Question:
I switched to Zoloft. Then after several months on Zoloft I tapered off of the Xanax, very slowly, and then tapered off of the Zoloft. Like I said before, I’ve been panic free for over a year.
Well done, Greg. I know it’s hard to give up the meds, but don’t life seem better when you have? You have true grit. _ ROB "better, and getting better all the time!"
Response:
From Nov. 1994 to Feb. 1995 my panic attacks, which I’ve had all of my life, became so severe and frequent I started seeing a psychiatrist and taking medication. I started with Imipramine and Xanax (.05mg x 3 per day) for 6 months and switched to Zoloft because the Imipramine gave me a horribly dry mouth. Surprisingly I was able to tapper off of the Xanax completely by last March, and then stopped the Zoloft in June. The drugs were very effective for me because they got me out of that "Panic" mind cycle and allowed me to find my old self. The only time I feel panicky now is when I’ve had about 3 cups of coffee. Even then I know it’s the caffeine and I don’t think too much about anything. I know that everybody is different, but last year I was sure I was going to be on medication for a very long time, and I was in a total state of fear waiting for another attack to happen. I don’t know what it was, but they’ve stopped. I’m sure they’ll start again sometime, but at least I’ll feel at ease knowing that they’ll pass. Maybe they won’t ever come back. Wouldn’t that be nice. Greg
Response:
< snip Maybe they won’t ever come back. Wouldn’t that be nice.
Hello Greg, You bet. Good luck, John Daly
Response:
Great story. Congratulations. I hope I can be as sucessful as yourself. Post more info on the techniques you use, what your attacks were like, when you got them etc… I would appreciate it! I’m headed out for the first time since friday, hoping i’ll be cool for 5 hours till I get back Tom
Response:
I started having panic attacks when I was in middle school and had them occasionally thru high school. In college they became more frequent, about one or two a month, and then after college while working in Japan they became even more frequent. When I came home for my sister’s wedding I was diagnosed as having Panic Disorder and given Xanax to take "as needed". Everything was bearable until about two years ago when I started having them at least every other day. They became really severe too. I thought on three occasions I was having a heart attack and ended up in the emergency room. They were getting really out of control. I went to a Japanese doctor who didn’t know what he was doing. He gave me a weeks supply of Imipramine and Xanax and had me taking .08mg of the Xanax (.04 increments in Japan) three times a day. Then I ran out!!!!! On a Saturday morning after a night of drinking I didn’t take any Xanax. I became so panicked I ended up stopping a stranger in the middle of the street in Tokyo and begged him to take me to a hospital. For six hours I thought my heart was going to explode. I had a pulse of 140bpm for what seemed like hours. It was horrifying. After this episode I started seeing an American psychiatrist and started a realistic dosage of Imipramine and Xanax. The Imipramine worked fine, but caused dry mouth so bad that I couldn’t swallow while playing basketball which heightened my anxiety. I switched to Zoloft. Then after several months on Zoloft I tapered off of the Xanax, very slowly, and then tapered off of the Zoloft. Like I said before, I’ve been panic free for over a year. This is what my psychiatrist said could happen. Eventually I would be able to taper off the meds and be back to normal. After reading in this newsgroup I was afraid that I might be on the meds for a long time. I don’t think there is anything wrong with staying on the meds as long as you want, even if it is for the rest of your life. But for me it is comforting to know that the meds are there just in case I need them. Especially the Xanax. There is nothing more comfortable than knowing I have a whole bottle of Xanax to take in case I start freaking out again. Greg
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