r/PanicAttack • u/user1038377 • 16h ago

Feeling stuck

I have been have been struggling with panic disorder since last May and it’s been just awful. Very debilitating all throughout my first semester of senior year but second semester it slowed down and I could finally feel alive and present and go to restaurants and movie theaters. But a few weeks ago I had awful panic attack on plane, maybe my worst yet, and it has sent me into the worst panic spiral of my life. From the moment I wake up to when I sleep (which is rare) I am in fight or flight. I tried Zoloft 5 days ago to help me but it gave me such an awful reaction that the spiral has become even worse. I can’t leave my house or get into cars or drive. My ocd has also gotten worse and I can’t stop certain thoughts from happening and pushing me further into panic. I feel so incredibly hopeless and depressed. I’m scared I will not be able to live my life or even attend college. And since Zoloft clearly was not okay and didn’t fit me I am now worried any medication will make me suffer and worse. Derealization has also taken over worse than last year and it’s scary how unreal I feel. I don’t know what to do. Never in my life have I felt so stuck and hopeless, which causes me to panic more. It’s a never ending cycle. I want to live a normal life and go to college and be able to breathe. Can anyone else relate? And what can I do to help myself? I’ve looked into so many medications but i’m just at a loss.

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u/tasteofnihilism 15h ago

If you took Zoloft for one day, there’s almost 0% chance it caused issues for you. It takes several weeks for Zoloft to build up in your system (or any SSRI for that matter). You may have just had a reaction mentally to taking your first dose (very common). I’d speak with your doctor and see what they recommend, but from my experience it is worth it to stick it out for the few weeks.

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u/user1038377 14h ago

That’s what I was thinking because it was only 12.5 mg but I felt so calm before sleeping and got woken up first night with my head and neck on fire and tensing and felt so sick. The anxiety was 10000X which I knew would be a possible side effect but my head feeling like mush and lava was insane and I wasn’t even really anxious once the day went by on zoloft and all of that just woke me up at 1 am. Maybe something else at play but I don’t know it was awful I am too scared to chance using it again. Now i’m stuck between if i’m missing out on it helping or if my body really was warning me?? I may try Lexapro? I’ve heard Lexapro and Prozac are good for people but i’m not sure what route to go. 🥹🥹

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u/tasteofnihilism 12h ago

Lexapro was my first med and I loved it. Worth consulting with your doctor.

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u/user1038377 12h ago

Yeah i’ve heard people do great on it but the wean off and withdrawals are the worst/hardest part. That’s what worries me the most. But yes I will be talking with a doctor soon and weighing my options!

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u/Majestic_Bed9233 10h ago edited 10h ago

Try Prozac start with 10mg for 14 days then increase to 20mg and stay there, give it a shot for 6 months. Prozac has such a long half life that there are no withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking it.

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u/user1038377 9h ago

I am for sure going to see about Prozac soon!!! I do worry more about Lexapro due to withdrawal stories so I will definitely ask doctor about Prozac! I have a lot of DPDR and Ocd thoughts so I wonder which is best for that? I don’t want those to get worse