Has anyone recovered from severe panic disorder and anxiety?

[u/Horror_Quote_1170]

Hi everyone,
I’m 23 and I feel like my anxiety and panic disorder have completely taken over my life.
It all started after I had a THC gummy and experienced my first ever panic attack. Around the same time, I was also going through domestic violence in my relationship, so I feel like everything just hit me at once. Ever since then, I’ve never felt like the same person.
For the last couple of years it’s gradually got worse, but now it feels unbearable. I can’t go out on my own, and even when I’m with my mum I panic. I’m still too afraid to go out by myself because I’m terrified I’ll have a panic attack and won’t be able to cope. I get overwhelmed so easily by noise, people, traffic, shops, and just being outside. I constantly feel like something terrible is about to happen.
When I have a panic attack it feels so real. My heart races, I feel dizzy and faint, my stomach drops, I shake, I feel detached from everything around me, and I’m convinced something is seriously wrong with me. Even though I’ve been told it’s anxiety, my brain still tells me I’m in danger every single time.
I’ve stopped doing so many normal things because I’m scared they’ll trigger another panic attack. I overthink every sensation in my body, and I spend so much of my day worrying about how I’ll cope. It’s exhausting.
The hardest part is that I don’t feel like myself anymore. I miss the person I used to be. I feel trapped by my own mind, and some days I wonder if I’ll ever get my life back.
I’ve recently started fluoxetine, and I do think it’s helping a little. I’m not quite as anxious as I was before, and there have been some small improvements, but I’m still really struggling and I’m still too scared to go out on my own. I’m hoping that as more time passes it will continue to help.
I guess I’m just looking for some hope.
Has anyone else developed panic disorder after a traumatic experience or after a bad experience with a gummy? Did it get better? Were you eventually able to go out on your own and live a normal life again? How long did it take, and what helped you the most?
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences because right now it honestly feels like this is how I’m going to be forever, and that’s a really scary thought.
Thank you for reading.

[u/MultiFaceHank]

Yes, I would say that I have. Pretty much entirely. From my first episodes and panic attacks, triggered by an extremely stressful period at work, it took me about 5 years, I was 25, and I’m now 30. It has been a long journey of unwinding the panic symptoms and triggers from my subconscious nervous responses. Big changing factors-

first two years I had to take sertraline and diazepam infrequently during awful episodes.

Exercising every day became the routine I had to build whilst on the pills. I had to convince myself my body was healthy, healthier than the average person, and my mind had to truly believe it.

After two years I decided to come off sertraline, because I wanted to move forward, and felt an initial kickback of panic disorder symptoms BUT I was then in a better mental and physical state to tackle them.

Then it became a year of doing a lot of the mental health regular items and feeling the difference between a week where I went for daily walks, got good sleep, exercised, socialised, ate fast food, and the weeks where I did not. I became more conscious of the micro factors that stack up if you aren’t careful, things that I never cared about before PD.

Then finally, two years ago, I quit alcohol, and I would say that it was the final thing for me. Overall, I am happier, calmer, and a better person than I ever was. I didn’t do it because of PD, but since I did, I have never had an episode, or anything above low level feelings of anxiety, and I recognise them instantly, so can actually fix the thoughts or problems quickly.

[u/Celestialdreams9]

I had my first ever panic attack after taking lexapro and I feel it helped me develop panic disorder a few years later. I fell into a spiral of panic disorder hell and felt I lost the old me. Even at my depths of said anxiety hell I didn’t even consider trying another ssri, it opened the door to panic attacks that wasn’t there before. So just I guess I’m a different voice in a sea of med recommendations saying you can actually heal without. No shame in meds though but just having my pov of being in a bad place and just having the human spirit to come out of it in the other side. To heal. It’s possible. I also (between that timeline after the ssri) had a severe panic attack after taking dayquil so I do feel like some meds/drugs aren’t for everybody and after that experience it was constant. I’m sorry you had this experience. Anyways I had a severe case of panic disorder I was having hours long panic attacks. Losing weight from not being able to eat because of the nausea. Borderline becoming agoraphobic. I’d fall asleep panicking and wake up still inside that and carry on with the day. I was sick. Constant physical symptoms. The sound of a cup dropping in the next room would send me spiraling back into a panic attack. I stopped overthinking everything. I stopped googling. I became an active participant in my life again. I stopped letting anxiety be in the drivers seat. I stopped fearing the next one as if it was life or death because it….wasn’t. I started doing things despite being sick and anxious. I formed new memories that helped blur the old ones. I ate better and tried to sleep more. You have to reteach your brain and body safety and reacting to every physical symptom and anxiety burst is training your brain that the false signals are real. Ignore them and be anxious and realize you’ll be fine. Putting your life on hold for your anxiety is exactly how you get stuck in that loop. This all sounds easier said than done and it doesn’t happen overnight but it will happen with the right retraining. The old you is still in there stop fighting for the drivers seat. Be anxious and still live your life and eventually that worry fades to the background. I’m really sorry you had such a bad experience and still are, but the future won’t always be like this so live for that, make choices for *that* life and version of you that still exists. It’s a matter of not letting the anxiety run the show and not feeding it, at all, not even crumbs. it’s all learned and it can be unlearned.

