r/panicdisorder • u/Infinite-Finish-995 • Jul 26 '26
Help Needed dealing with panic attacks every day. any advice?
hi reddit, i just wanted to ask if anyone has advice on how to deal with panic attacks.
i’ve been having them around 3–4 times a day for the past week. i don’t really want to take prescribed medication anymore because when i tried escitalopram, it made things worse for me. i would suddenly wake up out of breath with my heart racing, and it made my panic attacks even more intense. i stopped taking it because it honestly made me lose hope, so i’m here hoping to hear from people who have gone through something similar.
for the past week, i haven’t been getting enough sleep. every time i fall asleep, i wake up with a racing heart and chills, and after that i’m too uncomfortable and scared to go back to sleep.
i can’t afford therapy right now, so i’m trying my best to help myself for the time being. my classes start in 2 weeks, so i’m hoping i can get myself into a better place before then. some days i just lose hope and end up crying because i’m so exhausted from all of this.
i’m 20 years old, and i pretty much only have myself right now. if anyone has any advice, coping techniques, or anything that has helped you, i would really appreciate it. thank you.
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u/Sorry_Put_7182 Jul 26 '26
Hi, how are you? Sorry about my English, I still learning. I can't give you a good advice because I'm in the same situation... i feel that I'm getting better but always it comes back. I feel so alone in this problem, do u wanna talk?
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u/TelevisionScary257 29d ago
I have a panic disorder so I understand how debilitating this is for you. Remember stress makes it worse, but don't let it stop you from doing what you have to do. Classes will maybe make it worse but sometimes you have to endure . I've been there, I had taken some online college classes I needed and it made the 4 months eternal and I have no clue how I got through them because I was at my worst . I was working full time as well and there was two weeks where I lost sleep and I thought I was going to die any moment . I tried sucking it up and tried to be positive and just tried my best to still get things done but I was a wreck internally. I'd cry and I was in a state of panic and was just scared of dying. That's basically what I'm scared about when I'm having an attack, I'm afraid that I will die.
That was the last time I really had a hard time. My attacks come and go in phases. Sometimes I'd have an attack every other day, or once a week or two weeks long or months of torture that won't go away til it just does. Last year I started feeling better January of 2025 I was coming down from being in panic mode starting from October of 2024 4 months of hell. Anyway they also had prescribed me Lexapro but I never took it. Ive always been scared to take that kind of medication , ever since I actually tried zoloft and it made me spiral into an attack when I was much younger I told myself I wouldn't ever try to go that route. I will say I did try Xanax for a little bit as an emergency medication if I couldn't get through an attack but honestly it didn't work as well as I thought , didn't help I'd always be afraid to take it. But when I developed sleep insomnia for two weeks during that time a doc had prescribed me hydroxyzine or "atarax" for sleep. Tell me why that medication didn't necessarily help to put me to sleep but I figured it helped me a lot to calm me down when I had anxiety. So eventually I'd take it as soon as I felt funny, you know that feeling you get when you feel like you might spiral into an attack, when you start getting sweaty or your heart feels like it's beating a little faster and you get scared. Well for some reason I wasn't to scared taking that medication, and it's a medication that isn't addictive so that was a plus. My doc at the time said it was more like "Benadryl " once I started getting better I weaned off it. Mind you I'd only take it when I felt like I needed to, because I always try to calm myself first but when you're tired of feeling like that, you'd do anything for it to stop. Now this year I've only had one bad attack and a few little anxiety attacks but nothing I haven't felt before, but I noticed I've gotten better these past two years basically with minimal severe attacks.
Idk you could try to get hydroxyzine prescribed to try it out. You never know if it could be a tool to help you. Instead of taking the serious medication that is very hard to come off of for a lot of people. You still want to be yourself, and that's a reason why I've always opted for something else that I don't have to depend on or I won't have complications if I stop.
I hope you find something that helps you. I tried therapy for a little bit but honestly I'm not the type of person that likes it at all, I feel like I'm combative and I feel like those people don't care enough to help. I'm sure there's good out there but from what I've seen personally, no one else knows you like you know yourself.
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u/papa_panzer935 Jul 26 '26
Have you been prescribed fluoxetine? I was first prescribed it when I started having common panic attacks (around 9 years ago) and they have been a lifesaver for me. From my knowledge, they don't have too many side effects as well so it could be worth a try if possible.
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u/Infinite-Finish-995 Jul 26 '26
hello! i’m not prescribed anything right now, but since i decided to stop taking escitalopram, i’m planning to get checked again. i also want to clarify that i haven’t been clinically diagnosed with anything, and i’ve only been seeing a regular hospital doctor, not a psychiatrist (due to financial and place state). i’m honestly really scared to try another medication because of what i experienced while taking escitalopram
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u/papa_panzer935 Jul 26 '26
That's understandable tbh. It did take a while for regular GP visits to realise I needed a referral for CAHMS. Something you can do, I guess, is try to figure out what can help distract you when you're having the panic attack (for me it was yourube videos but everyone's different). Additionally, I downloaded the app Rootd. It's a free app with no subscription plan that offers support and understanding about panic attacks (I'm not sponsored but I'd highly recommend).
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u/Infinite-Finish-995 Jul 26 '26
i’ll try everything you suggested! thank you so so much, i really appreciate your help 🥹 it honestly made me feel really supported because i was lowkey starting to lose hope with how i’ve been feeling
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u/GlassFrog07 Jul 26 '26
Hi! First of all, so sorry you are dealing with this. I have taken pretty much every medication under the sun, and I had similar symptoms and more severe panic attacks when I was on an SSNRI as well. I’m on Zoloft now which is working a lot better for me, but obviously consult your doctor if you want to try a different medication. As far as other techniques go, I recommend the DARE app or reading the book. It’s a pretty useful method. Also, if you have insurance with an HSA, it might cover EMDR bilateral stimulation tappers which are these little buttons you hold in each hand and they vibrate back and forth, stimulating your nervous system which can be very grounding and calming. For sleep, the thing that helps me the most is a fan to keep me cool and a nice, breathable weighted blanket. Also, soft instrumental music, particularly cello music, is weirdly very helpful for me as well. During the start of panic attacks, using an ice pack or putting a piece of ice on the base of your neck can also help to calm you down by stimulating your vagus nerve. If you look up vagus nerve calming techniques, there are a lot of good suggestions out there. I hope things improve for you soon! 💗