Alternative to xanex for anxiety attacks?
Monday, October 26th, 2009 at
9:05 am
I’ve had anxiety attacks since jr. high (now in college) and my parent’s refused to take me to a doctor saying it was all in my head. I tried breathing techniques and that worked for a few years but they’ve recently lost their effectiveness.
I went to a doctor and she gave me xanex, they really helped with the anxiety attacks but due to company layoff I can’t afford visits or an RX.
Someone suggested chakra therapy and I was wondering if any one has tried it, also if you have any other suggestions.
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I can relate to how you feel. I used to suffer from anxiety/agoraphobia.
Here is what happened to me and what worked for me eventually.
I was thinking too much. I had anxiety attacks when I had to speak in public. Or when there would be more than a few people around me in the same room. It was something that started when I was a teenager and that lasted over years and subsequently affected my career until not so long ago. Looking back, I feel I should have taken action way earlier. But anyway, that’s the past.
At some point, I was prescribed medicine but I wanted to avoid that because of the side effects. That’s when I discovered a program that cured me. It is a 100% natural method. You can find it here:
http://www.stop-your-anxiety-now.com
The key of that technique is that you should no longer fear the thought of anxiety. You know what I mean? You are thinking too much. You have to get out of that loop.
Tackle the issue ASAP. You can get rid of it - others have, I have.
Good luck!
A good diet and exercises helps anxiety .
Do not take xanex, it is very very addictive. I have had really bad anxiety for a good two years now (came out of the blue). I do not take anything, because i don’t wanna depend on something to make me feel normal. It sucks. This may sound stupid, but i always keep gum or candy with me, or even a bottle of water. I feel like whenever i feel like one coming on i chew gum (it sort of keeps ur mind occupied). The main thing you need to know, is YOU ARE GOING TO BE OKAY. You need to say that your self. Nothing is going to happen to you. Keep your self moving, if you are standing in one place..i feel like it gets worse. If you want to go see a doctor, you can. You do not need your parents permission for that. No one understands what anxiety is like until you experience it, so they have NO clue. Good luck I hope you feel better. Try not to rely on drugs, they only make you feel worse.
Hmm try asking your doctor. Maybe abilify
Hmm, well i am sorry to hear about your parents attitudes towards this. First, i would suggest getting your doctor to talk to your parents and explain to them that it’s not all in your head.
Medications are usually effective in treating these attacks, it’s unfair that you have to go off something that helps you. (Come to canada! great healthcare here)
but, on a serious note, try holistic treatments if you like, yoga is great for anxiety…but really, all i can suggest is trying to get your parents on your side with this one. If they don’t want to help pay for your medications, perhaps another family member can?
Take Care.
exercise for sure. Sunlight is also beneficial, why I don’t know. Meditation helps, and getting an education on anxiety is always a good thing. Learning why you are getting these attacks goes along way to curing the problem.
Xanax i a very good med for treating anxiety but it is highly addicting and can cause some extremely bad side effects if you’re not weaned from them correctly. I would suggest you avoid this drug unless you are guaranteed access to it for as long as you need it. It can really be hell to stop taking it cold turkey.
A previous answer follows, with some other treatments, like acupressure (E.F.T.), relaxation methods, and hypnotherapy. View the techniques for control of anxiety/panic attacks, in section 8, at ezy build, below. Begin, on this first occasion, only, by holding your breath for 5, or 10 seconds: this will give you the confidence to realise that YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR BREATHING, but not pass out, or die (your autonomic nervous system resumes breathing, if you become unconscious). Advice from a published psychiatrist on controlled breathing: (1.) Get a clock, or watch with a second timer. (2.) Practise for 5 minutes, 4 times daily, until proficient. (3.) Take a small breath in, and hold it, for 6 seconds. (4.) Think to yourself: "RELAX", just before breathing out. (5.) Try to feel a sense of releasing tension, as you breathe out. (6.) Breathe in for 3 seconds, then out, for 3 seconds. Try to make your breathing very smooth, and light, as you breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth, or nose. (7.) For the next minute, continue to breathe in, and out, every 3 seconds. (8.) Go back to step 3, at the end of the minute, and proceed through to step 7, doing this for 5 minutes. Use this at the very first sign of a panic attack starting, or any time you feel anxious, or tense. Similar, but simpler advice, from a clinical psychologist is to breathe in to the count of 3: (one thousand one; one thousand two; one thousand three) each takes around a second to say to yourself, in your mind. Then breathe out to the count of 3. Repeat, until it begins to take effect. Understand panic attacks, and what triggers them, in your life (if it is unresolved anxiety, or stress, see sections 6, [page N first - main anxiety post] or 42, [page i first] respectively).
The paper bag method also works for most people, but is not suited to all circumstances, such as driving, or playing sport. Another alternative is psychotherapy, to address its fundamental cause, which is usually anxiety; read section 1, and examine the http://1-800-therapist.com/ & http://www.metanoia.org/choose/ websites, and use the locators to find a therapist, (and phone book, but only if necessary). I used to suffer from panic attacks, until I questioned what had changed in my life, at, or just before that time, to trigger them, which is enough for some people. Visualise as vividly as possible, a large, red, flashing, "STOP!" sign, and/or possibly a stern faced person wagging an index finger at you in a negative manner, then say to yourself as forcefully as you can, even aloud in a big voice, if alone: "I know this tactic: GO AWAY FOR A WHILE !!!" You may want to us either: "ruse", "ploy", "game", or "trick", instead of "tactic". It usually takes 30 - 40 repetitions, for most people, to establish a new habit. I also suggest that you learn, then practise the controlled breathing technique, until competent, then employ it, at the very first sign of a panic attack.
Practice one of the relaxation methods in sections 11, 2, 2c, or 2i, daily, and when needed. Also, give the EFT a good tryout, to see if it helps you. There is also a version for use in public places, (if you like, you can claim to have a headache, as you massage/lightly tap your temples, but you would then be restricted to subvocalising - saying it to yourself in your mind). Sections 53, and 2, 2.q and 2.o at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris also refer: "Even though I sometimes suffer from panic attacks, I deeply and completely accept myself." Note: the controlled breathing only helps with the symptoms (as do medications/herbal remedies): you need to address the underlying cause, which requires some form of therapy, and Cognitive Behavio(u)ral Therapy has been shown to be effective. Imagine that the cause of your panic; your anxieties, fears, your self doubts, self recriminations, all the agonizing "I’m-so-Stupids"; every painful "I-can’t-do-it" are huge raging, hurtful bulls snorting and charging at you. You see them coming at you and you hold out your red matador’s cape at arms length and simply let them charge right by.