I have these crazy panic attacks that come out of nowhere where I feel like I'm going out of my mind...which in turn is even scarier because I think that if I do really go out of my mind I'll be locked up in a mental institution. Is there anything that is better (more mild) that xanax? I don't wanna keep taking the hard stuff and end up getting addicted. More so is there a natural remedy or herbs (mixture of herbs) that can help?
Pacifica
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There are herbs - but this is still a chemical dependency.
I suggest you see a counsellor, learn a little meditation/self hypnosis techniques to help with the calming. It works.
Anonymous
I have panic attacks too, which in turn created anxiety, which created depression and so. I tried johns Wort which is a herbal remedy. I too wanted to explore natural alternatives first.
I found after a couple of weeks of Johns Work I was feeling "better" but my panic attacks were not stopping, so my anxiety didn't either. Thats not to say it won't work for you.
I'm at the point now where I am going to start a course of an SSRI drug, Fluoxetine.
I hope you do ok!
?
Sorry Kiddo ! I feel for you. I went to the Natural Food Store and tried everything they gave me. BUT, nothing worked. The only thing that helped my panic attacks was Paxil. I am getting much better, I dropped from 20 mg a day to 10 mg. Also, when you have an episode of anxiety it leads to panic then to more anxiety, it is a vicious circle ! When I dropped to 10 mg, I was also given a prescription for rivotril .05 mg for whenever I feel and episode coming on. It works within 15 minutes. It has done wonders for me.
Sometimes breathing will help, but other times when it is too much, I need the rivotril.
Good Luck.
t-bone
if you have a councillor you may ask if group therapy would be a way to go.
sometimes understanding how we got there is as good as understanding the problem ,
as you said you were concerned about your sanity.
If you have thoughts of going crazy it most likely will never happen,
but your real concern is learning how to handle panic attacks. with the help of others in the same boat you will better understand what not to do, those things that trigger the panic situations.
medication is fine on the short side ,
but it just leads to more confusion and possible serious nerve damage. i would check with my doctor if i were you. therapists are part a the solution, you already know the answer.
Mark
I would say no. There aren't any natural remedies that are significantly helpful for this. Hell, none of the prescription remedies work that well either!
And regarding Xanax, I once took that stuff for a few weeks just to see what it did. It had very minimal effects. But when I quit, I felt like I was going to die!