Can't see a doctor until Monday. Could this be a panic attack?

February 23, 2013 9:34 AM

Having classic "panic attack" symptoms; don't know if it's a panic attack, or due to a reaction from medication I'm taking?

Sorry, everyone. Not looking for a diagnosis or anything; just wondering if this has happened to anyone else.

WALL OF TEXT BELOW! =(

I've been taking an antibiotic since Monday, for a UTI. This past week I've been home from school for vacation and just feeling really depressed (a very 'low' feeling in my stomach, spontaneous bursts of crying). I didn't think too much of it, and then thought, hey, maybe it's the antibiotic I'm taking [since I have no real "excuse" to be sad]? I went upstairs to read the prescription leaflet. It said: tell your doctor if you have any of these serious side effects - mental/mood changes, blood in urine or muscle weakness. A-ha! That makes sense! Maybe the antibiotic is causing the moodiness. And then right after I had that epiphany, my legs started going incredibly weak, heart started racing, breathing got erratic. I thought I was going to faint, so after pacing in my room for a minute, I literally ran outside barefoot into the snow hoping my symptoms would go away. They didn't. Went to the hospital. Nurse took my vital signs - they were okay. After waiting two hours at the hospital, I decided to leave because I was feeling better (the doctor would've seen me close to 5am :/). I had a lot of brain fog before going to sleep but thought nothing of it. Then got up in this morning, felt okay, took my levothyroxine (thyroid medication for hypothyroidism) and then half an hour later, started getting waves of panic and intense brain fog. Not a full blown panic, but just "what the hell is going wrong!!!". Called the clinic. They said it "wasn't an emergency" and that I should wait until Monday (eff you, clinic!). I just have no clue whether it is a reaction to the medication I am taking, subconscious anxiety I've had about school and family and life that has just been building up, or what. The last time I felt like this was a month ago, right after getting the chickenpox Varivax III vaccine (heart racing, unable to breathe, brain fog - symptoms went away completely after 3 hours).
Could this be a panic attack? Has someone ever experienced anything like this? I hate not knowing what it is.

P.S. For some perspective, before the vaccine, I've never had a full-blown scale thing like this before. I'm not diagnosed with an anxiety disorder (but neither have I really gone to diagnose myself lol). I do have some intense (and I mean iNTENseeee) phobias though but none of them have provoked a panic attack.

posted by raintree to health & fitness (11 answers total)

I am not a doctor and you should see one, but it seems to me if you're having these symptoms after a vaccine and then again after starting antibiotics, you may be channelling a fear of medicines into panic attacks.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:52 AM on February 23

Sounds like it could definitely be a reaction to the meds. I've had antibiotics make me feel depressed before, though not a full blown anxiety attack. I don't know what you should do though, stopping antibiotics part-way through isn't usually a good idea. You need to try to talk to your doctor on the phone if you can't see him/her in person.
posted by catatethebird at 9:54 AM on February 23

Thanks for the reply, DarlingBri! I'm feeling this might be the case, too. I wish the doctor would see me today (*expletives* lol). It's just so strange that it has to happen now; considering I've never been afraid of medication or vaccinations/needles.

catathebeard, yeah, I agree. Unfortunately I can't reach my doctor by phone. Very annoyed when talking to the receptionist; described my symptoms, etc. and hoping for an appointment today (my doctor is in) but it felt like no one was taking me seriously. If you're not unconscious, don't have a fever or a current infection... oh okay, we don't really care what you have to say.
posted by raintree at 9:54 AM on February 23

If you feel like the receptionist isn't taking you seriously ask to speak directly to their supervisor or to a nurse. Then find a new doctor.

If they won't give you an appt for today find out if there's an urgent care/immediate care/doc-in-the-box place nearby.
posted by bleep at 9:59 AM on February 23

No, this is not an emergency, even though I understand it feels like one.

Everyone who has panic attacks, had a time when they weren't having panic attacks. There's always a first panic attack. And if you have phobia problems, you're already primed for anxiety meltdowns as it is. You describe your phobias as "intense", yet you're looking for something besides your inherent anxious psychology which would have caused you to have panic attack symptoms. If you're already phobic, panic attacks are not out of the question.

Your vaccine did not cause your panic attacks, and I doubt your antibiotics are, as well. It's not impossible -- but it's really a LOT more likely to be a new manifestation of your anxiety problems.

