what side effects did your dr say there were. when i started taking the meds, there were no side affects accept weight gain (which i got) and being sleepy.

I can totaly relate to your panic attacks as i have suffered from panic attacks for just about 7 years.I have been to several counselors and psycharacist's,they all pretty much say they same thing's.You have to not talk your self into a panic attack.I say to myself "I cant have a panic attack now all these people will see it"or if i have my children with me i say to myself "I cant have one because i dont want them to see it"and they usualy go away.You have to trick your mind into switiching over to a different mode of thinking and use something to trigger your mind into different thinking.Mine is cold watter or pop.I know it sounds retarted but it work's.If i start to have an attack i say to myself "I am having an attack because i havent had enough watter or sugar today"and as soon as i get the watter or sugar down i instantly start feeling beter.It takes awhile to get it to work but it does.You just have to tell yourself that it is going to work.My psycharacist tought me that one.I also suffer from SAD (Seasonal affective disorder)and i tend to have more attacks in the winter.I have been taking a low dose of Trazadone 50mgs at night for both the panic attacks and the SAD and it does help a lot and you dont feel like your high.I take 1 at night because it makes you sleepy.I have had the best sleep in a long time since i started taking it.There are withdrawl side affects when you stop but they are mild compaired to Paxil.I dont take Trazadone in the spring and summer months at all and when i stop i only feel out of sorts for a few day's but nothing major more or less just a little tired.There is a book called "Overcoming anxiety for dummies" pick yourself up a copy,its very useful and has lots of tricks on overcoming the panic feeling.Your mind learned how to have a panic attack it can learn how to overcome it!Good luck!

thats the thing, I can be totally fine, having a great day not thinking anything bad and BAM! I dont even know where it comes from. I tell myself it's just an attack and to stop it! I try to take a hot bath or shower or even exercise. But when I'm in the middle of an attack, I find it hard to move. I'm afraid if I go to the bathroom alone, Something bad will happen to me and know one will know. My husband even goes to the bathroom with me at night if I'm having an attack. It's so silly.

I would try taking your Paxil then if it is that bad because no one deserves to have to feel the way you are feeling.Of course Paxil takes a whole month to have full affect but you should start to notice a difference after about 2 weeks.It doesent have to be a permanent thing either,just talk to you DR befor stoping.They will probley tell you to take it for a minimun of 6 months anyways.

Actually, a GP shouldn't be prescribing Paxil, even though they do...After being on it and reading alot about it, anyone on Paxil should have gotten it from a psychiatrist and should be monitored...I am one that got it from my GP... I learned my lesson the hard way. I had gone for my routine blood work and my liver function test came back abnormal...this is a result of the Paxil. I was also on Xanax which a very addicting drug..I used this as well as the Paxil..the Xanax was ONLY used if I felt like I was going to have a panic attack while on the Paxil...I still have some on hand as sometimes I will start to shake but, I can't even remember when the last time was that I had to take one...I like to have them on hand...kinda like my security blanket.

Of course lets add that you may not have any of the side affects that other people have because its not the same for everyone.People with panic disorder tend to dwell on the "What could happen" and Missy if you are conserned with your medication you need to talk to your DR right away because if you feel you cant control it on your own then you do need help.I went for years trying to do it on my own and once i finaly decided to take medication for it,i wish i would of never waited!

I always fear that there is something wrong with me. even now I have a sore throat and I tell myself it could be lung cancer. If I have a pain somewhere I tell myself stupid stuff. I know it's all in my head and I dont know how to turn it off.

I didnt take the paxil last night, after hearing the horror stories about it. I had only taken it that one day, my doctor prescribed it several months ago but I oppted not to take it, he knew I didnt want to be on meds but it seemed like he pushed them on me.

I dont know what to do, I just feel so lost sometimes and know one knows how I feel, sometimes I feel like a quack cause know one in my family can relate to what I'm going through, they tell me it's all in my head and to just stop thinking bad thoughts, easier said then done.

Don't give up. About 2 years ago I was under an extreme amount of stress at my job. Just out of the blue while laying down I started feeling a heaviness in my chest and it was hard to breath. I jumped out bed and started walking around to try to shake it off, but it didn't help. I finally told my husband to take me to the ER because I really thought I was going to die. That's the panic. After running all sort of tests they decided to give me Ativan. Within 30 minutes all of my symptoms were gone. I couldn't believe it. I went to see my regular doctor for follow-up and he put me on Zoloft. This stuff almost killed me. I started having sucide thoughts and became extremely depressed and lost alot of weight. I tried to tell them that I wasn't depressed to begin with, but I was under alot of stress. I began searching the internet for people with the same symptoms as mine and ended up doing cognitive therapy. I now can actually talk myself out of a anxiety attack when I start feeling one coming on. I am not one to take medicines and Ativan is addicting so I felt I needed another alternative. My symptoms are a little differant than most peoples. My sinuses start swelling to where I can't breath out of my nose and then it just goes down hill from there. Something that really worked for me was to count from 100 backwads by 3's. This takes your mind off of the symptoms and relaxes you. I still keep ativan in my purse for security even though it's been about 2 years since I've taken one. I hop everything works out for you.

I was just reading one of the other posts about being scared something was going to happen if you went to the bathroom alone. My husband travels and when he would go out of town I would lie in bed alone thinking that if I went asleep I would die and my children would find me dead in bed. The only way I could fall asleep was by taking the Ativan. You really feel like your loosing your mind. I really feel that I had so many unresolved issues with my job and I had to learn to quit holding everything inside. I was always afraid of hurting someone's feelings so I just supressed everything. After a while your body says enough and starts rebelling. I have finally started venting a little bit more and it really has helped. I had to learn to tell people no.

after reading what you just said about having your children find you dead in bed, I started to cry, thats exactly how I feel. I wish I could find a doctor that wants to help me and not drug me up.

I'm sorry I didn't want to make anyone cry. I just sooooo know what your'e going thru. I had a co worker that was also having panic attacks about the same time as me, but her symptoms were so differant from mine. I do think the common factor is the feeling as though you really are going to die. My doctor tried several differant anti-depressants on me and none of them helped. They made my symptoms much worse. I think I had every side effect listed on the packaging. I'm not here to bash anti-depressants because they worked for my co-worker, but the suicide thoughts are what scared me and I didn't have those until I started taking Zoloft. It always helps to talk to somebody when you feel an attack coming. Anything to take your mind off of it. Ativan was a miracle drug for me. I think my dose is 1/2 of a 1/2 of a milligram if that makes any since. Sometimes things would trigger the beginnings of an attack. Like talking about something sad or being negitive and I would have to leave the room or ask them to talk about something else until it passed. Just know that you are NOT GOING TO DIE FROM THIS even though your mind is telling you something else. Let me know if there's anything I can help you with :)

Thank you so much, You dont know how much I appreciate this.

Your very welcome. Feel better:)