Solving panic attacks without causing further PSSD

[Guest guest]

When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic attacks stemming

from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes. Prozac blurred my senses very

well and took that problem away, including the new and ever persistent problem

that no doctor seems to believe is real, PSSD.

I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to solve that still, I

have started having panic attacks again. Mostly manifesting into the form of

motor ticks, where my hand or neck will shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of

someone, or look at them in the eyes and carry on a conversation.

My question is, what would be good advice to address this new issue, especially

while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD hell?

[Guest guest]

INOSITOL will stop a panic attack. I take about 1200-1500mg/day

http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails.aspx?c=1 & pid=126 & at=0

Read the reviews. Some people have stopped taking prescription drugs

and say inositol is just as good and without the side effects.

GNC has it too.

http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2133336 & cp= & sr=1 & kw=inositol & orig\

kw=inositol & parentPage=search

>

> When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic

attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes.

Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away,

including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor seems to

believe is real, PSSD.

>

> I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to solve

that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly

manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck will

shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them in

the eyes and carry on a conversation.

>

> My question is, what would be good advice to address this new issue,

especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD hell?

>

[Guest guest]

HI,

See Section 4 of this link:

http://www.smart-publications.com/depression/5htp.php

5-HTP helps some people with panic attacks but not everyone.

>

> When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic

attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes.

Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away,

including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor seems to

believe is real, PSSD.

>

> I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to solve

that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly

manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck will

shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them in

the eyes and carry on a conversation.

>

> My question is, what would be good advice to address this new

issue, especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD

hell?

>

[Guest guest]

I once read that anxiety and panic disorder can be caused by being too self-conscious and by having your attention on yourself too much (even if you don't realize it). The greater the attention upon oneself the greater the fear resulting in a panic attack. Our attention is suddenly focused too much upon ourselves when we are afraid or scared - so people go to the doctor for anxiety, etc. and get prescribed SSRIs! Beta-blockers such as Propranolol up to 40mg three times a day can be effective for anxiety and for some for panic attacks.

"Anxiety and performance enhancement

Some people, particularly musicians, use beta blockers to avoid stage fright and tremor during public performance and auditions. The physiological symptoms of the fight/flight response associated with performance anxiety and panic (pounding heart, cold/clammy hands, increased respiration, sweating, etc.) are significantly reduced, thus enabling anxious individuals to concentrate on the task at hand. "

What you might consider doing is over a period of weeks or months to learn to focus your attention on other people and objects. Try to learn to focus your attention constantly on what you see in front of you. When you use a computer to surf the internet your attention is focused on the webpage you are reading so you don't feel fear or self-consciousness. When you watch TV your attention is focused on the TV so you don't usually feel self-consciousness or fear.

I found this which may make it clearer:

"Self Consciousness TipsSo what can you do to change your focus of attention?

A few things The first thing to understand is that adrenaline and anxiety 'lock' your attention, making it more difficult to switch what you're focusing on. Why? Because if it was a truly dangerous situation (which is what this response evolved for, it would be no good if you just drifted off and started thinking about what was for dinner!)

So, becoming calmer will make it much easier to change your focus when you need to. (See '1' above.)

Learn a discipline such as self hypnosis, tai chi, autogenics, or meditation. This all focus around teaching you to become calmer, and involve taking deliberate control of your focus of attention.

Practice switching your focus of attention on a day to day basis. You can do this whilst walking, sitting at work, anywhere really. Simply focus in on one thing as tightly as you can, then switch to something else. They could be objects in your environment, or ideas or thoughts.

It's particularly good if you do this whilst a little emotionally stimulated, such as watching an exciting TV program, or a film at the cinema. At the most tense moments, deliberately switch your attention away, and don't allow yourself to switch back until you have focused fully on the new object or thought. These 3 tips will make it much easier to control self consciousness. It may not happen all at once, but you will notice the difference if you persevere. "

http://www.self-confidence.co.uk/self/consciousness/self.html

Also:

"When you feel self-conscious it means you are putting too much attention on your self, too much focus on what you are doing and how you are doing it. And this is a formula for poor performance.

The secret then to dealing with this problem is to become other conscious.

If all you do is shift your focus from self to others you will communicate better, perform better and become a far better listener.

Another positive consequence is that other people will enjoy spending time with you because it is so obvious you give them your complete attention.

Your goal is to become so fascinated by other people that your focus is on what they say, how they say it and why they say it.

