By attackin on July 1, 2011
I went to the physician almost 3 weeks ago to discuss weird symptoms I was experiencing. (tension headaches, heaviness in chest and throat). My physician prescribed me 0. 5mg of Ativan. It does help me sleep but I wouldn't dare take it during the day when I look after my tiny one because it makes me feel very sedated. Obviously Ativan is supposed to relax you to treat the anxiety but is there anything he can give me that I can take during the day so I don't feel so tired. Well, I have your answer right here. Some of the antidepressants also have anti anxiety properties. You may want to ask your physician about this. Maybe cutting the 0. 5 mg of Ativan in half will help your anxiety without being so sedating. I hope you and your physician will find what works best for you. Good Luck.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged Anti Anxiety, Antidepressants, Ativan, Good Luck, Heaviness In Chest, Relax, Sleep, Tension Headaches
By attackin on June 27, 2011
I went to the hospital for an anxiety attack but don't really want to take medication for it, because usually I can fight them off. Has anyone ever overcome anxiety another way such as with a therapist or psychiatrist? And which one is better to go see. Essentially — I am actually going to view a psychiatrist tomorrow and the way I view it you only live life once why live it feeling miserable antidepressants will do the job for me theres nothing wrong with medication.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged Antidepressants, Anxiety Attack, Job, Medication, Psychiatrist
By attackin on May 16, 2011
Medications, behavioral therapy and a combination of the two, are the three most popular forms of treating anxiety disorder problems. This article will provide you with the information you need to know when treating any anxiety disorder.
Since there are a wide variety of anxiety disorders such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Social Phobia, the treatment of each anxiety disorder varies from one person to the next. However, in almost all cases, one or more of the three treatment forms mentioned come into play. Hence, we shall critically look into both medications and behavioral therapy, and then decide on the best solution for treating anxiety disorder conditions.
To begin with medications first, note that the two most widely seen types of medications used in treating anxiety disorders are SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) and benzodiazepines. While SSRIs are antidepressants that provide general anxiety relief and thus need to be used for several weeks before they show results, benzodiazepines are fast acting drugs that provide instant relief such that the symptoms of a panic attack are countered on an almost immediate basis.
Regardless of which type of medication you may use in treating anxiety disorder problems, it should be remembered that these drugs need to be used with extreme caution. This is because these anxiety disorder medications are prone to causing various side effects and have been known to be very addictive in nature.
Above all else, anxiety disorder medications are generally a short term solution. Instead of targeting the root causes of the problem and bringing about permanent improvements, anxiety disorder medications seem to be only helpful for as long as the pills are being taken. It is for this reason that the popularity and credibility of behavioral therapy has increased greatly in recent times as behavioral therapy is able to hone in on the roots of the anxiety and stress.
Behavioral therapy is generally of two types; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Exposure Therapy. Although either therapy option is spread out over numerous sessions, various studies as well as statistics stand testament to their extremely high success rates. The decision on which therapy option is chosen will rest with a medical professional or your doctor.
You should however know what either therapy entails. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy aims to change your behavior by first changing your thinking patterns, beliefs and perceptions and making you think in a more positive light.
Alternatively, Exposure Therapy aims to expose a patient to his/her fears in a controlled and safe setting such that, with increased exposures, the person himself/herself realizes that his fears and terrors are baseless and irrational. It is hoped that when this realization dawns, a change in behavior will slowly take place.
Your job meanwhile is to remain patient and hopeful. Results will not come about overnight therefore remaining consistent to one’s treatment is a must. If you begin to feel helpless at any time, it is advised you look towards your family and friends for comfort. Hence, it is best you let those closest to you know about what you’re going through from the get go. Their support and care will be the force driving you to complete recovery. Alternatively, you can look towards a support group for the same comfort and care.
