Question:
hey, i am a college student with panic disorder. i take zoloft now and it really helps keep my panic attacks in control however i still do experience anxiety symptoms almost every day. i have a couple of questions and i was wondering if anyone could help me out. 1.- does anyone know how to lessen my anxiety about having another attack? like i said, the medication helps a lot but i guess it can only do so much and although i am not having full-fledged attacks, i still get the jitters and nervousness about having another attack a few times a day. has anyone found any good ways to cope with this?
The addition of a benzodiazepine such as Xanax XR or Klonopin taken on a regular (daily) basis would lower your anticipatory anxiety, and lower your general level of anxiety. I’ve been on a combo of Zoloft and Klonopin for 14 years. 2- my second question regards others. for all of us who suffer from panic disorder, we know how real it is and how debilitating (sp.?) it can be. however, it doesnt seem like everyone else recognizes it since technically doesnt mean anything is physically wrong. The worst I’ve found is college professors. Especially before I started on Zoloft, i miss frequent classes because of anxiety. In many of these classes there is an attendance policy that allows students to only miss an alloted amount of class which i routinely go over. However, written into the syllabus of every course there is a clause for students with disabilities and health issues excusing absences for health or disability related issues. Although every semester I have taken the appropriate steps to try to get professors (and bosses at work) to recognize the fact that I have a real illness, i continue to have my grades reduced due to absences, which is just not fair.
Due to abscences? or due to poor grades on tests? When I went to college we weren’t graded on attendence. It seems like nobody recognizes my panic disorder as something serious enough to keep me from going to class (which anyone who has had it knows that it can be.) Has anyone experienced a similar problem or has anyone got any ideas how to solve this problem?
Can you get a letter from a psychiatrist saying you have a medical problem which is disabling and may interfer with your attendence in class? And do you think it would help? Chip — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm
Response:
::hey, i am a college student with panic disorder. i take zoloft now ::and it really helps keep my panic attacks in control however i still ::do experience anxiety symptoms almost every day. i have a couple of ::questions and i was wondering if anyone could help me out. Welcome to ASAPM!! Talk to the prescribing doctor to let him know that you are still experiencing anxiety on a daily basis. Increasing the Zoloft and/or adding a benzo like xanax or klonopin could leave you feeling less anxious. How much Zoloft are you currently taking? How long have you been on it? ::1.- does anyone know how to lessen my anxiety about having another ::attack? like i said, the medication helps a lot but i guess it can ::only do so much and although i am not having full-fledged attacks, i ::still get the jitters and nervousness about having another attack a ::few times a day. has anyone found any good ways to cope with this? Ask for a benzo, get into cognitive behavioral therapy (meds can only do so much), decrease or eliminate caffeine from your diet and stay busy both physically and mentally. Staying busy is a diversion. Get your mind to focus on other things so you forget about your anxiety. Also, the more you fear and anticipate having a panic attack, the better the chance of you having one. Remind yourself that as uncomfortable as these attacks are, you always get through it. ::seems like nobody recognizes my panic disorder as something serious ::enough to keep me from going to class (which anyone who has had it ::knows that it can be.) Has anyone experienced a similar problem or ::has anyone got any ideas how to solve this problem? I would imagine that professors hear excuses all the time about why students are absent. It might help your case if you have a doctor’s note explaining your diagnosis and that your disorder can make it difficult to get to class. I also suggest you talk to the dean and look into student services and other available resources at your school. There has to be someone on campus that you can talk to about this. You need an advocate! ::PS- Its great to see a group like this, talking about PD and knowing ::that there are other who go through the same struggles that I do is ::very liberating and helpful. It’s a great group. I hope you stick around. Here’s lots of information for you. I hope you find some of it useful. Here are some informative links on cognitive behavioral therapy… http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/therapycbt/ http://www.cognitivetherapy.com/ http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/therapycbt/a/cbtintro.htm Here is a very informative site on anxiety and panic disorder. http://panicdisorder.about.com/ Here you will find all sorts of self-help techniques like deep breathing and muscle relaxation exercises that can help decrease your anxiety and panic. http://panicdisorder.about.com/od/selfhelp/ http://msmonarchdancer.googlepages.com/ You might want to check out the following books from your library: "A Guide to Rational Living", by Albert Ellis, Ph.D "Feeling Good, The New Mood Therapy", by David D. Burns, M.D. "How to Control Your Anxiety, Before it Conrols You", by Albert Ellis, Ph.D "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook", by Edmund J., Ph.D. Bourne Jackie ~*~"It’s the crazy ones that have all the good pills"~*~ ~~Kim Cattrall — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – hey, i am a college student with panic disorder. i take zoloft now and it really helps keep my panic attacks in control however i still do experience anxiety symptoms almost every day. i have a couple of questions and i was wondering if anyone could help me out. 1.