# Any Guys With Anxiety/panic Attacks On This Board?



## h8ibs (Oct 24, 2004)

Hi,I'm just curious to hear from any guys on this board who have anxiety and/or panic attacks. They say this is much more common in women than men, but how much more common? I'd like to hear about your experiences speaking to doctors about your issues.How do you best cope w/ anxiety and/or panic attacks?What types of medications you've tried/what types of meds have worked for you?Do doctors take you seriously?Thanks.


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## Connor_uk (May 9, 2007)

Hiya, i kinda had a bit of a meltdown when i was young around the time i left school and became really anxious in social situations and would have these really strong panic attacks, i felt feint, nauseous, dizzy and short of breath the classic symptoms really. I eventually was referred to an occupational therapist that taught me some techniques to help control the symptoms, breathing exercises and visualisation techniques etc. Anyhow that all worked great and up until about the time i turned 22/23 and my IBS kicked into overdrive. Too many near misses with IBS began to effect my social life and brought back the feelings of anxiety and occasional pannic attacks in social situations, i think only people that have been caught out in a bar or restraunt can understand the feelings of embarrassment and humiliation that ensues with an IBS attack I'm still in that situation now really, i have changed my diet, i no longer drink or smoke take regular exercise and still suffer with unpredictable bouts of IBS that have all but sapped my confidence completely. I have come to the conclusion that anxiety and stress is probably the primary cause of my IBS attacks now so i am going to my gp to see if i can do something about it, I have a great partner of four years and we are expecting our first baby in 6 weeks so i feel resolved to set this straight so it doesnt effect the relationship i have with my child.I used to work for the NHS as a support worker and B grade nursing staff andhad my own opinions about which treatments i would like to try and anti-depressants were not the route i wanted to go. If you are depressed the first thing your GP will tell you to do is stop drinking and/or taking recreational drugs because they create a false personality and shield you from your real issues. Anyhow, it did take a while with my doctor largely because i hardly ever got to see the same doctor. I think i was partially responsible tho because i didnt really assert myself enough, they tried me on anti-spasmodics, fibre supplements, immodium, (which just felt like i took pills to go and pills to stop going which drove me nuts and just didnt work) and then they sent me for a colonoscopy which came back clear, Thats about it really.


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## h8ibs (Oct 24, 2004)

connor_uk, Thanks so much for your reply. First off, CONGRATULATIONS on the upcoming birth of your baby. Enjoy every minute of it. Yes, like you, I don't want to take anti depressants for anxiety and panic attacks. I'm learning how to deal with everything the best I can. Every time I talk to my doctor, he just wants to put me on anti depressants, which I don't appreciate. So again, I'll just learn how to deal with this on my own. Anyhow, I appreciate your reply and wish you all the best.


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## normie (Jan 2, 2007)

My doctor does not take my Anxiety seriously and neither did the first psychiatrist I saw.Both of them have the attitude that it's only anxiety ( which never killed anyone ) so get over it.In some ways they are correct but if I could find the way or the strong will I'm sure I could get over it.I've tried 4 different medications and none of them have worked. ( I won't mention which ones incase someone reading this is about to try them ) The psychologist I am seeing at least accepts that the Anxiety is real and is a problem and has shown how my thinking or behaviour in certain situations over many years has led to the Anxiety Disorder.It's fine to realise how and why I did what I did but that hasn't cured the problem yet.The breathing exercises do help and trying to get control over thoughts is also good.I had IBS for many years before the Anxiety Disorder appeared - If I could control the IBS I'm sure the Anxiety would be controlled as well - perhaps it's the other way around.Still looking for the magic cure - perhaps one day ????Cheers


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## 14486 (Mar 20, 2007)

I've tried many anxiety/anti-depressant drugs over the years to try to manage my anxiety and IBS. None have been very successful. My psychiatrist has decided I need a "drug holiday". He is weaning me off my meds. I need to stay off them for six weeks and then we will reevaluate the situation. I'm going crazy because since I started weaning a few weeks ago I started having panick attacks. They started as a feeling like I was going to pass out mid-afternoon every day. They are now happening all day and night long and involve back pain, stomach pain, headache, and shortness of breath. I am currently doing the IBS hypnotherapy CD's but my IBS has actually increased with the gradual withdrawal of these meds, and I need some other techniques to provide me some tension relief so I can minimize these attacks. My head, stomach and back pretty much feel tense all day long at this point.


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## h8ibs (Oct 24, 2004)

Thanks everyone for your feedback. What irritates me is that several women I know who went to their doctors for anxiety problems seemed to be taken seriously and got some help. But my experience as a man has been that doctors tend to brush it off and won't really take me seriously when I tell them I suffer from anxiety. I've only seen 2 doctors, but that's enough to get me frustrated. I've tried meds before from one of the doctors I saw, but they had bad side effects.


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## 14989 (Aug 3, 2006)

Yep, I'm here. 17 year old male.Zoloft is key.


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## kitkat17 Lady of the Loo (Jul 21, 2005)

Yes take xanax for them


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## AllStrZ (May 6, 2006)

Same here, 17 years old, but haven't found anything to help yet.


