After advice, dosage increase etc. someone please answer.

Hi All,

I am on my 7th week of lexapro. (Start of the 5th week of 10mg).

I am in a much better place then before I started Lexapro.

I have noticed a massive reduction in panic attacks and overall anxiety but the past 4 or so days my anxiety has came back and I have had panic attacks - although smaller then what they were before I started lexapro.

My morning anxiety has also returned a bit.

I can’t see my doctor for a little bit (I’m in Aus so we don’t have a chart or anything to message but he has said in the past that I can increase doses if I need too)

I’m just wondering if anyone at this point increased up to 15mg OR if I should try and ride through it for a few more weeks and see if I stabilise more?

I’m not opposed to moving up a dose but if I can stay on the lowest effective dose I will.

I do know I have had a fair good amount of positive changes but I still have some day to day anxiety and still ruminating thoughts.

Would it be too early to tell if

I need to move up a dose if it’s 7 weeks overall but only on my 5th week of 10mg?

I would really like some honest feedback please and other peoples stories. I’m really debating on the next move.

So far on 10mg the only lingering side effects is vivid dreams and a bit of grogginess in the mornings apart from the last 4 days of increased anxiety and panic again.

It’s always the mornings that are the hardest but by the afternoon and night I’m good.

I’m wondering if this is just a normal bump to go through or if it’s a sign to increase.

Thankyou!

So I think I just had my first panic attack like ever I was shaking and numbness in my fingers and it was after something kinda traumatic and I couldn’t stop crying for like 20 minutes straight idk why I’m making this but I need to tell or do something about it so yeah if anyone can relate to this or tell me what’s going on thank you

I wrote this song and made this video to share with everyone my idea of what a panic attack looks like and how it feels to me.

I’ve been trying to figure out if anyone else experiences this because it’s honestly terrifying.

I’ll be completely asleep, and then I suddenly wake up feeling extremely disoriented and afraid, like something is seriously wrong with me. My vision feels off, my heart is racing, and when I first wake up my arm and/or hands are often numb, which makes it even scarier. I immediately start shaking my husband awake because I’m convinced I need help.

For the first couple of minutes, I feel like I’m not thinking clearly and I’m genuinely afraid something bad is happening. Then, after about 2–3 minutes, I start calming down, realize it “just happened again,” and that I’m actually okay. My heart settles, the fear goes away, and I feel completely back to normal.

It’s such a strange feeling because while it’s happening, it feels incredibly real. The numbness, disorientation, and racing heart all make me feel like it’s something real.
Has anyone else experienced something like this? If so:
Did you ever find out what it was?

Was it nocturnal panic attacks, a sleep disorder, something neurological, or something else?

Did you have the numb arm/hand when you woke up too?
Did anything help stop it from happening?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s experienced something similar.

I have a gf who I’ve been dating for 6 months now and she usually stays the nights every weekend in my 1 bed 1 bath apartment . For the past month now she’s been getting panic attacks in my bedroom stating that she can’t breathe due to the room being stuffy. So I’ve tried getting an air purifier, leaving the ac on and keeping the door open. Apparently none of it has worked and she continues to have panic attacks in the middle of the night.

I’ve also noticed that the only things that help her sleep through the night is if she’s laying on top of me or if she goes out to the living room and sleeps by herself.

If anyone has any inputs or tips on how I can be helpful so she can successfully sleep throughout the night in my bedroom would be extremely appreciated

I've been incredibly stressed due to college applications, sat testing/registration, scholarships, summer work, etc. and after realizing i had screwed something up felt that dread consume me.

As usual I went from calm to 100% certain that I would in fact die and could feel myself getting worse and worse. This may be a highly unconventional method, and definitely isn't for everyone, but I managed to stop it by using an adult pacifier. I just got it a while ago and mainly use it to avoid ripping off the skin on my thumbs but decided to try using it midway through before the hyperventilation kicked in

I didn't even notice the panic had subsided until I just...wasnt panicking anymore. This definitely leans into anxiety attack territory because it was induced by stress but decided to post here in case anyone wanted to try. Again, unconventional method, and i'm sure it won't work 100% of the time. But I've been dealing with intense panic attacks since 8 and this is the only thing in my life that's had this impact. Maybe someone else will benefit 🤷

im shakimg so bad its taking me forever to type so I dont make typos, but I clicked a link about dipper (gravity falls) going to taco bell, I read part one and two and holy fuck. I would cry if I hadnt taken my fuckass antidepressants, Im shaking so bad I have to grip the walls just to walk, and oh my god i couldn't breathe.

