Posted by 4WD on February 1, 2006, at 22:37:34
In reply to Re: Panic solution, posted by kavaman on February 1, 2006, at 9:28:24
Hi Kava,
I feel for you. Truly, I understand. I went through a long spell of not exactly panic attacks but several months where I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack constantly. I mean if normal is a 1 and a full blown panic attack is a 10, I stayed at 8 or 9 all the time. Like you, mine got better in the evening and was the worst in the morning.
I tried many different antidepressants which didn't help and many of which seemed to make things worse. Effexor seems to help most with my anxiety but there was a time where it didn't touch it.
The only thing that saved my life was Klonopin. I have been addicted to Ativan also and getting off it was horrible, as you said. I was very reluctant to take a benzo but when it reached the point where I feared for my life, I had to do it. I think Klonopin is less likely to cause tolerance than Ativan. I haven't had to increase the dosage needed to control the fear in the year and a half I've been taking it. In fact, I am taking less now than I was when I started.
I have read that tricyclic ADs are better for some people who have extreme anxiety and don't do well on SSRIs or SNRIs. I believe the SSRIs cause me to be more anxious and agitated. I've never been able to take a full dose of any of them. You might want to think about imipramine or amitriptyline (amitriptyline is supposed to be very sedating) or doxepin (Sinequan - also sedating). And I wouldn't hesitate to take a benzo in the meantime. As my pdoc keeps asking me when I keep trying to reduce my Klonopin dose "why suffer?"
Hope this helps a little. Please know that you are not alone.
Marsha
poster:4WD
thread:604876
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060129/msgs/605351.html