If at times you feel things are out of your control, remember that you yourself can make great headway at treating anxiety disorder conditions. By avoiding the things that increase anxiety and stress you can make great progress. This would mean a nullification or at the least a minimization of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine intake. Contrarily, you should take up a regular exercise routine which allows the body to properly unwind. Similarly, you should increase your intake of fruits and vegetables thus allowing your body to receive an ample quota of vitamins and minerals.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged Antidepressants, Anxiety Disorders, Anxiety Medications, Anxiety Relief, Behavioral Therapy, Benzodiazepines, Best Solution, Combination Of The Two, Credibility, Extreme Caution, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Anxiety, Panic Disorder, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Symptoms Of A Panic Attack, Term Solution, Treating Anxiety Disorder, Treating Anxiety Disorders
By attackin on May 9, 2011
I was curious about this. I have been recently diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder and I think I have been also diagnosed with Panic Disorder, but I am not sure. How many panic attacks does someone have to have to be diagnosed with Panic Disorder. Well, I have your answer right here. Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc. ) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc. Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level. But there are natural ways to do it without medication. There's this strange herb called "St John's Wort" – it is said to be more effective than Prozac. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John's Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc. The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced. . You have that "learned behavior" in your mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior – Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction. . There are several other techniques to help cope them. Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to. . Extracted from Source.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged Antidepressants, Anxiety And Panic Attacks, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Anxiety Panic Attacks, Cbt, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Distraction, Initial Cycle, Learned Behavior, Mild Depression, Negative Emotions, Panic Disorder, Prozac, Sayings, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, Serotonin Production, Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, Strange Herb
By attackin on April 28, 2011
Ok I sort of have three question in one. . . 1. What is the definition of a panic attack 2. I need to know some of the reasons for panic attacks and if 3. Is it common for people to have these attacks starting in childhood and last through out their life. Do you know what I found? Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc. ) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc. Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level. But there are natural ways to do it without medication. There's this strange herb called "St John's Wort" – it is said to be more effective than Prozac. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John's Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc. The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced. . You have that "learned behavior" in your mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior – Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction. . There are several other techniques to help cope them. Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to. . Extracted from Source.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged Antidepressants, Anxiety And Panic Attacks, Anxiety Depression, Anxiety Medication, Anxiety Panic Attacks, Cbt, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Depression Medication, Distraction, Initial Cycle, Learned Behavior, Mild Depression, Negative Emotions, Panic Attack, Prozac, Sayings, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, Serotonin Production, Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, Strange Herb
By attackin on April 24, 2011
Usually, the first person that most people would call if they were looking for a panic attack treatment would be their family doctor. I certainly did after encountering my first panic episode. However, back in the far distant days of 1985, much less was known about panic than is known today and there were far fewer medications available. Today, there are several for your physician to choose from and finding the right one for the individual usually comes down to a little trial and error.
Azapirones may be one of the choices. It is found in many antidepressants and is used for the calming effect it has upon the nervous system.
Benzodiazepines may be another of your doctor’s choices. These deal more directly with the panic producing anxiety and are more widely used as a panic attack treatment. However, it should be pointed out that this category of drug is highly addictive and should only be taken under very strict medical supervision.
Personally, I never warmed to the idea of taking medication. I’m not in any way implying that taking medication is wrong. I’m just saying that it was, and still is for that matter, my preference not to do so even for something as minor as a headache.
There are all sorts of ways to control panic without taking prescription drugs. Some I’ve tried, other’s I’ve heard good things about from fellow sufferers. There are way too many to list here and I would not want you to be swayed by my negative comments if I had found that something did not work for me. An Internet search with the words “natural panic attack treatment” should bring forth some of the things that are available.
