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Posted 1/11/2013 4:34 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all.

Here's a quick background before I explain the breathing troubles. So today I went up on my Lexapro dosage. The possible side effect of insomnia has made me feel incredibly anxious because I barely am able to fall asleep as it is.

I have started having trouble breathing now that it's bedtime (and time for the possible insomnia) and I feel dizzy/tingly because of it. I have not had much success with breathing exercises. I might have discovered something today when I figured out that I do the "in" breath far too fast. Slowly inhaling seems to help somewhat. I don't seem to have trouble slowly exhaling, which is good.

I think practicing will help but I need to figure out what to do in the short-term. Has anyone else had problems with feeling like you can't breathe?

P.S. I think this is why SC suggested the "Divided Breath," which I couldn't manage to do using abdominal breathing. What I'm doing right now seems to be similar to that but I'm able to do (some) diaphragmatic breathing.

Post Edited (Avrielle) : 1/10/2013 10:11:31 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/11/2013 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Avrielle, breathing problems are quite common for those of us who suffer from anxiety. In fact, I have problems with breathing when my Ativan dosage begins to wear off and I start taking short rapid breaths. This is known as over-breathing, or Hyperventilation. Google "Hyperventilation" and you should be able to find a lot of information on it.

oslooskar
Posted 1/12/2013 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks oslooskar.

I have done a bunch of research about the breathing, but it still is a huge problem for me. It's not helped by my therapist basically telling me to not worry about the breathing until my anxiety is better. In general, I try to do that, but when I'm feeling so short of breath that I start feeling faint, it's almost something that I have to pay attention to.

I am just so frustrated by this. I want so badly to feel better and I feel like having trouble with the breathing is preventing me from making progress. Everyone on the boards has had really good suggestions about what to do but I'm hitting a wall. I just want to feel better.
Posted 1/13/2013 8:51 AM (GMT 0)
Well when i first began having trouble breathing was the beginning of my anxiety disorder, what I do to help with my breathing is drink some water..It showed me that my throat was clear and i could breath..I dont know if this was any help but it helped me and i eventually got use to the feeling that i cant breath..I knew that i could breath so the feeling slowly disappear and i stop sipping on water all day.
Posted 1/13/2013 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
That is my first sign of a panic attack. I start to feel like I can't breath. My chest gets tight. Feels like no matter how deep I breath no air is getting in. What helped me is after it had happened a few times I knew I wasn't going to die from it also I knew I had my Ativan it it got worse. I don't know if that is an option for you
Posted 1/14/2013 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much for your responses. I'm having so much trouble with the breathing stuff right now and this makes me feel a little better.

@LoveGod364: Thank you for the tip! I'll try to drink more water--I definitely think it could be helpful so I know my throat is clear.

@Teddtlove: For me it's been happening without panic attacks, which is kind of strange. I have atarax that I can take if the feeling like I can't breathe gets bad enough. I just need to remind myself that it will pass and that I won't die from it, like you said.
Posted 1/14/2013 7:20 PM (GMT 0)
So last night I couldn't sleep because my hands and arms were going numb and had prickling sensations like "pins and needles." I researched it and it seems like it's probably from hyperventilation. I'm honestly at a loss as to how to deal with this. I feel like I'm following the instructions for deep breathing pretty well (e.g., breathing slowly and breathing from the abdomen) but clearly I'm not. Any advice would be great. I don't know how to deal with this new sensation. It feels like the physical symptoms of my anxiety are constantly changing and it's driving me crazy. I still have a little numbness and tingling today even.
Posted 1/14/2013 9:58 PM (GMT 0)
when it happens, breathe into a paper bag or something like that. too much oxygen is just as big of a problem as low oxygen. we need a balance of co2 and o2 in our system.
Posted 1/15/2013 12:33 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you, I will definitely try that. I'd heard that about co2 and o2 but never made the connection. It's definitely worth a try.
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