Hi. I've had panic attacks for as long as I can remember. I can think back to being a young girl in junior high and having a panic attack before going to my Confirmation at church. It was not my first panic attack, but I can clearly identify when it happened.
For years and years I had panic attacks, but did not know there was a name for what I was feeling or that anyone else felt the same way.
I've noticed a correlation between an increase in my panic attacks and times of change such as after graduating from high school and after graduating from college. I saw something on television about panic attacks and learned I was not alone. I sought help immediately and started working with a therapist. I also started taking Prozac under the direction of a doctor. That was more than 20 years ago.
During the last year, I've experienced a lot of change at work, particularly for the past 6 months. I knew my stress level was high and that it was becoming increasingly difficult to cope with the changes, so I decided to seek help from a therapist again.
I also transitioned off of Prozac during the last 6 months because I didn't know if I really needed it or not. This is a question I had for lots of years, but hadn't been willing to explore because it meant stopping the medication. I finally decided to try it because I would prefer not to be on medication if I don't need it. About a month ago, I went back on Prozac because I knew my stress level was really high and that I was having difficulty sleeping -- which has been the case for the last 6 months thanks to the changes at work.
About ten days ago I had a panic attack at work and last week, I started to feel panicky again. It was a bit different this time because the anxiety did not seem to subside. I left work early and worked from home for the rest of the week. My anxiety level was incredibly high. It felt like my body went haywire. I could not get the anxiety to subside. I felt overwhelmed by it.
Has anyone else experienced an ongoing high level of anxiety like I've described? What has helped?
I tried breathing exercises, but they did not help. The anxious thought kept spinning around in my head, making me feel awful.
Thanks for your help!
