Tips on Panic and Next Steps

[Fearful_Kitty]

Hello friends,

I am new to the group. Just joined moments ago. I’ve had anxiety most of my life with occasional panic attacks induced by stressful life events (and only lasted about a minute). The last few months my anxiety has gotten worse and I started having more and more frequent panic attacks randomly. It would be talking to people or reading to my daughter, driving, etc.

It was disrupting my every day life and my therapist really recommended I start medication for anxiety. I set up a virtual call with a pcp and got prescribed Cymbalta. I was hesitant to take it because lately I have become increasingly afraid to invest pills (I psych myself out and think I am getting dizzy, etc). But after a bad panic attack I decided I needed to start and took the pill Thursday 4/13 around 11pm.

The following morning, severely increased anxiety woke me up and with it sensation of cold and tingling and I knew it was side effects of the medication and I started to panic. I called the health line and they told me it should be out of my system in a few hours. But since 5am yesterday morning I’ve been having nonstop panic attacks. It has taken all I have to keep it at bay at times. I’ve been mediating, taking baths, going on walks, using essential oils but even when the worse of the attack is gone I have this lingering shaking anxiety. I have also grown increasingly fearful of having another attacks which makes them come on instantly. And I’m afraid to take anything to relax me because it might make it worse too. I am afraid that I’ve triggered a Panic Disorder and I am not sure where to go from here.

Should I go to the ER? Is it helpful? Is Urgent Care an option?

Thank you in advance!

[Sillysausage234]

hi …here’s another site lots of info on panic attacks and how to swerve them

[Sillysausage234]

healthunlocked.com/anxietys...

[Dolphin14]

Hi

I'm sorry you are feeling this way. It becomes a vicious cycle.

Do you have something prescribed to relax you?

If you feel you need medical attention you should go.

Please keep us posted

🐬

[EndUser13]

Welcome to the forums!

Since you are in the US there's now the option of calling 988 and chatting with someone. It seems like there's a myriad of support phone centers that can be helpful too. When I start to get too ragged and tense I find it helpful to do something really low stress that helps distract me, like music or working a puzzle. It can feel counter-intuitive to NOT worry when your nerves feel so frayed but if you can find something to help you reset, it might help, perhaps a nap?