Hello! My name is Amy and I'm from Illinois. I had my first panic attack when my fiance and I were on vacation with his 2 daughters in Chicago. I had felt great all day and we stopped in a pizza place for dinner and all of a sudden I got this overwhelming feeling that something was wrong with me. I had a hard time breathing and felt light headed like I was going to pass out. I tried to ignore it but it got so bad we had to go back to the hotel. The next day we found a clinic and that is where I found out that what was happening to me were panic attacks. My blood pressure was also through the roof(I used to be on bp med) so I was immediately put back on. I saw an ad on Tv for this program just a few days after we got home and immediately called for the 30 day trial. It took a couple of weeks for me to actually put the program in. It took another horrible attack to push me to open it up and watch the intro dvd. I can honestly say that I felt a little bit of relief just after that first dvd. My fiance has been beside himself not knowing what to do to help me...he's a fixer and can't stand to see me this way. I actually tore out the Partner's Guidelines page that was in the workbook and asked him to read it and he understands a little better now. So for those of you out there who feel like your friends and family don't understand, I would highly suggest you have them read that page. I decided to join the online support system because even though I feel like the program is helping me, the last week or so has been very rough, having attack after attack. My doctor did give me Xanax on an as needed basis and I refused to take it at first. But, I have realized that it does help me feel better. She also prescribed Zoloft to take on a daily basis and it just made my anxiety worse. Now she wants me to take Effexor ER. Well, I'm scared to take it. I went onto WebMD and the reviews for it are horrible. A lot of people do say that it works great but almost everyone said it is very addictive and extremely hard to get off of. So now what? I don't want to on meds for the rest of my life but I also can't live day to day with the attacks. I am on session 3 and learning about positive self talk and it all makes sense and I understand it but actually getting it to work is what I'm having a problem with. If any of you have ideas please feel free to share.

Hi Amy! I'm Gale. Welcome to the forum!
I think that maybe you want to feel better so badly that you are expecting too much from yourself too soon. It sounds like you are doing everything that you need to be doing-maybe you need to be more patient with yourself and remind yourself that you have takenabig step in getting the program and having reached session3. Try giving yourself credit for what you are doing to get better,do the best you can with the sessions and I'll bet one of these days you'll find everything will fall into place and you will be surprised at the progress you've actually made and how much better you feel. It's perfectly normal to want immediate positive results-I do too but the program takes time because we have to make some lasting life changes along the way and that will take time. Be kind to yourself and give yourself the time you need to feel better. Take care and God bless!

Hi Amy Hang in there.I have panic attacks all the time.If I am stressed out I tend to have them more.A panic attack is not going to kill you.Don't be afraid of it.Accept it and float with it and give yourself positive reinforcement and it will go away.I know they are uncomfortable when you are having them and they make you feel exhaausted afterwards but remember that you are not alone in this and I am here to help you along with everyone else on this website.Much love.

Thank you both for your reply and advice. I know that I am putting way too much pressure on myself to feel better quickly. This is starting to effect my job and that is not good...I am a store manager for a major retailer and I have way too many responsibilities to be worried about having attacks at work and I have been having them at work lately.

Amy - I hope you are using the relaxation tape a few times a day. Looking back now to when I first began the program I can see where this helped me more than I thought it had. The breathing exercises and muscle relaxation is a great boost to getting the panic down. My blood pressure has dropped immensely since I finished the program. One of my doctors thought I had been taking BP meds - Nope- just got the anxiety down and limited any caffeine.