Hubby having panic attacks

[trying to stay positive]

Anyone have any experience with PALS having panic attacks? I came downstairs this morning & my husband was sitting on the couch, all bent over, his head in his hands, gently rocking forward & back. I asked him what was wrong & at first he just said he was bored. I suggested quite a few things that he could do, but each one was greeted with "I don't feel like it right now." Then as I was walking away, he said he feels like he is having a panic attack, so I sat down & talked to him for awhile & it seemed to pass. Even made him a sandwhich, which he ate. He said he has had a panic attack a few other times during the last few weeks. I had no idea!:oops: He's home & on disability now, so that may be playing into this.

We talked about depression & he acknowledges that he is depressed but does not want to take any anti depressants. He has tried a few different ones over the years & he says they mess with his head. I told him there are different classes of drugs to try & his response was that by the time he finds one that works he will be dead!:cry: I told him that since his symptoms are mostly LMN, more like PMA, he could easily live for 10 years, and his reply was "I hope not!":cry:

I finally convinced him to at least try an anti anxiety drug, so I called the clinic & left a message for the nurse about his anxiety attack. She returned my call very quickly & sounded concerned. She said the doc would call soon, which she did. She talked to my husband for quite some time & is phoning in a script (for Lorazepam?) I could tell by my hubby's end of the conversation that she was discussing depression with him & he was downplaying it. He said that the doc wants to talk to me & will be caling me tomorrow morning.

Any comments, suggestions, advice, etc. is appreciated. I have known my husband for 30 years and this is VERY unlike him.

[Lorie]

My brother Tim will get panic attacks. He is also on Lorazapam and Ativan when it really gets bad. He had gotten off of his sleeping medication Restoril. Today he asked to get back on it. He had also stopped taking his Prozac. He is also getting back on it. I think after stopping the medications (all) for a while, he see's that the Meds. really did help in his case. We also seen a huge decline in his outlook. I think when he gets put to bed at night he has trouble sleeping, because he is thinking about knowing how he is going to die. And just the matter of when. He has told me this before.

I think you did the right thing. That is just my opinion. Everbody has different needs.
I myself am on Paxil, Busbar and Clonzepam. It helps keep me going and Focused.

I hope you see that this helps him. Keep us updated!

Lorie-I hate the feeling of being Helpless. Not in Caregiving. But because the suffering with this disease.:(

[Al]

I use Ativan every night or I don't get to sleep. I call it the heebee geebees. Think that's the less technical term for panic attacks.
AL.

[texgrl]

my mother in law suffers with panic attacks and just general anxiety as her disease progresses. she takes Lorazepam for that, but she also takes an antidepressant, but i can't remember the name of it. i will check and post it here later today.

[CindyM]

LOL, AL. I thought the term "heebee Jeebies" always been a technical term!

[olly]

i am also on antidepressants, when i'm taking them i think they are not doing anything but when i've tried to come off them you can tell the differance. i'm also on sleep meds, like al i cannot sleep without them. a while ago a doc said i should cut back on sleep med as there addictive, i said if i'm not addicted after 4yrs on them i never will be!!.
and being addicted to a med that helps is the least of my problems, if you need it take it.
caroline