Now controlling panic attacks and totally eradicating them from your life are two entirely different things. As I said above, I tried some natural ways of controlling my panic attacks and, yes, I did witness for myself a vast improvement. However, there were still days when I was landed back in the pit of despair following another “out-of-the-blue” panic episode. To my mind, this just was not good enough. What I wanted was a totally natural treatment that would eliminate the panic attacks from my life completely and permanently. And, albeit after many years of searching, I found it.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged All Sorts, Antidepressants, Azapirones, Different Things, Distant Days, Family Doctor, Fellow Sufferers, First Person, Internet Search, Medical Supervision, Medication, Negative Comments, Nervous System, Out Of The Blue, Panic Anxiety, Panic Attack, Panic Attacks, Pit Of Despair, Prescription Drugs, Trial And Error
By attackin on April 15, 2011
I notice advertised several methods for self help with anxiety fear depression. has anyone tried these and had luck with them. I’m referring to Lucinda Bassett method, Joe Barry etc. What has worked for you, please let me know. Do you know what I found? Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc. ) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you’re more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc. Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level. But there are natural ways to do it without medication. There's this strange herb called "St John's Wort" – it is stated to be more effective than Prozac. No, it isn’t for mild depression only and ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John's Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc. The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced. . You have that "learned behavior" in your mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior – Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction. . There are several other techniques to help cope them. Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to. . Extracted from Source.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged Antidepressants, Anxiety And Panic Attacks, Anxiety Depression, Anxiety Panic Attacks, Attacking Anxiety, Cbt, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Distraction, Initial Cycle, Joe Barry, Learned Behavior, Lucinda Bassett, Mild Depression, Negative Emotions, Prozac, Sayings, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, Serotonin Production, Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, Strange Herb
By attackin on March 28, 2011
I'm just wondering your views on option options for dealing with anxiety and depression. Any thoughts or suggestions. From what I can tell… I'll reiterate a lot of what previous posters have offered: 1. Regular exercise has been shown to be highly effective in managing depression – walking is fine. 2. Eat a healthy diet – stay away from refined sugars, white flour, etc. Minimize caffeine consumption. 3. consider supplements such at St. John's wort, which has been found to be as effective as some antidepressants in treating mild to moderate depression. 4. Consider fish oil supplements – because they contain omega-3 fatty acids, which can help combat depression. 5. Practice relaxation and meditation – sit quietly and focus on your breath coming in and out. when your mind wanders, just bring it back to your breath. just a few minutes a day can really help calm and focus your mind. 6. journal 3 things you're grateful for each day – the practice of looking for and writing down positive events (even if they're really minor.) can help shift your outlook Finally, just wanted to encourage you. I've dealt with depression and anxiety off & on for more than 15 years, and for most of that time treated it with medication and counseling. They worked, but the meds had a lot of side effects. When faced with continuing them indefinitely, I knew I wanted to try a different approach. I turned to SJW, regular exercise, and a healthy, sugar-free diet as cornerstones. I'm happy to report I'm getting the SAME results without the side effects. It might take a little more diligence, but for me it's worth it. Best of luck to you and hope this was helpful
Posted in Anxiety Tagged 3 Fatty Acids, 3 Things, Antidepressants, Anxiety And Depression, Anxiety Depression, Caffeine Consumption, Combat Depression, Cornerstones, Dealing With Anxiety, Dealing With Anxiety And Depression, Depression And Anxiety, Depression Anxiety, Fish Oil Supplements, Free Diet, Healthy Diet, Managing Depression, Meds, Moderate Depression, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Practice Relaxation
By attackin on January 12, 2011
Anxiety and dizziness: most folks would never link them. And I was no different until I suffered an agonizing anxiety attack (panic attack). I should have seen the warning signs. For several weeks before, I had been having short dizzy spells, maybe a couple a day. Not like the dizziness where your head spins like a top. Mine was more subtle, like standing up too quickly, a bit lightheadedness, you know what I mean? At first I did not think much of it, maybe a bit of stress, I certainly did not think of anxiety. So I let it go. (Warning: don’t leave things like me, always consult your doctor as soon as possible).
Looking back, there were other signs apart from dizziness that, had I known then what I know now, would have made me attend my doctor. But I knew nothing of anxiety and anxiety attacks, so I left things too late. The result was that I suffered a really frightening anxiety attack while driving. I will not go into the whole story here, but at the time I really thought I was dying, and subsequently diagnosed with anxiety.
