Question:
I have just recently been diagnosed with having panic disorder.. I tried to post on here earlier but they seem to have disappeared. I’m fairly new with newsgroups so not sure what I did. In any event, I would like to talk with others who know what I’m going through, as my family does not understand. I have been having sudden panic attacks daily for the past month and a half. I felt like I was dying and was in and out of the ER only to be told each time that I was physically okay. I went to a cardiologist and had test after test, said that my heart was fine. Went to a GI doctor and everything, other than a little inflammation, is okay. I went to a therapist for the first time last week and was finally told that I had panic disorder. Although I’m not thrilled about this, I think it did lessen my anxiety just a little bit.. at least now I know I’m not dying. I haven’t been to work in three weeks and the doctor put me on disability for at least another week. I’m so nervous about going back because I don’t want to have an attack there. I guess the reason I’m posting is that I’d really like to get a support system for myself and found out from others, like me, how to deal with this. My doc prescribed ativan and prozac. I do not feel overly depressed so I’ve only been taking the ativan. I’m not really sure I want to take prozac.. A friend of mine suggested taking St. Johns Wart.. Does anyone know anything about this? Thanks, Ruthie http://home.earthlink.net/~ruru/panic.html I’m trying to start a message board on my page.. please visit if you have the time.
Response:
I have just recently been diagnosed with having panic disorder.. I tried to post on here earlier but they seem to have disappeared. I’m fairly new with newsgroups so not sure what I did. In any event, I would like to talk with others who know what I’m going through, as my family does not understand.
Hi Ruthie, welcome aboard. There’s lots of nice people here. I have gotten so much out of this Newsgroup. I hope it helps you as much. <some snipped My doc prescribed ativan and prozac. I do not feel overly depressed so I’ve only been taking the ativan. I’m not really sure I want to take prozac.. A friend of mine suggested taking St. Johns Wart.. Does anyone know anything about this?
I know almost nothing about St. John’s Wort. I do know that many anti-depressants are used to stop Panic Attacks. You could talk to your Doctor about something instead of the Prozac, if you are uncomfortable with it. Has the Ativan been helping much? Thanks, Ruthie http://home.earthlink.net/~ruru/panic.html I’m trying to start a message board on my page.. please visit if you have the time.
Looked at parts of your Homepage – Nice work – lots there. Kiesha Van Dyke To e-mail, remove ** from address.
Response:
Hi, Ruthie… I have just recently been diagnosed with having panic disorder..
Welcome to the club nobody wants to join… I tried to post on here earlier but they seem to have disappeared. I’m fairly new with newsgroups so not sure what I did.
Well, this one made it fine, so you seem to have figured that out. In any event, I would like to talk with others who know what I’m going through, as my family does not understand.
Well, talk away. Though I’ve had the disorder since I was a kid, I wasn’t diagnosed ’till late ‘95. I have been having sudden panic attacks daily for the past month and a half. I felt like I was dying and was in and out of the ER only to be told each time that I was physically okay. I went to a cardiologist and had test after test, said that my heart was fine. Went to a GI doctor and everything, other than a little inflammation, is okay. I went to a therapist for the first time last week and was finally told that I had panic disorder. Although I’m not thrilled about this, I think it did lessen my anxiety just a little bit.. at least now I know I’m not dying.
I was relieved to find that I wasn’t crazy; sounds odd, I guess, but being able to put a name to the situation makes it more tangible. [snipped a bit...] My doc prescribed ativan and prozac. I do not feel overly depressed so I’ve only been taking the ativan. I’m not really sure I want to take prozac..
Prozac worked wonders for me; destroyed my anxiety and the depression that I never knew was there (before starting ADs). Though the SSRI meds like Prozac are *called* antidepressants, the mechanism for both anxiety and depression appears to be one and the same; the SSRIs work on both. Prozac has a very long 1/2 life, meaning that it’s active in your system for a long time. I tolerated it *very* well, and, even when I dropped it cold-turkey (for my own reasons) from 40 mg/ day, the worst I experienced was a mild headache. I can only suggest that you take it, as your Dr prescribed. A friend of mine suggested taking St. Johns Wart.. Does anyone know anything about this?
I would be more worried about taking St. John’s Wort than Prozac; though the finer points of exactly how SSRIs work is not specifically known, SWJ has not even been classified as to *how* it works. Also, there is the question of purity and concentration of the active ingredients — Prozac is Prozac, where SJW can vary from one capsule to the next. Hope that helps some…. — Scott Armstrong
Response:
agree with scott. my husband uses st. john’s, but for depression and in his case, it works. but for pa, i haven’t a clue because it hasn’t been proven to help or hinder them. i would go now with what the dr says and get yourself medically stable, then down the road talk to THEM about trying something else. regardless of what you read or hear, you need to keep in touch with your physician and if you aren’t satisfied with their protocol, be open and tell them that. this is your life you are dealing with. and it is your life that you are going to have to learn to adapt to slightly differently so you can cope with the pd.
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