Panic attack or something else

[happyWImom]

My dd has had anxiety & OCD issues for a while. We are finally on track with a new therapist, have some new positive behavior techniques in place, new medication, and things have been going well.

 

So, last night during prayers, dd starts saying she's having trouble breathing. (Background-she has complained about this for about a year; we have had her lungs checked, no other physical symptoms, and it is a very sporadic thing-usually happens at bedtime) I've always been able to calm her down & get her mind off of it, but last night, nothing worked. She kept getting worse, saying she couldn't breath, felt like she was dying. "I'm going to die, I'm dying, help me, help me!" It was awful. At that point, I thought we should take her to the ER (what if it's not a panic attack-my thought)and she started to get worse, said she felt like she wasn't in control of her body, someone else was controlling it. :confused:

 

We sat her down & started watching Animal Planet, talked to her, rubbed her back, told her she was going to be all right. She stopped freaking out, but was still kind of in a daze & kept repeating "I'm going to be okay" over & over & over. I still wanted to take her in, but she asked me to just call the dr. I did speak to one, who said it sounded like a panic attack. My other thought was that it was a side effect of the medication. She was taking Lexapro for about 7mos., and while it didn't seem to work, that was when she started complaining about the breathing thing at night. Never this bad, though. So, we switched her to Prozac 4wks ago, seemed to really help, but now this. Perhaps it's a side effect of SSRI's? Has anyone heard/had this happen?

 

This morning, she was a lot better, but all day she did say she still felt it was hard to get a big breath, and she said the same thing tonight. I am for sure taking her in to see her pediatrician, tomorrow, but I'm still worried, tonight.

 

When last nights attack happened, she wasn't talking about anything serious, and said she was tired & relaxed and ready to go to sleep, so I don't know. But, subconsciously, she could have been anxious about sleeping in her own bed. (One of her issues)

 

Feedback, please.

[dancer67]

I have quite a bit of experience(unfortunately) with anti-depressents.

 

First, I am assuming that you are speaking of your 9 yo? Or do you have an older daughter? If you are speaking of your 9 yo, I am quite surprised that a Psych Dr(you ARE seeing a Psych Dr. to prescribe meds, correct? Pedi's are not well versed in Psych meds), would prescribe Lexapro to a 9 yo. When the switch was made, did she gradually taper off the Lexapro first?

 

Prozac has been around for many years and is approved for pediatric use. But, like with any other SSRI, it may or may not agree with you. Prozac is used for both anxiety/depression, but in some cases can cause panic.

 

With that said, I would not specifically attribute her breathing problem with the SSRI. And you should never abruptly stop an SSRI unless it is life threatning. Not being able to breathe, COULD be a side effect of the Prozac. But you won't know unless she is taken off of it.

 

It sounds as if she is only suffering from anxiety, she may benefit from a non-addictive anti-anxiety medication such as Buspar. Your other choice could be a low dose of Klonipon(although a Benzo, it usually non-habit forming).

 

I would never place her on a Benzo such as Ativan, Xanax etc.....not unless her anxiety/panic attacks were so bad, that her not being able to breathe has proven to be panic related, rather then medication related.

 

I wanted to mention again how important it is for your daughter to see a Pedi Psychiatric Dr. rather then a Pediatrician. Even family Dr's should not be prescribing any SSRI/SSNRI/Benzo/Tricyclic meds. They are not qualified to do so. And many of these medications are very difficult to come off.(Especially Effexor and Paxil).

 

I would call the prescribing physician tomorrow(or as soon as possible) to find out exactly why she is having trouble breathing. I would not put this off. It may not have anything to do with the medication at all.

 

And stressing. Educate, educate, educate yourself on ALL these types of medications. Dr's tend to downplay the side effects of being on these types of meds, as well as the long term permanent side effects they can cause.

 

Please update when you can. I am so sorry you are going through this. I can empathize as I have anxiety myself,with panic attacks and a daughter who used to have it.

 

Feel free to PM me if you wish.

 

:grouphug:

Edited March 5, 2012 by dancer67

[happyWImom]

I have quite a bit of experience(unfortunately) with anti-depressents.

 

First, I am assuming that you are speaking of your 9 yo? Or do you have an older daughter? If you are speaking of your 9 yo, I am quite surprised that a Psych Dr(you ARE seeing a Psych Dr. to prescribe meds, correct? Pedi's are not well versed in Psych meds), would prescribe Lexapro to a 9 yo. When the switch was made, did she gradually taper off the Lexapro first?

 

Prozac has been around for many years and is approved for pediatric use. But, like with any other SSRI, it may or may not agree with you. Prozac is used for both anxiety/depression, but in some cases can cause panic.

 

With that said, I would not specifically attribute her breathing problem with the SSRI. And you should never abruptly stop an SSRI unless it is life threatning. Not being able to breathe, COULD be a side effect of the Prozac. But you won't know unless she is taken off of it.

 

It sounds as if she is only suffering from anxiety, she may benefit from a non-addictive anti-anxiety medication such as Buspar. Your other choice could be a low dose of Klonipon(although a Benzo, it usually non-habit forming).

 

I would never place her on a Benzo such as Ativan, Xanax etc.....not unless her anxiety/panic attacks were so bad, that her not being able to breathe has proven to be panic related, rather then medication related.

