Panic attack depression

[Xanthe12345]

Would reducing pred cause me to have severe panic attacks reduced gradual 6.5 to 6. Up them to 8 for a few days when I had bronchitis and clarythimicin

[SheffieldJane]

Panic attacks are complex and a whole host of causes can combine to produce them. When I used to suffer from them it was usually a fear that I was suppressing. It may just be that your recent acute illness on top of PMR or GCA just felt like too much for you. You’re right that a combination of medications could have made you feel very weird giving rise to panic attacks. Pred can make you feel nervous, in my experience this reduces at you lower the dose. You have gone up a bit to support your bronchitis and then down again though. I think it is natural to feel depressed after a debilitating illness. It is hard to put these symptoms down to a purely physical cause though. A lot of us went through periods of unrelenting stress before we got sick in the first place. Being busy with a definite diagnosis can take our minds off this. Perhaps as you lower your dose you find that there are still issues in your life that you need to deal with and you might well benefit from a course of therapy. I speak as someone who has used therapy from time to time and as a qualified person centred therapist myself. Good luck! Panic attacks and depression are horrible and my most dreaded thing.

[Hidden in reply to SheffieldJane]

Another thing we have in common, Sheffieldjane... panic and anxiety attacks!

[Xanthe12345 in reply to SheffieldJane]

Doc has put me on lozartham and it has helped....was tempted to put steroids back up to 8

[PMRpro Ambassador]

You are in the range where your body must start to produce its own corticosteroid, cortisol, again. Your entire hormone balance is a bit upset and that could contribute to the sensations we describe as a panic attack. And you have been unwell - it could well be all interlinked.

[Hidden]

I have had both anxiety and panic attacks. They often travel together so maybe if you have been feeling anxious a combination of illness, medications and an extra stressor you might not even recognise yet might have tipped you over the edge. Hope the attacks stops soon. If not you should consider counselling as SJ says. As they say...its good to talk.🌻

[HeronNS]

Your post reminds me of about three weeks I had when reducing to 7 mg. I felt panicky for no reason at all. It must have been the pred level, my body adjusting to that dose. At about the same time I started to experience severe fatigue for the first time. The panicky feelings went away quite quickly, the fatigue not so much. Had completely forgotten about this episode!

[Anna135]

I have found that tapering at these low doses where the adrenals need to start up again, causes me a big increase in anxiety as well. It's very difficult. I just hope it goes completely back to normal with enough time.

[1Purplecrow]

Hi, one of my symptoms has been feelings of anxiety, with panic attacks.

I was always, pre-PMR, resilient during stressful times. However, while tapering prednisone, between 8 and 3 mg, I was felt like I was “walking a tightrope”. I had no tolerance for stress, and would often experience feeling “jittery”. My taper schedule has been very slow, sometimes a month between .5 mg drops.

I’m happy to tell you , this experience passes.

Kind regards, Jerri

PMR diagnosed in Oct. 2013.