Panic Attacks at Mass :(

[TheRealJuliane]

While I agree that medicines can help, the most immediately effective ones are of the addictive benzodiazepine class. I hate to slam physicians but they often dole these out to people with instruction to take them 2-3x per day, everyday. This is a sure path to addiction, and foolish in terms of curing anxiety because it does not address the root cause.

Here’s how the addiction process works. Your body develops tolerance to the drug and requires higher doses to get the previous results. As you go back to the doctor asking for more, or stronger pills it eventually dawns on him that you are getting addicted. Then he cuts you off completely. By this time your body is so used to the drug that it goes into an adrenaline overload state that can actually cause heart attack and death. You see, it never cured anxiety but merely relieved a symptom by suppressing a blood chemical(adrenaline/norepenephrine).

Now, with that said, it is ok to go ahead and get this type med from your doctor, but then ONLY take 1/2 of one pill about an hour before Mass or whatever other event causes a big panic attack. You MUST ignore the instruction to take them everyday. Use the medicine to make life manageable while you seek understanding of and healing of the roots of your anxiety disorder, but do not use it as a panacea to eliminate your anxiety.

There is another class of medicine they sometimes prescribe for anxiety called SSRIs. Those are mostly considered antidepressants. I have a very dim view of those but perhaps will discuss them at length another time. Suffice it to say that nearly every or perhaps all school shooters in recent history were on SSRI and/or ADHD medications.

There are other medications used for anxiety and they are NOT addictive. They give a lot of people relief and it happens almost immediately, and without serious side effects. It only takes a very small dose to have a positive effect. In my case, I have noticed that if I start having anxiety and take the medication right away, the effect lasts for months if not years. It seems to almost “heal” my brain to the point where I rarely even have to use it. If I don’t take the medication then I tend to spin into worse and worse anxiety and it can take a long time to find any relief at all. My belief is that the longer I remain untreated, the greater the damage my brain will undergo from these spells of anxiety, which leaves me open to relapses down the road.

I come by this malady from my father, who had anxiety all his life but hid it very well.

I think you are anti-medication and that opinion can increase the fear of those who are already prone to fear and anxiety. Let them go to their doctor and see if different medications can help them. The scare stories are not helpful at all.

 

[king_casimir]

Maybe you should try to visit the Blessed Sacrament when no one is in Church. Weekdays might be an appropriate time. Tell our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament exactly how you feel and make a prayer of petition asking for help.

 

[april32010]

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[pwlj_christ87]

just prayed for you… unfortunately our bodies and health can not always be the greatest at times and I know what its like… you definitely have a cross to bear in this respect but gods grace comes to you through this cross… the fact that your soul loves the church and mass more than your body can handle at times shows remarkableness to me and as a person with mental health problems I know being in a “good state” is so very important, but in my personal case my mental health problems have brought me closer to god and its been a blessing

god bless

 

[Topaz1128]

I know how you feel. Since I also suffer from panic attacks and anxiety, I sit in the back near the exit. I haven’t had to run out the door during Mass yet, but just the thought of knowing the doors are right behind me really help me psychologically.

I used to take my prescribed Xanax right before Mass, but then I would get too sleepy and nod off; so I stopped.

Also, I go to the 8:30am Mass on Sundays. While there are still lots of people, it is still less crowded than the 11am Mass.

I am praying for you.