ANYONE ELSE DEALING WITH OR DEALT WITH ANXIETY ATTACKS??

i used to take Xanax for anxiety because i would get attacks really bad all the time dealing with crohns. if you've ever had an anxiety attack you will know the reason why many people mistake them for heart attacks. you feel light headed and dizzy and then get really bad pains in your chest and run out of breath. it's really scary and it really feels like what i would think a heart attack feels like. if you think you are having these issues on a steady basis i would ask a doctor about getting some meds for it

Go for the meds...my husband suffers from panic attacks. He had one so bad once, he passed out at the wheel driving! Very scary!

yeah I definitely can't drive because of my panic attacks. I will once in a great while and I've tried to get over my "fear" in therapy, but they've given up on that. some people when thrown into a situation that would cause them to panic are somehow able to take charge and then after a couple of times like that they realize they can do it. well for me...I panic, don't take charge, usually crash into something from being in such a state that I can't focus. I've side swipped a tree, hit a parked car, etc. then when I take enough meds to make me calm enough to drive it's usually so much that I'm too sedated to drive. someday maybe I'll work it out, but who knows.

I was on ativan for years and it really helped. now I'm on klonopin though. they really are a life saver sometimes. I try to take my klonopin on an as needed basis because you can get hooked on them. if you're not seeing a psychiatrist or a family physician most other doctors are leary about having a patient take anxiety meds on a regular basis. if you feel you need them I'd see a psych or your family doc. most family docs will refer you to a psych if they feel you need it or are too severe for them to treat, but if you just have a general anxiety issue they might be able to treat you. therapy is also a good option because they give you techniques for how to cope with anxiety so you don't have to rely on the meds so much. keep us updated!

I have anxiety attacks I see a counsilor for it and am also taking lexapro. It seems to help a little, but I havent been on it for that long. I find the most helpful thing is to talk to someone when you feel anxous about something.

I have had OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) since I was probably about 12 or 13.  I have had one anxiety attack that I can recall, and it was VERY scary!

My Internist told me that I need to "relax" or it will make the Crohn's worse.  I take Celexa 40 mg daily and Xanax as needed, the lowest dose.  She prescribed both of them for me. 

I think the OCD makes me worry almost all the time, for one thing, and if I get any kind of stress, it all just balloons from there!

I have had some depression lately, thinking about the whole Crohn's thing.  Mostly I just mourn for how it was before when I didn't have it.  Sometimes I also get mad about having it.  Then I worry about it...(of course!  )

Yep yep. Panic attacks are horrible when stressed. Found out when having panic attack at PCP's office that my blood pressure, normally below 100, was at 160!! My hands and head were shaking horribly and my heart felt like it was going to beat outta my chest. The nurse was very worried that I needed blood pressure medication... nope, just a real bad panic attack.

I had them when I was 25. I carried a brown paper bag with me at all times. They went a way for 10+ years... and now they are back full-force defcon level 1! Finding that environmental stress leads to CD flare which, in turn, leads to panic attacks. Like others posting here, I now make sure I take an anti-anxiety med before driving... just in case. It is so hard to drive when your heart feels like it's going to jump out of your chest and you become short of breath.

Good news? I have an appointment with a Chinese herbalist on Friday. I cannot wait to see what all she can do for me. I asked the receptionist if they treated CD and anxiety and she told me they have had great success with both. Fingers and toes crossed!!

Thanks, Lynn. You're a real sweetie!