I have been waiting a number of days to write this post because I didn’t want to “jinx” myself.
I *think* I have finally found the solution to my anxiety breathing problem.
I told my doctor on Wednesday that I really think it is one of the medications that she put me on (Risperidone) that was causing the issue. It is a bipolar med but I’m on 2 others and I don’t really think it was serving me. So she agreed that it would be good for me to stop taking it. I also asked to try a med (hydroxyzine) that my mom takes every day and it’s often used to help with panic attacks and severe anxiety as needed instead of a benzo (like Xanax that I used to take). She agreed (kind of laughing because I keep wanting to try things). I was super nervous because I’ve heard that it knocks some people out.
Wednesday I had a long, long day and a LOT of anxiety. I could barely breathe by the end of the day. I took a hydroxyzine and the anxiety was GONE with-in 15-20 minutes. It blew me away! It didn’t make me sleepy, which surprised me. Unfortunately, it makes me sleepy the next morning. But. I’m okay with that for now. I will probably stop taking it daily. I just wanted to get off of Risperidone first.
I think that was “key” though. Getting off of Risperidone. The reason I asked to stop taking it is that I was remembering that the anxiety breathing issue started soon after I started taking that med! I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it earlier.
Now I’m hoping that I can live life like a “normal” person. I’m sure I will still have anxiety some, but now I have a medicine that can combat it, and I don’t feel paralyzed like I have been the past several months. It has been miserable.
I want to thrive!! It has been so long!
I’m at my parents’ and on the way here I was singing and dancing in the car. It felt good to feel some joy again. It’s just been so long.
Still taking it one. day. at. a. time.