- does anyone know how to lessen my anxiety about having another attack? like i said, the medication helps a lot but i guess it can only do so much and although i am not having full-fledged attacks, i still get the jitters and nervousness about having another attack a few times a day. has anyone found any good ways to cope with this? 2- my second question regards others. for all of us who suffer from panic disorder, we know how real it is and how debilitating (sp.?) it can be. however, it doesnt seem like everyone else recognizes it since technically doesnt mean anything is physically wrong. The worst I’ve found is college professors. Especially before I started on Zoloft, i miss frequent classes because of anxiety. In many of these classes there is an attendance policy that allows students to only miss an alloted amount of class which i routinely go over. However, written into the syllabus of every course there is a clause for students with disabilities and health issues excusing absences for health or disability related issues. Although every semester I have taken the appropriate steps to try to get professors (and bosses at work) to recognize the fact that I have a real illness, i continue to have my grades reduced due to absences, which is just not fair. It seems like nobody recognizes my panic disorder as something serious enough to keep me from going to class (which anyone who has had it knows that it can be.) Has anyone experienced a similar problem or has anyone got any ideas how to solve this problem? Any help on these questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! -D PS- Its great to see a group like this, talking about PD and knowing that there are other who go through the same struggles that I do is very liberating and helpful.
Hi Dwalz, Welcome to ASAPM! As to the anticipatory anxiety, cognitive behavioral therapy can help lessen some of that. It helps me to know that I’ve had countless PA’s before and lived through them. They don’t really "scare" me all that much anymore. They are rather something I just kind of have learned to accept as a part of my life. I get mad, not scared that I’m going to have one, LOL. Accepting them has lessened the fear of having them, but I still do sometimes struggle with the fear of having another. Just depends on my general psychological state and where I am at. I think that’s just part of the disorder, and maybe knowing we all struggle with the same thing may help lessen some of your worries. You are not alone. A prescription for a benzo would definitely be helpful. I find CBT very effective for generalized anxiety, but personally, I need a benzo for panic, the ssri’s don’t touch mine. Whew.. good luck in college. I was attending Ohio State a few years ago, and there were one or two classes in which my panic would just go through the roof. One class, in particular, it seemed like the panic started when I walked in and it did not abate until the class was over. One right after another through the entire class and for the whole quarter. I might suggest a few things. If you are in big lecture halls, sit near the back, as near to the door as possible. If you feel it coming on, give yourself permission to go out, have a drink of water, or just breathe.. gather yourself and go back in when you are ready. Just the act of me sitting near the door and giving myself permission to leave actually kept me from panicking a good deal of the time. There is also the possibility of you applying for and getting disability. Get legally dubbed "disabled".. that way, you have a piece of paper that officially calls you disabled, and they would not be able to hold your attendance against you — maybe. I do not know. I am pretty sure that they are going to have some sort of minimum requirements about attendance, disability or not – perhaps on days you could not come to class you could get a note taker to be there for you. It’s worth a try, anyway. take care, and again, welcome. Sally — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm
Response:
hey, i am a college student with panic disorder. i take zoloft now and it really helps keep my panic attacks in control however i still do experience anxiety symptoms almost every day. i have a couple of questions and i was wondering if anyone could help me out. 1.- does anyone know how to lessen my anxiety about having another attack? like i said, the medication helps a lot but i guess it can only do so much and although i am not having full-fledged attacks, i still get the jitters and nervousness about having another attack a few times a day. has anyone found any good ways to cope with this? 2- my second question regards others. for all of us who suffer from panic disorder, we know how real it is and how debilitating (sp.?) it can be. however, it doesnt seem like everyone else recognizes it since technically doesnt mean anything is physically wrong. The worst I’ve found is college professors. Especially before I started on Zoloft, i miss frequent classes because of anxiety. In many of these classes there is an attendance policy that allows students to only miss an alloted amount of class which i routinely go over. However, written into the syllabus of every course there is a clause for students with disabilities and health issues excusing absences for health or disability related issues. Although every semester I have taken the appropriate steps to try to get professors (and bosses at work) to recognize the fact that I have a real illness, i continue to have my grades reduced due to absences, which is just not fair. It seems like nobody recognizes my panic disorder as something serious enough to keep me from going to class (which anyone who has had it knows that it can be.) Has anyone experienced a similar problem or has anyone got any ideas how to solve this problem? Any help on these questions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! -D PS- Its great to see a group like this, talking about PD and knowing that there are other who go through the same struggles that I do is very liberating and helpful. — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm
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