6 Tips for Becoming Other Conscious:

1. Pay attention to the way people breathe, watch closely and observe the relationship between breathing and speaking.

2. Listen not just to what people say but the way they say it. Pay very close attention to speech patterns, changes in tempo, volume and tone.

3. Ask thoughtful questions to understand the way others think. Really strive to grasp why others think what they think.

4. Whenever your focus shifts back to the way you are behaving ask yourself questions about the other person so you need to pay attention to him e.g.

What does he really mean by that?

How does he manage to be so boring?

How does she keep people so entranced with her words?

5. Use your imagination to change your mood and to keep your mind too occupied to be self-conscious.

You could for example imagine that the people you are talking to are wearing no clothes or inappropriate clothes. Why not have some fun, feel good and still enjoy a good conversation?

You owe it to yourself to find as many ways as possible to feel good. As I have said before excellent communication skills are more dependant on your mental and emotional states than on clever language patterns.

6. Use affirmations to condition a new belief about your ability to be relaxed and other conscious. For example:

I am fascinated by the way people talk

I give my complete attention to whoever I talk to

I am an excellent conversationalist

I feel fantastic when I meet new people "

> > >> > When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic > attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes. > Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away, > including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor seems to > believe is real, PSSD.> > > > I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to solve > that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly > manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck will > shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them in > the eyes and carry on a conversation.> > > > My question is, what would be good advice to address this new > issue, especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD > hell?> >>

[Guest guest]

Are there any contradictions or benefits to taking both 5-htp and Inositol? If contradictory, would one be better over the other to try first?

Also, i'm curious, would taking Omega 3 or anything else relating to addressing PSSD be contradictory to 5-htp or Inositol?

Subject: Re: Solving panic attacks without causing further PSSDTo: SSRIsex Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 3:08 AM

HI,See Section 4 of this link:http://www.smart- publications. com/depression/ 5htp.php5-HTP helps some people with panic attacks but not everyone.>> When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes. Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away, including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor seems to believe is real, PSSD.> > I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to solve that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck will shake, if

i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them in the eyes and carry on a conversation.> > My question is, what would be good advice to address this new issue, especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD hell?>

[Guest guest]

Inositol isn't contraindicated to anything.

Just mix 1/4tsp in juice and drink. You can also keep an extra

pre-mixed juice bottle with you when you go out in case you need quick

relief.

> >

> > When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic

> attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes.

> Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away,

> including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor seems to

> believe is real, PSSD.

> >

> > I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to solve

> that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly

> manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck will

> shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them in

> the eyes and carry on a conversation.

> >

> > My question is, what would be good advice to address this new

> issue, especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD

> hell?

> >

>

[Guest guest]

What about benefits to taking both Inositol and 5-htp? Is one better than the other?

Subject: Re: Solving panic attacks without causing further PSSDTo: SSRIsex Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 4:37 PM

Inositol isn't contraindicated to anything.Just mix 1/4tsp in juice and drink. You can also keep an extrapre-mixed juice bottle with you when you go out in case you need quickrelief. > >> > When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic > attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes. > Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away, > including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor seems to > believe is real, PSSD.> > > > I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to solve > that still, I have

started having panic attacks again. Mostly > manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck will > shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them in > the eyes and carry on a conversation.> > > > My question is, what would be good advice to address this new > issue, especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD > hell?> >>

[Guest guest]

I never had any side effect from inositol.

Maybe you should try a powder inositol and take it with l-glutamine.

Then you can reduce the inositol amount.

You don't need to ween off it.

Have you had your thyroid checked?

The panic can also be from to high epinephrin.

Decadron/dexamethasone can balance that out.

It is unlikely that your doctor will understand that, but you can

order it from online pharms.

Also try putting a cup of epsom salt in the bath.

> >

> > When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic

> attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes.

> Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away,

> including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor seems to

> believe is real, PSSD.

> >

> > I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to solve

> that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly

> manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck will

> shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them in

> the eyes and carry on a conversation.

> >

> > My question is, what would be good advice to address this new issue,

> especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD hell?

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Stop the Inositol and try the 5-HTP. I've not used Inositol myself but I'm taking 5-HTP, 100mg, three times per day on an empty stomach. After two months on this daily dose, there has been an improvement in my anxiety. It can take up to three months to improve panic attacks at 300mg daily in divided doses. However, there's no guarantee that it will improve panic attacks in everyone but it's worth a try.

