Sudden episodes of ANXIETY....anyone have any advice?

                 Hello everyone I'm having some issues as of a few weeks or so....I am a long time sufferer of anxiety and depression and have been on medication for more than 20 years.....I have never had a sudden attack of panic or anxiety that I can recall but these last few weeks I have been noticing that I've been having panic attacks come on and it's all suddenly...I'm not sure what's going on with me as I have always had this condition under control and now I'm feeling so out of control....I feel as though I can't cope with difficult situations or conflict the way I used to and when something like that comes up I start to feel my heart race and my breathing runs rapid and I start to shake...has anyone ever had this happen and what if anything can I do to help myself....I'm going to see my doctor Thursday and talk about this issue I'm hoping he can help me anyway he can....I don't know if there's anything medically he can offer in way of medication as I have some crazy health issues and I take medication to treat anxiety and depression already....is there a such thing as a rescue med like there is a rescue inhaler for asthmatics?...I'm just scared is all and want to get others perspective on this....thank you all

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with this. I have also suffered with this a few years back and getting yourself to the doctor is the best first step. I ended up being prescribed meds for the anxiety (in addition to what I was already taking for depression) and off work for a couple of months. (I couldn't make a decision at work to save my life at that stage.)

Going to see your doctor is the best first step you can make.

All I can offer is that things will get better even though it doesn't feel like it right now. I wish you well.

Tammy :)

Seeing your doctor is the best thing you can do right now.  If it is your family doctor you are seeing then keep in mind that your centre also has psychological health services and they might be able to help you more than a family doc.  My experience with family medicine is that they do ot know much about how our bodies function post-op.  If there is a rescue med then I want it!  Good luck, let us know how things go.

I would see your prescribing doctor, as others mentioned. If you've been on meds and managing well for 20 years, it may be time for an increase or change. It's also possible that your body isn't absorbing the meds well enough.

The only "rescue med" that I've actually used myself occasionally is Ativan, which can be fairly effective. When your meds are at the correct dose, the need for a "rescue" is hugely diminished to non-existent.

I hope you're feeling more like yourself soon.

Thank you all for you replies I truly appreciate you taking the time to reply...I am going to see my prescribing doctor tomorrow morning because these attacks are horrible....I hope he can help me with this issue as I can barely function at a proper level.....I will keep you all posted tomorrow when I get home from my appointment......thanks again