Feel free to post your particular physical symptoms, even if you're not sure it's Anxiety or Panic Attacks.

Hi there, I'm a 31 year old male.

When I first had a Panic Attack, it was on October 10th, 2003. I thought I was having a mild heart attack. At first, I had a bit of nausia. Then, I felt as if I was going to pass out. I got up and started pacing around the house and noticed that my heart rate was increasing and I was getting increasingly scared. Surprisingly, I talked myself into calming down and that seemed to really help. Later, I would learn that self-talk is one of the Attacking Anxiety program's greatest lessons in dealing with a panic attack.

It lasted for almost an hour. Not until 6 days later, did I got to the Emergency Room. They did tests and told me I didn't have a heart attack.
2 weeks later, I was worrying that the doctors missed something, so I went back and had more tests done. Nothing was wrong. They told me to relax and gave me a prescription for Ativan 1mg.

A friend of mine had heard an ad on the radio several times for the Midwest Center. So, I looked it up and ended up buying the program through someone on ebay.

I guess that I'm pretty lucky. I got the program after only a month and a half since I had my first major panic attack. I had my doubts about the program.

My physical symptoms didn't seem to sound like the ones being described in the program. When I had anxiety attacks, I would feel as though my throat was swelling up and I had urges to cough. Plus, certain muscles in my body would seize up and I would be sore for hours after the anxiety attack was over. The main areas where my muscle would seize up, would be... where my upper left chest muscle meets the shoulder. If you raise your arm up, you can actually feel and squeeze the muscle I'm talking about. I guess you could also say it's the muscle between your collar-bone and your arm-pit. I would get sharp pains there after each panic/anxiety attack and have to massage it for several minutes. Even then, the pain didn't always go away. The pain seemed to move around my body too. Another area I would get sharp pains, was in or just below my rib-cage and sometimes on my side. And, sometimes it would switch from my left, to my right side. Finally, the other area I got sharp pains, was in the mid to lower part of my back, on my left side.
That made me think I had kidney stones or something.

I seem to be getting a lot better though. It's been progressive, which has been hard for an impatient person such as myself. I never realized that anxious thoughts and stress could ever lead to such physical pain symptoms. And, on top of it all, I've never been the type to fall asleep easy either. Since I started the program, I've sometimes put myself into a panic attack at the anxiety I get when I know I should be in bed and sleeping.

In the past few weeks though, I've come to learn that a lot of anti-anxiety medications are not meant to be taken long term. In fact, a lot of them can cause you to become dependant on them, if you take them for too long. For instance, in my case, I have been on Ativan 1mg for 4 months. That is the maximum time I read that someone should be on Ativan. So, at my request, the doctor has given me Ativan 0.5mg and I am trying to wean myself off the the medication slowly. I read that you can start by taking the lower dosage each day, for a week. Then, every other day for a week. Then, finally, every 3rd day and then you can quit taking the medication. I read that it is not recommended that you stop taking anxiety medication "cold turkey" or abruptly. That can cause your anxiety to return or other symptoms like insomnia.

Well, I'm taking my Ativan 0.5mg every other day right now. I am doing a lot better. I have not had the muscle pains for a couple weeks now. I still get some discomfort but, nowhere near what it used to feel like.

But, I know my anxiety is not totally gone yet. As a matter of fact, it's 4am right now and I feel a little too anxious to fall asleep. I hate that. It always seems worse when you're feeling drowsy and you start to feel anxious. And, one piece of MAJOR advice... NEVER take any sleep medication or anything that will make you drowsy if you think you might feel panicky at the time you go to bed. There is a major difference between anxiety medication and sleep medication. Sleep medication will not get rid of your anxiety and you'll end up having a sleepless, panicky night. I've been there a few times and it was very hellish. I've learned from the program, that my body will sleep when it's ready. If I am not asleep by 3 or 4am...so what! My anxiety will end and my body will eventually let me sleep. However, I've often wondered how people who have to get up early for work, deal with this problem.

Well, I've written quite a bit here and better end it for now. Hope this helps whoever reads it.

Hi Stormnut31. I, too, am taking an anti-anxiety med. and have also worry about becoming dependent.
I have been trying to taper my klonopin and have noticed more anxiety than I was experiencing. The thing is that I also have been adding back all of those activities and responsibilities that I terminated upon experiencing my panic attacks a few months ago. When I start to feel better, I stop practicing the relaxation and stop listening to the tapes. Then my panic and anxiety come back (not nearly as strong) and I regret it!

My feelings of anxiety lately have been just an overall feeling of uneasiness. Almost like I have consumed a lot of caffeine. ( I haven't) I also feel a little dizzy and lightheaded. The panic comes on to a degree, and initially I panic more, and then accept it. It moves on eventually.

The things I have learned the most from the Midwest Center about myself are my incessant negative self-talk, and my ability to obsess about things. For instance, yesterday I was shoveling my driveway, when my neighbor came out and said, "You need to be careful. Up north there are a lot people who suffer heart attacks while shoveling snow". Even though I am in great shape, (just ran a marathon not long ago), I put down the shovel and proceeded to freak out about having a heart attack for an hour or so.

Yes Storm I too experience the chest pain and tightness and was told that I have not had a heart attack but my mind continues at times to obsess about it thinking that the doctor had to habe missed something. I really believe that the chest pains are the worse symptom for me. I know my thinking makes it all worse and I am trying so hard to put an end to my negative self talk. I have started that lesson last week and it so hard for me. I might stay on this lesson for another week just to beat into my mind-lol.

I began having panic and anxiety in my early 20's shortly after I left the nest. I was put on Zoloft and did really well with it for a while. However all that time I did not change my thought patterns or fix what was truly wrong. I went off of it for a while. Four years ago right before I got married I went ballistic. I had nightmares, night sweats, anxious and nervous all the time, I literally thought I was going insane. The dr put me back on Zoloft and after a few months all my symptoms were relieved. I had seen the MWC informercial one night and I said to my husband to be that I really want to get it- I really though it would help me. Well after I started feeling better I sort of forgot about the program. We've been married for 4 years and recently went through a miscarriage and some deaths in the family and about a month after- there I blew again. I ordered the program right away. I am so glad I did.

I have come to realize that I (like so many others) do not handle changes very well. However, I am begining to think of change as doors of opportunities that the Lord has opened for me to help me grow and become someone even better than I am today.

I wish you all the best on this journey!

Aging fast noticed in skin and hair.