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## Lagniappe (Dec 23, 2003)

I'm a 29 year old male who suffers from general anxiety disorder with the ever so fun classic panic attacks and have found that stress/anxiety is indeed a major trigger for my IBS-D.I'm not sure that any one course of treatment is right for everyone, but I take Xanax and it does help me tremendously with lowering my stress level and decreasing the flare-ups of IBS.It did take me quite a bit of time to get my general practioner to prescribe Xanax to me. We went through probably six or seven, maybe even more, different anti-depressants before he relented and put me on Xanax. The key is to work with your doctor and to hold your position that your anxiety is a problem and needs to be treated, even if it takes a while before you find a course of treatment that works for you.Panic attacks are horrible to deal with. For me, coupling anxiety/panick attacks with IBS-D severely affected my social life and lead me progressively down a path to depression, which is a horrible place to be. If there is any "real" advice I could give you, it would be to either work through this with your doctor (keep pressing the issue and don't let them brush it aside!) or find a mental health professional who will be more apt to understand the validity and seriousness that anxiety and panic attacks present, especially for someone with IBS.You can and will find a solution to this, you just need a little gumption to get it done.


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## Connor_uk (May 9, 2007)

Im not sure i would be so quick to suggest Anti depressants. I have found through experience that anxiety and depression can be controlled through lifestyle changes. These can take time and a lot of effort but nothing worth ANYTHING ever comes quick n easy. It's taken me a long time to get around to thinking this way, and i appreciate that some of you younger folk may not want to make the lifestyle changes but in the long run i think its the only way to go. Anti Depressants are a short term soloution for what is many cases a long term problem. Dont get me wrong, in some circumstances meds are the way to go for some people in some circumstances but with IBS and/or anxiety and pannick attacks i think they sould really be seen as a last resort and every other alternative should be attempted before hand. Just this week i have started to change my lifestyle and more importantly my perspective in how i respond to IBS and even though it's early days i still find im feeling much better, i've found a new GP that i'm working with to help try and get my symptoms in remission, im trying new meds, exercising, eating better and taking time out EVERY day to relax and de-stress as well as making sure i get a good nights sleep every night (at least until the baby arrives!)To me it seems like, making lifestyle changes like the ones ive just mentioned, also changes your mental approach. Instead of falling victim to the symptoms of IBS and the related problems you are controlling it and taking the power back. That way its your responsibility. Taking anti depressants to me still feels like you are relying on an external energy to fix your problems and not owning it yourself.


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## 14989 (Aug 3, 2006)

Connor, while I respect your optimism, depression and panic disorder are serious issues that, in general, can not be fixed by simple life changes. Also, it goes without saying, many of the changes that would help are just not feasible -- a lot of us are truly stuck in these positions.If anything, psychotherapy (changing the way you think) should be used in conjunction with medication. A lot of people who suffer from IBS are at a point where depression/anxiety is an insurmountable struggle. In this day and age I think it's silly not to turn to medical advancements.


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## h8ibs (Oct 24, 2004)

I agree that changes in lifestyle can help, but is not a cure for depression, anxiety, panic disorder, etc... I have anxiety and panic attacks and I have made lots of healthy changes in my life over the past 2 years. I eat healthier, I excercise through martial arts, and I get plenty of sleep. While I have managed to keep my anxiety and panic attacks to a minimum, I have not cured myself of them.


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## anniemac (May 30, 2007)

Everyone is different, & if lifestyle changes help you, I am gald. But for me, a major lifestyle change made me face up to my problems, & remember past abuse& that riggered anxiety attacks. plus depression. & after all that, I started getting IBS.-D. so, I take anti-depressants, because I just could not cope at all without them. when I take them, my thinking is clear enough, & I feel able to, face up to the past abuse, & work thru therapy. Cheers, anniemac


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## SBR (Jun 20, 2007)

I have never been to a doctor about it but I think I do have an anxiety disorder of some sort. And like everyone here I think its the primary trigger/cause of my IBS. I posted a topic in the IBS-D forum a month or so ago about my anxiety/IBS being so bad that I cannot go to the oral surgeon to have two teeth pulled that are killing me.Based on what I've read here it seems like most of you have gone to a psychiatrist instead of a regular doctor. I've never been to a psychiatrist before but I think I'll go. I'm willing to try anything and take anything like anti-depressents to help me overcome my anxiety and get my teeth out!


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## Haunted (Mar 29, 2007)

My psych says I have an anxiety disorder. I'm always extrememly anxious and I'm always worrying. I'm worrying right now. Sometimes my anxiety and worry just makes me want to die. I think I've had what would be described as anxiety/panic attacks before. A lot of them are IBS related.


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## skareb (Oct 3, 2004)

Count me in too....male 36, I've had my first attack around 95 if I'm not mistaken, was a hot day and I was at a cafe waiting for a fren, then out of the sudden I felt dizzy and I tot wtf, didnt know what strike me...I just went home and slept. After that incident it kept playing in my mind but never occurred again. Then when I was in borneo in 98', my biz was really bad and i was in an unfamiliar place, it was really stressed. One day we had a meeting in town and half way throughout the meeting I tot I had a heart attack, cold sweat dizzy. I had to cancel the meeting and ask my partner to fetch me as I couldnt drive, he took me to the nearest clinic and there was a long Q, I told the nurse you've to take me in or I'll just black out there n there, she rush me into a room, I lie down on the bed and the doc gave me a jab. rested there for about an hour and he told me I must hv felt dizzy due to stress and inproper diet (yeah right)After that I felt more n more concern, whenever I'm outside even tho I've no attack but I keep reminding myself what if I get an attack. And on top of that I've IBS since very young. The best part is, theres 3 evil in me, Anxiety, anxiety really attack and IBS. These 3 things keep cycling my life when I'm out side...Its either I've IBS attack...then I worry I cant find the toilet and I get panic attack...or I before I've panic attack, I kept worrying until I've IBS attack. You see these 3 things just endlessly haunt me. Life suxs? yeah they do, but what else can we do but to live with it.I've never been diagnose for anxiety or IBS, many years ago went to the doc and he never even heard of IBS or anxiety attack. I've check all these online, yea and they tell you dun trust forums


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