Some symptoms of anxiety — and some I had — are things like dizziness, headaches, lightheadedness, palpitations, hyperventilation, constant worrying about even little things, fatigue, etc. I just thought I was a little stressed, nothing more. (Note: remember that these can also be signs of other conditions, so always consult your doctor for a professional diagnosis).
But those were nothing compared to the symptoms I suffered during my anxiety attack; tight chest and throat, racing/pounding heart, tingling fingers, nausea, difficulty breathing, as well as dizziness and more. I honestly thought I was having a heart attack and about to die.
My doctor prescribed antidepressants and anti-anxiety pills. But, on reading about their nasty side effects (e. g. dizziness, drowsiness, sleeping problems, vomiting, diarrhea, dependency), I settled for non-drug treatment to cure my anxiety. (Caution: Once having started prescription drugs, never ever stop them without first talking to your doctor).
So how did I go about remedying my anxiety without expensive drugs? Probably in the same way you are doing now: I searched on the Net. Luckily, pretty quickly, I came across two or three anxiety info sources that were very helpful. But one in particular knocked me sideways with a vital piece of info that shaped the way I approached things. . .
Did you know that the ‘fear’ of another anxiety attack can actually cause the attack to occur? So what you are in is a cycle of anxiety. In other words, you have anxiety, you fear another attack, you have another attack, this makes you even more anxious, and so on. It is a vicious cycle that you must break out of in order to cure your anxiety.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged Anti Anxiety, Antidepressants, Anxiety And Dizziness, Anxiety Attack, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Panic, Anxiety Symptoms, Difficulty Breathing, Dizziness, Dizzy Spells, Having A Heart Attack, Heart Attack, Nasty Side Effects, Panic Attack, Professional Diagnosis, Sleeping Problems, Symptoms Of Anxiety, Tight Chest, Tingling Fingers, Warning Signs
By attackin on December 23, 2010
Are you wondering how social anxiety medication stacks up against alternative forms of therapy, such as exposure therapy? In this article, you’ll learn why some form of exposure work will be necessary if you ever plan to overcome social anxiety symptoms. You’ll learn why medication makes things worse in many situations.
Currently, there are only three basic forms of medication that have an effect on social anxiety symptoms. One group would be those that affect your overall level of anxiety within 45-minutes of taking the medication. This is a group of minor tranquilizers like Xanax and Ativan. These medications cause dependence if taken regularly. They do work in the short term by making it possible for you to face your fears. Facing your fears is what we call “exposure. ” It gives your mind the opportunity to develop new expectations about what will happen in situations that make you uncomfortable. If you have generalized social anxiety, you may be getting “exposed” to uncomfortable situations all day long, but as long as you are mentally trying to hide from the experience (internally shrinking away from it) you are not doing exposure therapy.
If you decide that you are going to use a minor tranquilizer, don’t take if for long. A significant portion of people taking the minor tranquilizers for a period longer than three months begin to show signs of depression because of the effects of the medication. Long term use of high doses followed by sudden cessation can lead to seizures, so be sure to consult your physician before suddenly changing anything.
The second group of medication that affects social anxiety symptoms is the SSRI group, which are typically called antidepressants because they were first noted to be helpful with depression before we realizes they had a gradual effect on anxiety in some cases. The most typically prescribed SSRI’s are Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft, and others that all do basically the same thing in the brain. One other similar medication, Effexor, has also been approved for treatment of social anxiety. It is also in the antidepressant class of drugs but it is a little different because it affects norepinephrine as well as serotonin in the brain. These medications take four weeks of daily use before they show any change in peoples mood or anxiety reactions. Even then, the anxiety changes tend to be very small when compared to the effect of properly conducted exposure work.