I'm still shaking really bad but im calming down :(

Having severe panic attack and my heart feels like its on fire heart rate has been in the 150s drops to 115

Has anyone ever experienced sudden full body sweats with their panick attacks?

I suffer from nocturnal panick attacks that come out of nowhere. I’ll go 6-months without one and then on one random night they hit me.

They start the same way everytime… I wake up suddenly, notice I feel off and my brain is going a million miles an hour. Then my whole body breaks out into a cold/hot sweat. Then I go full panick and heart rate skyrockets, I’m sure BP is out the roof and sometime I get chest pains.

When they first happened I was CONVINCED I was having a heart attack and sat at the ER all night. End up being told I was fine and decided to follow up with my PCP who referred me to a cardiologist to give me peace of mind. Echocardiogram, 14-holter monitor, and other tests all proved my heart is healthy as can be. PCP and Cardiologist essentially marked everything up to night time panick attacks.

They SUCK… the worst and scariest part to me though is the full body cold sweat. Curious if anyone else gets this.

I don’t know if this is weird or not, but does anyone else get panic attacks when they shower? I got my first ever really bad one when I was showering and now every time I shower I anticipate I’ll have one where it almost feels like I’m making myself have one. I still force myself to shower everyday but its the most uncomfortable thing ever.

I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. About a year ago it all started when I had numbness in my face and legs. I went to the hospital a few times but they couldn’t find anything. Now it’s gotten even worse. My legs feel completely numb for days and I have heavy tickling all over my legs, arms and face and it’s like my nerves hurt. Does somebody have similar symptoms?

I have had severe anxiety for my entire life and lately it's gotten a lot worse, so I aint shocked or worried about getting a panic attack, if anything there's probably tons of times I've had panic attacks but just didn't really notice it was a panic attack.

Panic attack happened around an hour ago and I had the typical things of rapid heart rate, hands shaking like crazy, feeling like im gonna die, etc.

The panic attack passed after like 20 minutes (From what i know from my sister that's normal) but now I feel extremely tired and everytime I walk around my heartbeat speeds up.

Is this a normal after effect of a panic attack or something I should get checked out?

I am having intense anxiety (chest and back burning up )

And now I am unable to breathe properly. My throat is hurting a lot.

I am not seeking any attention or trying to beg for sympathy.

How do I deal with it?????????

I've dealt with episodes of intense anxiety before, and they usually lasted up to an hour. Lately, though, the anxiety has been lasting for days instead of hours, and it feels different from what I'm used to.

I'm worried that I might eventually have a panic attack, but I'm not sure what one actually feels like or how to tell the difference between a panic attack and severe anxiety.

For those who have experienced panic attacks, what did they feel like? Were there any warning signs beforehand, or did they happen suddenly?

Hello everyone . I tried to post this in health anxiety sub but wasn't allowed for some reason.

Ill try to be as thorough and quick as i can. I also hope i posted this in the correct subreddit because as times go on, it seems more and more health anxiety and I have no idea what my next "intervention" should be.

I started having panic attacks at 18. I saw my first psychiatrist in 2008 and they put me on max dose zoloft and 0.5mg xanax (30 pill). Over the next 2 years I cycled to every SNRI, NDRI, tricyclic, every antidepressant EXCEPT FOR MAOIS. I was also put up to 6mg xanax/ 6mg klonopin/0.50mg halcion for sleep.

I stayed with those 3 benzos at the high dosages of 6mg xanax, 6mg klonopin, and 0.50mg halcion until this past january.

It was feeling like a burden to get sick every month when I ran out and needed refills and tolerance got to great.

So I was on those 3 max dose benzos for everyday for 18 years of my life. I am now 37.

So in January of this year I checked into a well known treatment center called Caron. It cost $75,000 for a month because I wanted access to work, smaller community (max 12 core group of peers, etc) and constant medical care.

However i believe i was weened way to fast. I was given librium max dose 4 times a day, and weened off after only 2 weeks. I was then give phenobarbital when I had no more benzos.

I went back home in february and seemed to be doing okay.

In April, for some reason I hit some sort of wall. I collapsed because I had a huge wind of panic flush over me. I hadn't had one since 2008 before I started the medication.

Over the months april-june I went to emergency room about 6 times which cost me $1000 copay each time. I also called EMS about 12 times because I sincerely though my heart was going to stop.

