New member Andy09 has ?

Hi guys,

My name is Andy and I am new to this post. My doctor wants to put me on xanax. I am not sure if I'm ready for that. I have had panic attacks and anxiety before, after my first child was born in 2003. I had postpartum depression. I would have vivid daydreams, more like nightmares, and nightmare constantly. I evenly got to a point where I wouldn't eat or sleep. I would just sit there and hold my baby afraid something terrible was going to happen. After about a year and a half I finally quit having panic attacks and anxiety, along with depression. I was able to quit my meds and return to my everyday life without fear. After my second child in 2005, my symptoms didn't resurface. about 2 years ago I started having trouble breathing and would have dizzy spells for no reason. Now I have recurring nightmares and wake up crying and my boyfriend gets concerned because I shake in my sleep. I have trouble sleeping and my panic attacks, no anxiety, are getting worse. I can lay down, be dead tired, have a panic attack and be wide awake. I have been trying to pin point the trigger to them, but I have came up empty handed. Does anyone else have these panic attacks for no reason? I do have a family history of mental illness in my family, but they don't like to talk about it. With my panic attacks before I could calm my mind and see it was irrational fear, but now they don't make any sense. I can be driving with nothing on my mind and have one. I try to calm myself but it doesn't help. My heart just keeps trying to leap out of my chest and my head keeps trying to pass out. I also have severe migraines, could this be a cause? Like, my brain isn't firing on all pistons. Thanks and it is nice to meet you all.

*You tagged on to another post, so I made a new one for you so that you could get more responses*

Hello Andy and welcome to HealingWell.

I am sorry to hear you are going through problems with anxiety.  I think if your physician feels the Xanax is a option for you  it is well worth considering.  Also I agree with Nanners........perhaps a bit of therapy may be just the key to helping you through this tough time.

Please know we are here for you and do stick with us.

Gentle Hugs

Kitt

Hi Andy,

Sorry to hear about your PAs ramping up again. For me I know I have certain triggers that will make me anxious but my PAs can be a mystery as to what brings them on sometimes.  Like you I was having them out of the blue, in my sleep, etc a few years ago. I wound up going on zoloft and a beta blocker to help with palps and although I was very against going on medication it was a lifesaver and it got me through a really rough time until I could get my anxiety/panic under control. In the end I realized that my panic was a result of going through a really rough patch about 6 months earlier, and I had just buried all my emotional baggage... well it reared up and got the best of me for a while, but knowing that bottling my emotions caused me to react badly down the road has helped me to try to stay "in the moment" and deal with things as they come, not store them up until later thinking that I'm coping really well! I wonder if maybe you've had something really stressful or with the economy being so unstable if that is having an effect on you? Like Nanners and Kitt said, I would urge you to follow through with your doctors suggestions. Give it a try and perhaps getting some therapy would help you dig deeper to see where some of your panic is stemming from. Good luck! I hope you can work with your doctor to figure out a treatment that works for you!