paper bag over your nose + mouth while u do this. Eventually u can cup your hands over nose + mouth and breathe into them. I went on to have a career as a hospital nurse + didn't have to resort to anti-anxiety meds. If this doesn't help then by all means go see your doctor! There are many ways to treat anxiety + meds are helpful for many people. Good luck to you and don't give up, get help.

I feel your pain... my first severe one was very frightening and they still are because they are so sudden!

I was diagnosed with having severe panic attacks about 2 months ago. My Dr. gave me Lorazepam, but I didn't think I needed them (I am not a meds person..). However, when school started up again, they got worse, so I did start taking it and it made me feel better at first.... I would have them multiple times a day, it was affecting my job and I even would try to find new ways to drive to work or school because I was scared to death of going down the highway. I also went to the emergency room at one point because I seriously thought I was having a heart attack.

I also have suffered from depression throughout my life and have found ways to cope with it. Keeping yourself busy is very important... but obviously not to the point of burnout or stressing out horribly.

I was put on a leave of absence because my manager said I was acting in "ghost mode," as in, I wasn't "me" anymore because of this. He understood, though, because he suffered from them and he is coping with the fact that his 9 year old son has them as well. It has helped tremendously to exercise every day, and I am also going to counseling.

I was taken off of Lorazepam because I was having some pretty strange side affects from it (not eating, feeling sick and tired all the time, and my depression came back out of nowhere). Right now I am not taking anything. Instead I am writing a lot of what I feel down and reading it over later so I can try and figure out what caused it. Exercising has helped tremendously as well.

As for my driving, I get in my car now and drive randomly and tell myself this mantra "You are in control of the car, you own it. This car does not control you." And I do some slow, deep breathing exercises, and in the last few days I haven't had a really hard time driving.

I have not completely gotten over them, and as my manager told me, you live with anxiety forever, but you learn how to control it to an extent... You can retrain your mind. Think of dieting in a sense.. it's a lifestyle change. You must train your mind to eat healthy for a lifetime, not just while trying to lose weight. You also must train your mind to learn to cope with the attacks.

I Would Love to thank every single one of you who posted on here and it makes me feel at ease that i am not an only person in this fight against this disorder.......I will put every ones opinions to great use........i dont think there really is anything linked to my anxiety which is strange when i first got it honestly......i was home alone kinda depressed bc of relationship problem so i decided to smoke marijuana and actually remember eating crappy mcdonalds before than(havnt eaten since ) and like literall 5 minutes later my heart raced and i was going insane pacing back and forth thinkinh i was having a heart attack bc of the mcdonalds so i called my friend over a 1a.m. he arrived but i had to call my gf and tell her to dial 911 for me right away my friend tried calming me down and told me im not having a heart attack im just having a horrible reaction to the weed bc a. it was laced or b. i have not smoked in soooooo long my heart started to race right away.........so ever since that night i havnt been the same

This is why I don't smoke 420. I would have to lock myself in a closet until the buzz subsided. My drug of choice is Irish Whiskey now.

Alcohol is interesting for me now that I've developed the anxiety issues. Sometimes I will be fine and it'll be like any night of drinking. Other times I will freak out the next day because I keep thinking I forgot the night. This is a new thing for me, so I haven't really been drinking, though it was at one point in my life quite a hobby to go out and live it up. I also find I "black out" a lot more and a lot easier too. So I am very careful with it.

Also note that if you're ever put on anti-anxiety meds, you shouldn't drink anyway... I am off of them now so I may feel more comfortable drinking again, but I'm still giving it some time. And no, I did not drink that much while on them, I pretty much drank water while everybody else was living it up out of the bottle of wine, which kind of sucked. What I mean is that even before the meds I was having a problem with alcohol, and would almost always have an attack the next morning