A third group of medication is the beta-blockers. These drugs are taken around 45 mintues before a big performance situation. They decrease the heart’s response to adrenaline, so you are not sent into a panic by the sensation of a racing heart when you have to perform or speak in front of a big group of people (or small group of people). The problem with this medication is that it only works for a small subset of people with social anxiety disorder. Also, you mainly cannot predict the situations in which you wish the medication was already in your bloodstream (such as being called on in a meeting or a class to speak).
The only way to have true recovery from social anxiety symptoms is by practicing the art of gradual exposure. It is a whole heck of a lot of work, but it pays off in terms of quality of life. The reason it is so superior to medication is that results are with you all the time with no side effects, no cost, and the satisfaction of knowing that you used your brain to beat a really big problem.
The gist of exposure therapy is that you figure out what kinds of anticipatory fears you are having in each situation that brings up your social anxiety symptoms. You then make careful plans to purposefully put yourself in situations that create a small amount of the social anxiety discomfort while simultaneously changing the thoughts you have about what you expect to happen next. You replace thoughts of panic (that come from attempts to control the anxiety and feared outcomes) with thoughts of hopeful anticipation that you will be able to use the exposure session as practice for learning how to ride the wave of anxiety and adrenaline until it leaves you alone. Gradually, you get so good at riding the wave of anxiety instead of fighting it that you find the social anxiety symptoms begin to fade away really fast. Learning to do exposure properly means doing some research on how it works. You can pay a psychologist to teach you how to do it gradually over time, or you can do some independent research and make your own plan for facing down your fearful reactions and thoughts. It is not easy to go against your own fear, but it is worth it.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged Antidepressants, Anxiety Symptoms, Ativan, Celexa, Cessation, Exposure Therapy, Exposure Work, Facing Your Fears, Generalized Anxiety, Generalized Social Anxiety, Minor Tranquilizers, Prozac, Second Group, Seizures, Signs Of Depression, Social Anxiety Medication, Stacks, Tranquilizer, Uncomfortable Situations, Zoloft
Help For Panic Attacks
By attackin on April 24, 2011
Usually, the first person that most people would call if they were looking for a panic attack treatment would be their family doctor. I certainly did after encountering my first panic episode. However, back in the far distant days of 1985, much less was known about panic than is known today and there were far fewer medications available. Today, there are several for your physician to choose from and finding the right one for the individual usually comes down to a little trial and error.
Azapirones may be one of the choices. It is found in many antidepressants and is used for the calming effect it has upon the nervous system.
Benzodiazepines may be another of your doctor’s choices. These deal more directly with the panic producing anxiety and are more widely used as a panic attack treatment. However, it should be pointed out that this category of drug is highly addictive and should only be taken under very strict medical supervision.
Personally, I never warmed to the idea of taking medication. I’m not in any way implying that taking medication is wrong. I’m just saying that it was, and still is for that matter, my preference not to do so even for something as minor as a headache.
There are all sorts of ways to control panic without taking prescription drugs. Some I’ve tried, other’s I’ve heard good things about from fellow sufferers. There are way too many to list here and I would not want you to be swayed by my negative comments if I had found that something did not work for me. An Internet search with the words “natural panic attack treatment” should bring forth some of the things that are available.
Now controlling panic attacks and totally eradicating them from your life are two entirely different things. As I said above, I tried some natural ways of controlling my panic attacks and, yes, I did witness for myself a vast improvement. However, there were still days when I was landed back in the pit of despair following another “out-of-the-blue” panic episode. To my mind, this just was not good enough. What I wanted was a totally natural treatment that would eliminate the panic attacks from my life completely and permanently. And, albeit after many years of searching, I found it.
Posted in Anxiety Tagged All Sorts, Antidepressants, Azapirones, Different Things, Distant Days, Family Doctor, Fellow Sufferers, First Person, Internet Search, Medical Supervision, Medication, Negative Comments, Nervous System, Out Of The Blue, Panic Anxiety, Panic Attack, Panic Attacks, Pit Of Despair, Prescription Drugs, Trial And Error