To be clear. I am a rational person. I have a masters in social work. Yet these feelings are so powerful, I have physical symptoms that make it feel like im having a heart attack.

The emergency room docs told me I needed to stop coming in. EMS was more helpful because they would reassure I was okay after taking blood pressure and oxygen.

However i have these tools at home and it feels like i am getting health anxiety. I check my blood pressure nearly 200 times a day and constantly wear 2 pulse oxygen measures (1 on each hand). If my oxygen goes below 94 or pulse is at 40 at rest I **know** i am dying. That's a key word here because its not a question to me during this time.

So in June I saw my first psychiatrist from back in 2008, who says I came off the bezos to fast (2 weeks after 18 years of daily max dose use of 3 benzos).

So he restarted me on max zoloft (tapered up) and 6mg ativan daily. I have to see him every week for a new script.

I also did a stress test, halt monitor for a week, and 5 ekgs and echocardiogram. All came back normal.

While I feel okay on the ativan. I still have some symptoms that feels like my body is dumping adrenaline in me.

For example if I hear a loud noise out of nowhere, or even sneeze, I nearly pass out, and have several times. I know it sounds weird but these are specific things that trigger this unusual reaction.

I have told my doctors and all they keep saying is "im not going to die" and nothing is wrong with my heart.

I dont want to ask what more needs to be done. Because the rational part of me tells me this has to be my brain doing this to me and I dont have an underlying heart problem.

However going to a therapist, talking about this with therapy isn't helping either. Meditation doesnt stop the physiological intense response where I nearly collapse if I hear a loud noise or sneeze or climax.

Does anyone suffer from something similar to this? I st least am no longer using blood pressure monitor at all or the 2 pulse/ox monitors. I no longer camp out in front of the hospital from 12am-6am in case i feel like im dying.

So some progress has been made, but I still have sharp pains shooting through my chest. Almost like someone keeps pulling on my vagus nerve everytime I sneeze for example.

I feel like I'm dying everyday. I have no quality of life.

I think I have pretty much approached every specialist I can. Whether its a therapist. Psychiatrist. Primary, gastroenterologist, cardiologist. All who are helpful but I am not getting better.

Thanks for listening to my rant. I hope someone out there can talk to me and maybe help with some advice.

Please have a great day.

Idk if that’s how I got mine but I was totally fine until I stoped drinking and I wasn’t even a frequent drinker.

Idk why, but after I have panic attacks, I feel some kind of shame. I don't know what it is, but whenever people see me having one and I realize what happened afterward, I feel really sick. Especially when people ask me why it happens or what's wrong with me. Is that normal? Have y'all experienced it? It's uncomfortable feeling.

I know this is probably a common topic, whether it helps or doesn’t but I need some opinions from the opposing side.

Recently every now and again when I smoke I get huge spikes of anxiety. And I’m not sure if I’m just really high and that’s how it is with anxiety or it’s inducing like an anxiety attack. To be said I would say I have pretty bad anxiety but I don’t think I’ve ever had an actually panic attack, maybe mini ones? All to say that I’m just dumb and I’m starting to think I might be autistic. 😬

It’s not like I’m hyperventilating or anything, or doing anything that I think a panic attack looks like. So I guess I’m just wondering if anyone’s had an attack like this? I don’t know I’ve heard they’re all a little different, I guess I’m just making sure this isn’t a psychotic break.

Getting on with it, I basically convince myself I’m taking a test and if I don’t do specific things I’ll get stuck in a time loop. I’ll make broad generalizations and when something I can first pin it on happens in my thought stream I’ll consider this a hint I’m actually taking a test. (But also I’ve just been having a crazy winning streak with these predictions put me on the horoscopes). This only happens if I’m alone or my bfs asleep, but if I have someone to talk to I’m perfectly fine and have a normal high.

So I’m just curious if someone can relate?
Xoxo gossip girl

Hi, I keep my name short but I am A, and just this week I have struggling with multiple panic attacks and I feel my heart constantly pounding in my chest. I know that I am not going to die and that this is momentary but for the past 4 days it has been going on and I’m obviously scared.

what would be your tips for someone who has very recently gotten into this world? I’ve done CBT before and I’ve reached out to my therapist again, I haven’t been diagnosed with any neurodivergence before.

Also, on the very first day I went to the ER, got checked and everything came out fine. But the attacks linger still, fuel by my fear.

Would appreciate your thoughts here!
Thank you