Constantly breathless!!

Posted , 5 users are following.

Hello

I have been experiencing severe severe shortness of breath for 10 months following an anxiety attack in the middle of the night. Its hard to believe that its anxiety as I have never felt so bad in my life. II feel like Im dying everyday. I have been under chronic mental stress and getting no sleep for 3 years. I am also worried that ive caused this through the use of certain substances. I havent feel like myself in a long time. Im tired of feeling this and just want it to end. Im trying to fix my life situation at the moment but its hard when the symptoms are always there. Ive read a few threads and can relate to a lot of the symptoms, from heart flutters to smoky vision. Anyone experiencing this?

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Posted

    Anyone online? It seems that replies are being deleted by a moderator?

  • Posted

    Check out Hyperventilation Syndrome online.

    Oddly, we over breathe, sucking in deep breaths, which actually makes us feel more out of breath because is disrupts the CO2 levels in the blood. Not dangerous, but very scary sensation. Hence why you don't suffocate in your sleep, because whilst unconscious your breathing can resume a normal regular breathing pattern.

    I'm guessing there are a few times when you're truly distracted that this doesn't bother you. Again, that will be down to your body having a moment of natural breathing....because it is supposed to be an unconscious process.

    • Posted

      Hey thanks for the reply. I know about Hyperventilation syndrome. I always thought that was the case. This has been going on since 2013 and it seems like I need a much greater distraction these days. I was supposed to have an acupuncture appointment today but when I got there the assigned therapist was not available. I did find myself distracted whilst wandering around the crowded area. My "social anxiety" is as bad as it gets but I realize i must break through this if I want to turn my life around and not see it as a curse but rather a blessing.

    • Posted

      Years ago I had Hyperventilation Syndrome so bad I took myself to ER because I thought I was going to pass out. The doctor gave me a Xanax and it went away like magic.

      I don't get it much now, but if I feel it coming on, I consciously breathe through my nose. That helps keep your CO2 levels from getting out of control.

      If you notice it goes away when you're distracted or you don't have it when you first wake up in the morning, it's definitely Hyperventilation Syndrome.

    • Posted

      Hey Mary, thanks for sharing that. Are you still taking anything? Can definitely relate with the ER, although ever since back then they didnt know what I had. I had many Chest Xrays and blood tests done among other tests but thats partly because I had health anxiety and still do. I do have Clonazepam in my possession but I have not decided on taking it yet. I worry about tolerance but im not sure if its that i build a tolerance or my symptoms worsened over time.

  • Edited

    I have the same thing, maybe, or almost. It started about 10 years ago and slowly got worse. It evolved into many different symptoms like heart palpitations, panic attacks, parts of my body going numb, etc. I've had panic attacks anywhere from every day (Sometimes multiple) to one every couple days. Rarely do I go a week without having one. Anywho, anxiety turns out to be the main cause of it all, for me at least. About an hour before I have a panic attack it builds up. First I get irritable slightly, then comes the weird breathing. Most times it feels like I "forget" to breathe. Very weird feeling. Can feel out of breathe, chest feels tighter than normal. Heart palpitations started happening about 5-6 years ago and since then it's always alerted me to what is going on which usually sends me into a panic attack. It's odd to describe. I learned that my grandma had something similar and she took lorazepam. She passed away last August and had about 70, 0.5 mg left. At this point I was so frustrated (Had already tried over 20 medications like SSRIs, Buspirone, Hydroxyzine, Xanax and Diazepam (These two weren't prescribed), and even Bipolar meds like Lamotrigine. The only two that worked were Diazepam (Kind of) and Lorazepam. You have no idea the relief of finally being able to think straight, breathe, no muscle spams or heart palpitations. It was like being little again. Unfortunately I learned that Lorazepam is one of those "no no" substances and my doctor refuses, even after trying almost everything under the sun, to prescribe it to me. That's a different matter, in which I'll bring up in another thread today (Main reason I made this account). It's hard to try and change your life for the better when it feels like the reaper is always around the corner. I don't recommend, obviously, taking stuff without doctor's advice, but after testing it, 0.5 of lorazepam (AKA: Ativan) once every 2 to 7 days (When I feel like I NEED it, not want it) worked wonders for me. I didn't feel addicted or any of the negative side effects they talked about in the research articles. And for perspective, 1 to 2 mg is a normal DAILY dose for anxiety disorder, so I'm way under that. It doesn't completely get rid of it at that dose (Some anxiety is good anyways, believe it or not), but it helps enough for me to start to quit smoking, exercise daily, and hopefully soon if I can get some more and start to work again after 4 years of being jobless. I'm probably ranting at this point so my apologies.

    • Posted

      its ok, you werent ranting. It started around 10 years ago for me as well. The heart palpitations were one of the initial symptoms and sometimes I would get breathless in high school, jittery ect. For A lot of us that have dealt with this for over a decade it can manifest into something horrifying. Its hard not to forget to breathe when we are manually breathing. Strange breathing is probably the most accurate term. Always feels like you're gonna stop breathing, constantly have to take deep breaths. Im sorry about your grandma. This may be a stupid question but does Lorazepam have any advantage over other similar medications? Because my GP and Psychiatrist that I saw in the past would recommend Lorazepam first. Yes, its hard to change the life situation when you are feeling this way every second of the day but im determined to overcome any obstacle right now. Either way, you guys have given me something to think about and I am more open minded now. The advice is very helpful. good luck with returning to work and its great to hear it helps with limiting smoking. I hope we can all talk again. I will stay active on this thread.

  • Posted

    so I need to start replying to people individually, cant seem to edit some of my replies. Anyway, I went to the beach for two days which was not of help at all. I am worried about my health, I have not been feeling good. I could not manage to eat yesterday and don't want to eat today. Never getting sleep. I'm questioning if this even anxiety??

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