Need Opinions Asap!!

[Chaoticmind]

Tomorrow my boyfriend and I are supposed to go away over night to a casino. My anxiety and panic attacks have been really bad lately. My dr put me on Xanax. As soon as It wears off, I feel my panic rising again.

I have an hour to decide if I should go or cancel for tomorrow. I do want to go and have fun but so scared of having a panic attack on the car ride there or while I'm there. I'm really at a loss and don't know if I should risk going or not. I feel like if I don't go, I'm proving to myself that anxiety takes over my life. But I feel like if I do go, I might have an attack while away.

 

[Casey_03]

In my experience, not doing something over such fears usually only makes things worse, and then is likely to make you feel like crap for letting anxiety win. If your main concern is you might have a panic attack, I say go but have a contingency plan in place in case you do have a panic attack.

 

[Stickler]

I think you should go. You have meds.

http://www.anxietycoach.com/overcoming-panic-attacks.html

That looks excellent. If you can print it out or in some way copy it and keep it with you?

 

[Chaoticmind]

In my experience, not doing something over such fears usually only makes things worse, and then is like...

That's what I'm afraid of. Sitting home and being like "wow I could be here having fun, etc" and making myself feel like crap sitting home. I just don't like the feeling of when the meds wear off. I feel very on edge and start to of course, panic

 

[Ronin]

Can you find something super exciting about tomorrow to look forward to?

Sit the anxiety on its ass by transforming it to nervous expectations, and those to fun, instead?

 

[Chaoticmind]

Can you find something super exciting about tomorrow to look forward to?

Sit the anxiety on its ass by tr...

That's what I've been trying to do. I know it'll be fun, I love casinos, I have a complementary dinner for two and much more. Just scared of an attack coming on or not feeling "normal" while I'm having fun

 

[Casey_03]

I've had a lot of situations like this, when I'd be having panic attacks days in advance because I'd be so nervous and anxious about some event. Literally, for days, I'd struggle with this dilemma. And always, absolutely always, if I forced myself to go through with the event, I ended up feeling better and the anxiety would disappear.

 

[Ronin]

Panic attack won't ruin all the fun you've had till then, though. :)

Or the possibility of having it after then, if it's a short one.

In other words, there's a loong line of fun to be looking forward to, possibly interrupted by a panic attack, but the evening won't be ruined by it, just disrupted, if anything.

 

[Chaoticmind]

Thank you both @Cashew and @Casey_03

I think my biggest thing is learning how to not be afraid

 

[Ronin]

I think my biggest thing is learning how to not be afraid

Nahh, be afraid... and go anyway :)
Some times, fighting the fear is just spending extra energy on something that will pass on its own with doing the thing.

 

[Deleted member 17302]

I have panic attacks persistently where they can either increase in feeling wacked out or a stabilized wacked out feeling. Making the decision not to do something you planned to do tends to always make things worse in the end. Worrying about the panic attacks only increases their strength and frequency of symptoms. If you just roll with it and ride it out, the stress is much less. Somewhat like if you picture having a collar of thorns around your neck. Sure, it might suck to feel it just resting there, but trying to rip yourself from it will only make it hurt worse, so riding it out just having it sit there sucks less. A bit of a strange analogy but that is pretty much what it is like. You always are wearing anxiety but trying to avoid it by running from it, only makes it worse.

 

[Sideways]

Right now, the problem is panicking about having a panic attack. That's actually really really common. Maybe try (just try, may or may not help) doing some cbt strategies with your current panic.

As soon as your head starts to play out possible disasters, stop, remind yourself that this is worry about something that hasn't happened and may actually work out fine, then do your damndest to start distracting yourself with something else.

Thing is, it can be a self-fulfilling prophecy - like if you spend enough time letting your brain worry about having a panic attack in the car, how are you gonna feel when you get in the car and the doors close? "Oh cripes, this is that disaster I've been worrying about..." (Enter panic attack).

I agree with the 'don't let it ruin your life' thing, but throwing yourself in the deep end and expecting to swim isn't always the best way to tackle anxiety. Baby steps. If you decide to go, start with the car - I can cope with a car ride, I'm gonna have music ready, we're gonna pull over every 2 hours so I can get out, breathe and ground myself, etc.

Benzos like Xanax are great...for crisis. But taking them multiple times a day is going to head you in the direction of its own disaster. Coming off a benzo addiction is really awful. And if you take them more than once every couple of days, it can be as little as 2 weeks before you start needing a whole lot more just to get the same relief.

Other strategies, like planning abead to have plenty of "time out" alone, or an agreement that you can retreat to your room at the drop of a hat anytime at all may be enough to get you through the weekend without downing a whole box of xanax.

One more tip: the whole "I should be able to go and have a really great time" is actually feeding your anxiety. Try and shift that thought to "I'm gonna go, and I might end up having a good time...but if I don't, it's still a win because I went".

Tips from an agoraphobe;). Going to a casino would have had me advancing planning coping strategies for a month!!!