Start with 50mg before bedtime. Open the 100mg capsule and empty half of it and then close the capsule, so you take 50mg before bedtime. After a few days, take 100mg before bedtime. Then after one week take 100mg in the morning on an empty stomach and 100mg at bedtime. After one week, take 100mg in the morning, 100mg in the evening and 100mg at bedtime and always on an empty stomach. Such a high dose of 300mg daily may reduce libido though but you could always try 100mg in the morning and 100mg before bedtime so you are just taking 200mg daily. I can't guarantee 5-HTP will improve your panic attacks but it's worth a try.

"Reducing Anxiety, Panic, and OCDAnxiety is part of life. You can't avoid some anxiety. A moderate amount of anxiety can actually help improve performance in many situations, but when anxiety becomes overly intense, as in extremely stressful situations, or in people with pathologic conditions like panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it can be debilitating and even dangerous. The pharmaceutical industry has made billions of dollars selling drugs that are very effective for reducing anxiety, panic, and OCD, including the benzodiazepines (eg, Librium7, Valium7, and Xanax7) and more recently, the SSRIs. Preliminary evidence suggests that 5-HTP may also be quite effective for relieving acute anxiety states.

Serotonin and AnxietySerotonin may be important for regulating anxiety, but the mechanisms involved are less well-understood and more complex than they are for depression. In animal studies, for example, reducing serotonin function with certain drugs appears to reduce anxiety.24 Similarly, benzodiazepines, which reduce anxiety in humans, also reduce serotonin activity. On the other hand, rapid depletion of tryptophan, leading to a reduction in serotonin, has been reported to exacerbate both panic and aggression,25 while treatment with SSRIs, which enhance serotonergic activity, have clear anti-anxiety activity.26-28 Studies using L-tryptophan or 5-HTP, which increase serotonin activity, suggest that these amino acids may also be effective anxiety-reducing agents. Evidence for 5-HTPIn one early study, L-tryptophan was found to be effective in reducing the symptoms of OCD.29 The first study investigating the possible anti-anxiety effects of 5-HTP was published in 1985.30 This was a small, uncontrolled pilot study conducted in the Netherlands. The subjects were 10 individuals diagnosed with anxiety disorders according to standard criteria (seven of the patients had "panic disorder;" three had "generalized anxiety disorder"). 5-HTP treatment (300 mg/day) lasted 12 weeks, during which their level of anxiety was assessed weekly using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS).

By week 12, panic attacks had almost completely disappeared in the seven patients suffering from that disorder; overall 9/10 patients showed improvement as measured by the STAI and HAS scales. Improvement was apparent by week 4 and continued until week 8, after which it leveled off. Figure 6 shows the mean symptom scores before 5-HTP treatment (Baseline) and after 12 weeks of 5-HTP. Significant improvement was seen for depression, anxiety and phobic anxiety.

Although this study was limited by the small number of subjects and a lack of proper controls, the same investigators conducted a larger double-blind, comparative, placebo-controlled study a few years later. The results showed that 5-HTP had significant activity that was on a par with the anti-anxiety drug clomipramine (Anafranil7) on some measures, but not on others.31 In this study, 45 patients diagnosed with anxiety disorders (generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, or OCD) were randomly assigned to receive either 5-HTP, clomipramine, or placebo. The trial lasted 8 weeks. The results (Fig. 7) showed that both 5-HTP and clomipramine were about equal and both were significantly superior to placebo in reducing anxiety beginning at week 2 on this measure of anxiety (State-Anxiety Inventory, A-STATE). On other measures, 5-HTP was generally superior to placebo but less effective than clomipramine. Since these investigators used a lower maximum dose of 5-HTP (150 mg/day) in this study than they used in their earlier study (300 mg/day), it is possible that a higher dose would have produced a more dramatic result.

As we noted above, the relationship between serotonin and anxiety appears to be quite complex. For example, anxiety can be relieved both by agents that interfere with serotonergic function (eg, benzodiazepines) as well by agents that enhance serotonergic function (eg, 5-HTP and SSRIs). In addition, treatment with 5-HTP and SSRIs has sometimes been reported to result in an aggravation of anxiety (or depression) during the first week or two of therapy before clinical improvement occurs.