 

I wanted to mention again how important it is for your daughter to see a Pedi Psychiatric Dr. rather then a Pediatrician. Even family Dr's should not be prescribing any SSRI/SSNRI/Benzo/Tricyclic meds. They are not qualified to do so. And many of these medications are very difficult to come off.(Especially Effexor and Paxil).

 

I would call the prescribing physician tomorrow(or as soon as possible) to find out exactly why she is having trouble breathing. I would not put this off.

 

And stressing. Educate, educate, educate yourself on ALL these types of medications. Dr's tend to downplay the side effects of being on these types of meds, as well as the long term permanent side effects they can cause.

 

Please update when you can. I am so sorry you are going through this. I can empathize as I have anxiety myself, and a daughter who has it as well.

 

:grouphug:

 

Yes, my 9 (10 in 5 days) dd. When she was switched to the Prozac, there wasn't really a time lapse between it & the Lexapro. I had been researching Lexapro, and saw that there were FDA warnings of heart problems with higher than 40mg dosage. She was on a very low dosage, but it made me want to have her taken off of it.

 

Her pediatrician & therapist have been conferring, but I did ask the therapist about referring us to a ped. psychiatrist for the meds. Unfortunately, there aren't any in the immediate area. Our therapist is 45min. away, which is bad enough, but the ped. psy. would probably be closer to an hour and a half! I am going to ask again, though.

 

And yes, I am going to have her checked out by our ped. tomorrow. Even though I'm sure it's anxiety, for my own piece of mind, I want them to physically check her, too.

 

I appreciate your kind words, and advice.:001_smile:

[dancer67]

:grouphug: to you. I know how bad anxiety can be. I have had several panic attacks, and it really does feel like you can't breathe. And it is scary watching your own child go through this. I call my anxiety the "Beast". Every day it's a struggle with that "Beast". But with the right meds and therapy(and a good support system), I manage the best I can.

 

I am sorry to hear there are no Pedi Psych Dr's in the area. But some regular Psych Dr's will take on pediatrics, so you may want to ask your Pedi Dr for a referral.

 

If you have the time, please let me know how your daughter is doing. It is so hard for people to understand what it feels like to suffer from anxiety. They think it is just something you can just "stop". And you can't. It is an illness like any other physical illness.

 

Best wishes to you and your daughter.:grouphug:

[happyWImom]

:grouphug: to you. I know how bad anxiety can be. I have had several panic attacks, and it really does feel like you can't breathe. And it is scary watching your own child go through this. I call my anxiety the "Beast". Every day it's a struggle with that "Beast". But with the right meds and therapy(and a good support system), I manage the best I can.

 

I am sorry to hear there are no Pedi Psych Dr's in the area. But some regular Psych Dr's will take on pediatrics, so you may want to ask your Pedi Dr for a referral.

 

If you have the time, please let me know how your daughter is doing. It is so hard for people to understand what it feels like to suffer from anxiety. They think it is just something you can just "stop". And you can't. It is an illness like any other physical illness.

 

Best wishes to you and your daughter.:grouphug:

 

 

 

I definitely will ask her ped. about a psych. dr. referral.

 

It really helps to hear from people who are/have experienced this, too. I will keep you updated.

 

Blessings to you, and thank you so much.

[Amy in TX]

FWIW, I've had panic attacks and what she described sounds pretty much how it felt to me. Also, both dd and I can get short of breath when stressed, like it's difficult to get a good, deep breath.

 

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[happyWImom]

I just find it so strange, because I'm wondering where this is coming from. If she was going to have a panic attack, I could have seen her having one when her issues were a lot worse, and things were not going well. Lately, she has been in a much better mood, not worrying about things, happy with her therapist, etc.....

 

It's just so disheartening, because I was thinking "Yes, we are on an upward swing, finally!" I just want her to be happy & carefree.

[Mergath]

I have OCD, and I've had many panic attacks. For me, it's like I'm having a heart attack all of the sudden. My heart starts racing, I gasp for air, and I absolutely freak out. With this kind, it's never when I'm stressed about something- they always come out of the blue.

 

With the more generalized anxiety, it's like I just can't catch my breath. Sometimes it feels like my throat is closing up, though it's actually not.

 

Your dd's recent issues sound anxiety-related to me, though if they get any worse I'd have her checked out.

[Amy in TX]

I just want her to be happy & carefree.

 

I know. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

And she will be--she's got a wonderful loving mother looking out for her and getting the best help available.

[dancer67]

I know. :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

And she will be--she's got a wonderful loving mother looking out for her and getting the best help available.

:iagree:

[MomatHWTK]

IMHO, medicine transitions should be monitored and you should be given information on what to watch out for as far as side effects. Prozac in particular can have a very bumpy first few weeks. I agree that a pychiatrist has more familiarity with the medications, their side effects and their workings in combination (which may be necessary).

 

We started with a pyschologist making recommendations to our ped who then prescribed the medication but quickly moved to having a psychiatrist supervise our medications. It's a more comforatable situation for me because I can talk directly to the psych and know that he is on top of things.

 

FWIW, there were a few appointments that were 6-8 weeks apart at the outset, but now we only see the pediatric psychiatrist every 3-4 months. He is also open to me checking in via phone with questions and issues with our medications.

[The Governess]

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[happi duck]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: