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Anxiety attacks.
chrispche
Southend on Sea, Essex, UK Explorer
I've been getting terrible anxiety attacks lately. The last one made made all the muscles go into spasms. I was in such pain that I had to call out an ambulance. They just calmed me down and advised me it was all in the head and I had to slow down my breathing. I was hyper ventalating. So I had to suffer this state for another 4 hours till the Doctors opened. When it came time to see the Doctor I tried to walk there, except my body was going into spasms and I only managed to get 20 yards. Had to call a taxi to take me there which is only a 15 minute walk away. Doctor gave me some diazapam. It took 30mg to relax my muscles and calm me down. I have been taking a maintenance dose of 10mg per day since.
However I have noticed that my meditations have been a hell of a lot more blissfull. I think diazepam is a great meditational aid.
However I have noticed that my meditations have been a hell of a lot more blissfull. I think diazepam is a great meditational aid.
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At the moment, you need help and use medication - that's fine, and if it helps you meditate, so much the better as I'm sure the meditation will bring more lasting peace.
I'd also recommend CBT and hypnotherapy as a way through in dealing with situations which trigger anxiety. Healing the mind is sometimes much quicker with help.
Not that I'm aware of. Have suffered from depression since the age of 6. I have one of those chemical imbalances. There is not particular reason for my mental health. Unless you subscribe to past lifes, maybe I'm being punished for something. My mental health has been the bain of my life. I'm diagnosed with schizo affective disorder.
Hi Chrispche,
I am very sorry to hear about your difficulties and am glad that you are feeling better. Diazepam - formally know as Valium - is a hypnotic drug, and whilst useful in the short term for muscle spasms, can become very addictive with long-term usage.
I suggest that you see your doctor again fairly soon, to see if he will help you to explore other ways of managing your panic attacks with none drug therapy - and then subsequently begin to gradually reduce your dosage. MBCT is an alternative. (Mindfulness based cognitive therapy) It's available in some areas of the UK, but not all. As Yeshe pointed out, CBT is another alternative.
As a qualified hypnotherapist myself, I would agree that hypnotherapy may be helpful, but MBCT would probably be better because it includes meditation.
Kind wishes,
Dazzle
If you have experienced chronic depression then you may already have been given SSRI anti-depressants.
If the diazepam is additional to SSRI medication then you may want to ask your GP about the older tri-cyclic antidepressants such as Dothiepin which are also excellent for anxiety (and help you sleep). That way you will only need one medication.
Just an amateur observation, but I've seen it work well, whereas I've not seen much evidence that SSRI's are as effective - indeed Seroxat is now no longer recommended for prescription to young people (under 18) as it may lead to suicide.
Good luck.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5bpe6fXuPk&feature=related
Mani
The best I can say is don't create a dependency to medication but I guess your doctors know the best. So take my advice with a grain of salt. I am also not sure about meditating under medication. Keep well and hope you will get over this soon.
I know a person who panicked as a nursing student every time they were being observed. Of course, if they could not be observed, they could not be evaluated and could not pass the course. They flunked out.
They got better when they started looking for the situations that created the panic in order to overcome it. This person also felt they were being scrutinized and felt panicky when they went for a job interview. They set up as many job interviews as they could (even if they did not want the job) just as an opportunity to practice with the panic.
When they were doing things deliberately like this, they could not get the panic to return. They continually searched out ways to make the panic return, yet it would not. It tells me a lot about the power of acceptance.
Chris, I don't know how long you have been diagnosed for but it may be a good time in your life to be reassessed with a new therapist. If medication has been a big part of your life for a long time, it can mask other symptoms. Not to say there is anything wrong with the therapist you have, but a second opinion and a fresher perspective can sometimes change things for you.
Namaste
A possible but rare side effect of Venlafaxine is Panic Attacks, but if you've been on it for a while I guess it is probably not this.
It's quite a cocktail you have there. Maybe a specialist (or a different one) could spot if there are any problems in the mix.
My understanding of medication for the mind stops at depression and anxiety, where I know far too many people who are suffering. Panic attacks, especially in crowded areas, have affected a few of them in the early days of chronic depression and anxiety. They all managed to overcome that aspect of it, so maybe you will also!
In other words, it may not have a direct karmic origin. Or it could just be that you suffered a trauma you don't remember, I don't know.