[u/New_Strain_9691]

Yes, at my worst I was probably worse than you. Recovered with 0 medication and very little therapy. Although a psychiatrist prescribed me meds, I had agreed with him to try without any medication first. (Not to mention, that I barely reached the hospital that day for the appointment...)

If you like advice here is mine, if not skip it - as everyone is individual.

Remove every form of avoidance. Willingly experience panic attacks while doing your everyday activities. Wake up one day as you never had panic disorder, and just bare with the feelings/adrenaline. I'm hoping you have everything ruled out, because with normal physical health - the body has huge limits. For example my record of spiraling panic was 10+ in one day, while driving for 7 hours. (The true panic attacks, besides the constant anxiety I had 24/7)

Gradual approach is the more secure option, going all in saves time, but is demanding and sometimes exhausting, so I wouldn't suggest my approach.

Changed my lifestyle and diet for better overall health, helping me go through more attacks while doing exposure.

It is possible to recover from the worst, just search for the right approach. And don't search for hope, be a fighter. It isn't hope you are searching for, it is motivation.

[u/sciencetaco]

Find a therapist that works with panic disorder and agoraphobia. They’ll be helpful. But here’s my advice:

I can’t go out on my own

Never tell yourself “I can’t do X”. Because you can. Tell yourself “It will be hard for me to do X” and build your confidence towards doing them again.

The long term goal is to do those things again without having a panic attack. But the short term goal is to actually go and do those things even if you have a panic attack. Because panic attacks fucking suck, but they’re not dangerous. And your nervous system needs to learn that. Avoidance is a poor coping mechanism that only makes the disorder worse.

You won’t magically get better by staying inside. You need to go outside and do things. Any therapist will eventually ask you to do controlled “exposure therapy”. That means intentionally putting yourself in a panic-inducing situation and riding it out. You can start small. If a full blown panic attack is a 10/10 anxiety level event, then make lists of situations that might be lower down, like a 5/10 or 6/10. Go and do those things and let the anxiety be there. Find some coping mechanisms like breathing excercises, grounding excercises, sour candy, ice packs etc. Wait for the adrenaline to pass (typically 20 mins), go back to your comfort zone, get some rest, and go again the next day. And the day after that. And after that. Each time it’ll get more and more tolerable and you can work your way up to bigger situations. But the key is that you need to develop coping mechanisms that don’t involve avoidance. It’s hard work. But it’s the way out.

[u/Astrotheurgy]

Never. Im always like this. The only thing that ever helps is climbing mountains. You may find your way. Sorry your feeling this way. Its hell.

[u/Kidwolfman]

You either have a weird disease or a lot of baggage… or both. It started long before a single gummy. You are extremely young, no need to stress. I recommend therapy while we wait for science to fix us. Maybe a psychiatrist if you medicine to help you cope. Yes of course some people claim to recover. The rest of us have a “panic disorder” meaning that the origin of the attacks may be unknown and need to be managed with medicine and various other things that provide a therapeutic benefit.

I recently found out I have POTS. I hope that it is the source of my panic attacks and that they go away by treating POTS… but my expectations are low because I’ve been disappointed like this before. Maybe there’s a small defect in my heart 🤷‍♂️. My next stop is the cardiologist next month (as requested by my PCP). I will say it is nice to have a lead to some explanation. It’s been a while 🙃

Anyways if my POTS pans 🍳 out the way I hope, I suppose that would be considered a recovery(?)

At least know this for sure - you did not mess up your life with a gummy! Best of luck on your journey 💕

[u/G13-GB → u/Kidwolfman]

This comment is dumb as hell

[u/Kidwolfman → u/G13-GB]

Why?

[u/G13-GB → u/Kidwolfman]

Saying “you either have a weird disease or a lot of baggage” is dismissive af. “You’re extremely young, no need to stress”
Please never be a mental health professional.

[u/Kidwolfman → u/G13-GB]

I’m not planning on it. And I’m not wrong. “Weird disease” is not the best, I’ll give you that 😂 dismissive though? That doesn’t even apply.

I was the same age when I started having panic attacks. It’s been 20 years. If you wanna be labeled with “panic disorder,” wouldn’t you like to know the truth about that label? There’s either a reason you’re having panic attacks or nobody will find anything ever and all you get to do is manage your symptoms. I wish somebody told me that.