Mini to Severe Panic Attacks

[semiunbalanced]

I've been having trouble with anxiety and panic attacks for about 3 or 4 years now. It's been and off/on thing depending on stress levels and the physical health of me and the people around me. Any little thing that stresses me out sets me off. If I have a test I have to study for and it's too loud in the room next to me I start to hyperventilate. When I'm on the phone with my girlfriend and I'm afraid I might have hurt her or upset her or if she sounds angry with me I start to have an attack. Just today my dad yelled at me to hit the brakes in the car because I was going out driving (I haven't driven in SO long and I need to get my license soon) and he ended up getting mad cause I yelled back. Guess what? I went up to my room and cried and cried until I had hyperventilated enough to feel like my hands, feet, and face had fallen asleep on me. The attacks have been so bad and so constant lately that I'm always exhausted. I've been to the doctor but they just prescribe pills and I HATE taking pills. More than anything in the world... that alone can give me an anxiety attack. I get to the point where I don't even know what's going on around me or where I am... My girlfriend is the only one that ever notices I'm having an attack and she can calm me down to the point of breathing again. My parents never notice cause I'm always up in my room.

I guess what I'm asking is: Is there any reason my attacks might be more frequent and is there a way I can calm myself down? This is getting in the way of my school and work and I can't deal with it anymore. It's affecting my entire life, even my social aspects and it puts me on edge constantly. Plus I'm always exhausted. I'm sick of this.

[Dr.Bobby]

Kimmi, everyone panics, but on rare occasions. Yours sound entirely too frequent!

To answer your questions, it's always hard to determine what causes a sudden increase in panic, but we usually look to some issue or event first. However, in your case, the attacks are so frequent and intense and debilitating that the first step would be to get them under control ASAP, and to do that, we use meds. So, even though you don't like taking pills, you might try it for a while and see if they can't stabilize these attacks. that way, you can learn to manage them after you feel a sense of control and security.

[semiunbalanced]

Is there ANY other way besides pills??

[Thirteen]

Kimmi, you could try seeing a therapist. Maybe if you find a therapist who has some coping techniques for anxiety, you could use those in place of medications. It'd probably be harder to manage without medication, not going to lie (I have Anxiety, and I have to use medication for high-stress situations), but I'm sure it's still possible.

[PSY]

Anti-anxiety medication isn't always necessary. There are various forms of therapy (ex. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, or CBT) that can help you identify the various triggers/stressors that are more likely to "set off" panic attacks. You can also learn more effective ways to cope with the feelings of anxiety. With time, the severity and frequency of your panic attacks may be reduced. =)