Anxiety and can't breathe

[Zac32]

Hey everyone

I'm new to this kind of thing and don't no what else to do I'm a 26 year old male quit smoking after 4 years about 4 weeks ago (and no i do not crave a ciggarette) and I have anxiety the doctor has put me on anti-depressants but can take weeks to work i need a imediate fix and have alot of thoughts but the main thing I'm stressing and panicking over is that I can't breath,my throat feels like it's closing and my breaths are shallow and when I take a deep breathe it feels like I can't fill my lungs up to the right capacity if thag makes sense it makes me panic alot and this has been going on for 3 days now I wake up in the middle of the night at lime 3am and instantly panic and can't breathe and I stay up the rest of the night worrying!

I constantly stay inside all the time and hate even going to my leter box

I hate where I live and will moving place help with the anxiety do you think?
Will excersise help?
Just really want to know what helps


Sorry if this has been covered alot

Thanks so much everyone

Zac

[Nurse_Jenn]

Hi there Zac,

Welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear you are experiencing so much worry. This sounds really exhausting. I would like to acknowledge your strength and offer you a congratulations on giving up cigarettes. It is a really difficult thing to do. There are physiological symptoms that result from tobacco withdrawal and these could possibly be contributing to your increased anxiety. You can read about these symptoms and what to expect each few days by using the MyQuitBuddy App or you could read about these symptoms on the website https://makesmokinghistory.org.au/why-should-i-quit/benefits-of-quitting

As you said you have anxiety and are being treated clinically, I wonder if you have spoken with you GP about using other options to help your anxiety while your medication is working such as counselling? You have asked about exercise and this can be really beneficial but if you feeling so stressed that you are not wanting to leave the house, this could be hard. One option could be to try and use a free online support program that is available for people over 18 called Mindspot. You can use Mindspot from your own home and it uses both online and over the phone support. You can read about Mindspot but going to this website. https://mindspot.org.au

Another option that you can have a look at is a Developed by Beyond Blue program called NewAccess. It is a free program and supports people with worry and low mood. It is limited to some areas across Australia. You can read about whether it is available in your area by going to this page https://www.beyondblue.org.au/get-support/newaccess

Finally, there is a lot of evidence that supports Mindfulness as a practice/skill that can be learned to help with worry. It is definitely not something you can learn overnight but many people (including on this forum) have found some of the practices improve worry and allow your mind to rest. You can have a look at Mindfulness by using a popular and free app called Smiling Mind. You can read about Smiling Mind by going to this site. https://www.smilingmind.com.au 

If you are really struggling, I would encourage you to go back and visit your GP and discuss with them your symptoms. It is normal to visit your GP or health provider more regularly when you are going through a medication change or starting a new treatment.

You are not alone. We are listening and I hope to hear how you are going today.

Wishing you the best possible outcome,

Nurse Jenn

[Zac32]

Thank you for the reply jenn I really appreciate it

It's just odd that all of the thought and chest tightness has stopped I just have the sensation of my throat closing and it's not

My wife called the ambulance the other night and they came out and couldn't understand why I'm feeling that way as my blood levels heart rate blood pressure and oxygen was all perfect

Like I said I'm new to anxiety and didn't know if it's one of a side effects from the tablets the gp put me on.

Thank you

Zac

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Zac,

Welcome to the forums and thanks for joining us. It seems like Nurse Jenn has offered lots of support already which is great.

Often with panic and even panic attacks, people can have the feeling that they are literally out of air, or they cannot physically breathe. It's because the body is in a flight/fight mode. Often it happens too when people are breathing from the chest - I bet that if you pop one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest you'll find that when you panic your chest rises and falls and when you are calm it's your belly that rises and falls. This is a great technique to use anywhere, whether you're at work or home - anxious or not.

Anxiety as is can also look and feel the same as if it was anxiety from side effects, so that answer is really only something your GP can give. You can also ask your pharmacist, or have a look at the CMI (consumer medicine leaflet) from your medicine, which you can see here -

https://www.nps.org.au/medicine-finder

As Nurse Jenn said too, while anxiety is good, being able to go to your letterbox is good too - so maybe being able to move around inside or go to your letterbox could be a start.

Hope that this is helpful and you can get some answers soon.

RT