Going through a panic-like attack (again)

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I am getting distressing thoughts/impulses/mild voices and the fear increases (I get heart palpitations) and my arms shake. This happens for 5-10 seconds, then I get more aware of my surroundings for 5-10 seconds (that is the physical attention span improves). Then, I get fear again. This stops generally in 4-6 hours, and happens once in two weeks. I think my pdoc recognizes it as a panic attack, but I think this is something else (and related to benzodiazpine withdrawal).
I also feel my arms and body lighter, and sometimes disconnected from the brain.

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I had to taper my Benzo very slowly before quitting it.

First I tried to quit at once and that ended in disaster.

Then we tapered over 6 months or so and it worked out.

I currently don’t take any benzo. Just have one as a prn.

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I found that Amitriptyline greatly defends me against a panic attack making it easier to put up with it. I still had to sleep them off in the past but the panic attacks seem to be gone now.

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But, the issue is that I quit it something like 3.5 years ago. To restart now would be a disaster. I took high doses for 7 years, and then quit it in like less than 4 weeks (with the direction of my pdoc of course).

Ever since, I am getting many of the withdrawal effects. Some have become much more benign but not gone away (like arm sleeping while sleeping at night). I got brain zaps, hands sleeping at night, etc…a load of withdrawal effects because that pdoc tapered really fast.

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That is the issue. All the antidepressants I have tried take me in mania.

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My pdoc didn’t think it would be an issue to quit at once as well initially, but we had to reconsider.

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Yeah, I read the Ashton manual, and realized it needs to be a prolonged taper. But, that was too late, probably 2.5 years after I had stopped.

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When I was quitting Clonazepam, I lowered my dosage by 0.06mg a week. Took me a few months to quit from 1.5mg daily.

It was pretty manageable from what I remember.

Hope this helps.

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