Stop Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Which medications did you start on and in what doses?
Which forms of treatment were effective in the end?
I’m talking about the whole process. What you started on in what doses all the way to what you’re taking now and in what doses and how effective everything was. Maybe that makes more sense?

It’s not an easy process that’s for sure.

None of the SSRI’s were as effective as Effexor with a mood stabilizer is. The SSRI’s alone could not touch the panic attacks and paralyzing reactions to crowds, or the head to toe body shakes, or involuntary jerking, flinching, night terrors or nightmares.

One doctor put me on klonopin twice a day, for about 7 months, but a family member I trusted took me off it because it made me into a zombie, I would never have gotten off it myself, it stopped all the pain and anxiety, but it stopped all my other emotions too. The detox felt as though I would lose my mind forever. I was hospitalized for a week from those damn benzo’s.

A new psychiatrist came into the area and I changed to him, and was trying to recover with uneducated young counselors that had no experience with incest or panic disorders and ptsd. The turnover of counselors was very high.

I finally got a 38 year old psychotherapist (Ph.D.) from a city, that had trauma, eating disorders, and physical and sexual abuse issues. And I got a new psychiatrist as well.

From the beginning, it took about 5 years to get on meds that worked reliably for my system. I went to an inpatient facility for women with incest issues two different times 13 months apart, but first I went through an alcohol rehab and was suffering badly from anorexia but there is no recovery facility anywhere in the area, so was monitored and avoided hospitalization with feeding tubes – but the threat was there continually for several years until I could hold my own with food and my weight.

I have been diagnoised with generalized anxiety disorder and PTS what medications do they perscribe for treatment for these disorders?
I have also been diagnoised with bi polar stage 2 (guess the lowest one), So I’am concerned about medications… I took paxil once and saw white! Anger just came on me & I had to stop taking that one! Plus with the anxiety, I worry about everything! lol! Any ideas???? Thanks!

First good step would to get into counseling and start resolving the issues that created the PTSD and anxiety. As far a the BiPolar counseling can and does help some what in some areas, but true Bi Polar is a chemical imbalance in the brain.
There are a couple really good internet lines to gather information. which would be better than someone just listing off medications.
www.mentalhealthamerica.net
www.NAMI.org
www.dmh.mo.gov/cps/facts
www.drugs.com/condition/depression
All are good sites with other links and tons of information. God Bless ReggieR

…. do you also have to go to a therapist? Is it required?

No, your family physician can do just fine.

The best form of treatment is to go to your doctor, get a referral to an expert, tell them everything, and do exactly what they say– opposed to asking on Yahoo! Answers, especially! What is right for one person might not work for you. You need to get a professional, individual diagnoses and treatment plan from an expert. There is no "best" treatment. It simply depends on you, your specific symptoms, and what works best for YOU. You won’t get that on here, I’m afraid.

Good luck!

i believe i have social anxiety disorder. Whenever i am the center of attention (giving a speech or something like that) i almost always get very red in the face, my heart rate increases a lot, my thoughts are not clear, and my voice trembles.

i have researched this disorder for some time and everywhere i look i see stories that it is a horrible disorder, it can ruin peoples social lives, and drugs are needed to HELP this disorder.

i need to know if it is possible to psychologically overcome this disorder. I am only 18 years old, and i dont want to go on anti-depressants and what not, i just want to try and overcome this disorder.

has anyone ever heard of someone that overcame social phobia without the use of prescription drugs?

A friend of mine had the same problems as you are having when you have to publicly speak etc. He overcame it by joining a Public Speaking Club, a Debating Club and a Poetry/Writers Club! He got so used to speaking to people it was no longer an issue and he never took pills in any form for it. I hope you can overcome it naturally as you want to. Best wishes. uk

The PTSD in question is related to a case of sexual harassment (but not sexual assault). It could also be qualified as an OCD.

Do you think the followingg methods are good?

1)Hypnotherapyy
2) Past life regression
3) Medications
4) Cognitive Behavioral Therapyy
5) Psychoanalysis
6) Other treatments (please specify)

I also have PTSD and one effective type of therapy that I have discovered is called EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). If you have insurance, this is definitely one to check out. But, even if you don’t, many EMDR therapists will work with you on pricing. Here’s how it works.

It seems odd…but you use a light board and/or a pulsing tone which goes back and forth between ears/eyes/hands (a pulsing vibration)…it’s hard to explain. But it focuses and relaxes you sort of inducing a dream-like mind state (a bit like hypnosis, but you are fully conscious). You’ve probably noticed that PTSD causes lots of dreams/nightmares? Well, EMDR helps you process memories in a similar state of mind.

Anyway, a therapist can explain it better… but it is very effective for your type of past. It is also often beneficial to take some sort of medication for at least a short time because EMDR means facing your past which generally is upsetting at first.

If you want more information check out
http://www.emdr.com/

But as someone who has gone through it, I can say that it is difficult but effective

Look at this page and see if it helps youhttp://www.amenclinics.com/clinics/information/ways-we-can-help/anxiety-depression/

Dr. Amen lists the types of anxiety and some things that help.

I’m a 16-year-old girl

A change in diet is going to make a huge difference
http://hypoglycemia.org/hypo_test.asp
Possibly 100-300mg per day of 5HTP IF you are NOT on any medication.

i’ve had a mild case of social anxiety for years now and feel like its time to get treated for it. I don’t fear going out into public but when i do i get shaky, cant sit still, sometimes i lose coordination. I want to get treatment but would like it to be descreet. how can i go about in doing this? where do i go? i am under my parent’s medical coverage with Kaiser and i don’t want them to find out that im going to get treatment for this. will they find out? will this be on my medical record?

This is not uncommon and it doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with you. You shouldn’t be ashamed of it or embarassed about it. You need to go ahead and talk to your parents about seeing a counselor. Usually, the Company doesn’t handle its own insurance clams. They hire a company to do that. It will be on your medical records, but it isn’t mental illness and the company they work for probably won’t see it anyway. This is just anxiety and a counselor can help you get over it. Good luck!

Usually a form of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) from a trained Occupational Therapist or MHnurse.

It involves a lot of coping mechanisms, talking about emotions etc.