Help!!

[Suz65]

Now I am having an opposite reaction. I get relaxed and a panic attack comes up. What the heck is going on?

I feel fine and then bam! I freak out!! Is there ever an end to this madness??

Has anyone ever had this happen? Please reply, I need to go to bed and now I can't sleep..Afraid I will die 😭

[AnxietyBarbie]

Yep, happens a lot to me when I'm trying hard to not feel anxious, then suddenly I will break into a full blown panick attack. But don't worry, this feeling is nothing to worry about. Go ahead and go asleep, get some rest, then when you wake up in the morning having conquered the panick attack, you'll know for next time that it won't kill you, even if it feels like it.

[Suz65 in reply to AnxietyBarbie]

I was reading a magazine and doing puzzles in it. Then I just freaked out from feeling too calm.

I don't know what to do😭

[Moment49 in reply to Suz65]

Hey Suz,

Yes I have some pretty crazy panic attacks when I have tried to relax. In fact I started trying these guided meditation things..( I'm at this crazy point that I will try anything) I was telling my therapist that try as might, i suck. I couldn't figure it out. Hey, it looks easy!! So, one of my many malaldaptive coping skills is keeping as Busy as possible. Really I was trying to busy my mind so it wouldn't have a minute on it's own. So when I did settle down my mind saw it's chance and here came the panic. I don't know if you see yourself in that..

[Suz65 in reply to Moment49]

I do see myself here. I feel like I am in a battle here though with trying to keep my mind occupied. I feel like if I let myself stop for even a min I will die.

😭😭

[JJW-Mercury6]

I went thru that...it's terrifying. I couldn't sleep for almost a week. As soon as I'd 'drift' off, I'd panic and I could literally feel adrenaline flood thru my system...then I'd flip over and try and think of the beach...didn't work, flip, didn't work, flip...each time I was on the edge, I was terrified I would stop breathing, and in the mean time the clock would slip to midnight, then 1, then 2...and soon alarms would be going off for school, work, and it'd be another sleepless night. The only thing that broke the cycle was Ambien (would knock a horse out). After a few weeks of that I backed off to Trazadone (less strong), then I backed off of that until I was sleeping normally again. The drugs were a new sieve of anxiety all them selves (am I going to become addicted?!??! I hate 'drugs'!!), but I had no choice. I was deteriorating from lack of sleep.

Not a doctor, but your experience was painfully familiar, so wanted to at least share how I was able to get it resolved. Hope you find a way thru it...not sleeping sucks! Xx

[Suz65 in reply to JJW-Mercury6]

Thank you JJW! I did end up going to bed and slept for a while. I think I am having some effects from increasing my med and turning around and decreasing it. Just trying to keep myself calm as I ride out whatever is happening when you do the medicine rollercoaster.