Scientists have not yet pinned down the reason for these paradoxical responses. The hypothesis that has the most support at the present time suggests that reducing serotonergic activity generally lowers anxiety. In people with anxiety disorders, serotonin receptors become hypersensitive. In other words, they overreact to a burst of serotonin molecules that would normally not increase anxiety. Thus, when a person with an anxiety disorder takes 5-HTP or an SSRI, the extra serotonin produced initially overstimulates these hypersensitive receptors and may lead to an aggravation of the anxiety. With continued stimulation, though, these receptors eventually become less sensitive -- a process known as downregulation -- and anxiety levels eventually decline.24

Although the definitive studies on the role of 5-HTP for treating anxiety have yet to be done, considerable research with SSRIs indicates that these drugs can be very effective for reducing excess anxiety. There is every reason to believe that 5-HTP is just as effective while producing fewer unwanted side effects. However, users of 5-HTP (like SSRI users) should not be surprised if they feel more anxious initially before anxiety begins to decline. "

http://www.smart-publications.com/depression/5htp.php

> >> > When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic> attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes. > Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away,> including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor seems to> believe is real, PSSD.> > > > I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to solve> that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly> manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck will> shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them in> the eyes and carry on a conversation.> > > > My question is, what would be good advice to address this new issue,> especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD hell?> >>

[Guest guest]

I know I shouldn't be pleased, but I had the same side effect from

inosital and I'm glad it is not just me. I suffer anxiety and I

feared I had diabetes because inositol is very similiar to glucose. I

thought my body could not process this simple suger (inositol) so I

had developed a diabetic itch.

The instructions said take no more than 600mmg (1/4 teaspoon) a day

but I took 3 times that (and maybe a bit more). I got the itch within

a few days of taking it.

Kavy

> > >

> > > When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic

> > attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes.

> > Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away,

> > including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor

seems to

> > believe is real, PSSD.

> > >

> > > I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to

solve

> > that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly

> > manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck

will

> > shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them

in

> > the eyes and carry on a conversation.

> > >

> > > My question is, what would be good advice to address this new

issue,

> > especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD hell?

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Apparently you should take a break from 5-HTP every now and again so

as not to get a tolerance. I believe it is a month off in every two

or three but, I'm not sure.

When I take 5-HTP I can get magical feelings like I felt when I was

young boy of 4 or 5. It's quite nice but the anxiety can be

unbearable. After reading this post I have hope that I might be able

to to get the good effects of 5-HTP without the anxiety by building

up the dose slowly.

I do have concerns though, that 5-HTP can cause the same type of

damage that anti-depressnts cause by overloading the brain. Although

the brain might use 5-HTP more naturally and so this problem does not

occur. I still think getting relaxed and happy for a long period of

time will heal the brain, so 5-HTP might aid in brain repair.

Kavy

> > >

> > > When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic

> > attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes.

> > Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away,

> > including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor

seems to

> > believe is real, PSSD.

> > >

> > > I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to

solve

> > that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly

> > manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck

will

> > shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at them

in

> > the eyes and carry on a conversation.

> > >

> > > My question is, what would be good advice to address this new

issue,

> > especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD hell?

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Ive tried 5-htp recently twice. It defintly changes my mood. I was

able smile more naturally although it lasted really short time. But

anyways I was thinking maybe there nothing really wrong with our

serotonin recepters. It maybe just that our organ such as liver is

not properly making serotonin out of our regularly consumed protein

sources. like tryptophan is not getting through at all or something.

Otherwise why would 5-htp work if our serotonin recepters are

desensitied or overly sensitized, just a thought.

> > > >

> > > > When I was 20, I took Prozac, 30mg for two years. I had panic

> > > attacks stemming from social phobia. Pretty horrific episodes.

> > > Prozac blurred my senses very well and took that problem away,

> > > including the new and ever persistent problem that no doctor

> seems to

> > > believe is real, PSSD.

> > > >

> > > > I am in my 30s now, still with PSSD, and while i'm trying to

> solve

> > > that still, I have started having panic attacks again. Mostly

> > > manifesting into the form of motor ticks, where my hand or neck

> will

> > > shake, if i'm trying to eat in front of someone, or look at

them

> in

> > > the eyes and carry on a conversation.

> > > >

> > > > My question is, what would be good advice to address this new

> issue,

> > > especially while trying to further dig a hole down into PSSD

hell?

> > > >

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

anyone here take inositol. this mellows me out. if you guys dont have any thing

to take currently to control anxiety due to pssd, definelty try inositol out, I

think its pretty safe to take and I dont notice much side effects other than

being drowsy and sometimes knocking me out to sleep. It doesnt do anything to

improve pssd though if anything it might worsen pssd in sexual way but it

definitely calms me down a bunch.