And by that I mean: the actual stuff injected into your body, and the stuff in the antibiotics you took, are very unlikely to have set into motion the symptoms of a panic attack, in themselves. Again, it's possible, but not the more likely explanation. Anyone can develop sudden issues with things like shots and medications, especially if they already have fear and anxiety issues.

The first full-scale panic attack I ever had, came on when I was a teenager, sitting at my dad's computer, messaging with a friend about nothing in particular. Does that mean that the computer, the messenger software, my friend, or typing caused my panic attacks to begin? No, they had nothing to do with it. There were other factors that brought the panic attacks on, and it was somewhat arbitrary which exact moment the first panic attack struck. If you're very anxious or very stressed out, it doesn't take much to tip you over.

Now. In my experience, an urgent care is not going to be very useful for panic attack symptoms, and you're going to leave with nothing accomplished. You can go if you really are freaking out beyond belief, but don't expect much.

Obviously, you make an appointment with some variety of doctor to make sure this isn't anything "physical", like your thyroid medication needing adjustment. But if that all checks out, you're off to a psychiatrist and/or a therapist to get this under control. Please, get to work on that now. Don't let it become an entrenched way that you respond to the world, because that's very difficult to reverse. Speaking from many, many years of experience.
posted by Coatlicue at 10:04 AM on February 23 [3 favorites]

IANAD, but since it has happened twice with different medications, it sounds like anxiety, maybe from the fear of actually having a reaction to the meds. Maybe you have other things going on in your life and this was just the manefestation of building anxiety. I know it feels horrible though!

FWIW, I had to get one of my vaccinations updated (can't remember what - measles maybe). I felt no anxiety about getting it, but once I did, my heart started to race, I felt weak and dizzy. I had rest there awhile before I calmed down and could leave the doctor's office, but yep, I definitely had a panic attack.
posted by random thoughts at 10:16 AM on February 23

First, you might look up online ways to respond to a panic attack to lessen the intensity of what you're feeling.

Second, if you're taking cipro or one of its relatives, I can tell you as a formerly anxious person that it drove me practically nuts. My reaction wasn't depression, it was mania, as in huge amounts of energy, sleeping 2-3 hours a night, ideas zipping through my head... I looked it up online and found others with similar reactions. I called the doctor's office and spoke with the nurse, they called in a prescription for a different antibiotic, I switched to that, and in a couple of days I was fine.
posted by ceiba at 10:17 AM on February 23

Panic attacks are often NOT a straight-line X happened then boom experience. The worst one I ever had hit me while I was pumping gas one afternoon on my way home from work. Nothing stressful about that, but it was near the end of a couple of busier than usual weeks and I hadn't been sleeping or eating well, and I'd just eaten some cake that kind of jacked up my blood sugar, and it's just one of those perfect storm things where your adrenal glands just go "oh, for fuck's sake *squirt*"

You've been sick, you're on antibiotics so your gut is unstable, you're run down. It is possible that the antibiotics or the process of getting better has made you a little manic or restless too.

Every single panic attack I have is characterized by an obsession that I'm "having a reaction" to something. It's a really common symptom. You've been checked by a medical professional, cleared and sent home. There's nothing they can do for you, and it's probably too late for Xanax. I find that visual stimulation makes my panic attacks worse, so put the computer away, get comfortable, sit or lay down, and listen to some music or a nice audiobook. Breathe. It will pass.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:21 AM on February 23 [3 favorites]

I have started using tapping or EFT to become more aware of my inner dialogs and have found it helps a lot. Just learned from online videos. It might help. Also did your pharmacist know you are on other meds? Call them, they know much more about interactions and side effects than GP's. here is a link to tapping intro. Loads of free info.
You can watch this video for intro.
http://youtu.be/ZfZBHWSbrsg
posted by silvergirlwon at 11:57 AM on February 23

have you ever taken this type of antibiotic before? Are you experiencing any muscle aches or weakness? If so it sounds like you are reacting poorly to the antibiotic...call your pharmacist if the doc isn't available. How many days have you been taking them? Consider all that they put in a vaccine before getting it sometimes people have odd reactions to what goes with the vaccine as well as the vaccine itself. Good luck. If you have swelling or shortness of breath call 911.
posted by gypseefire at 4:22 PM on February 23

I've had mental changes from taking antibiotics before. I went on Flagyl for gingivitis, and almost immediately felt very agitated, irritable and unfocused. I also heard an odd, whining buzz. All this contributed to several panic attacks.

IMHO, the panic attacks were a response to a mildly altered mental state from taking the antibiotics. It felt gross. I got through it. I was incredibly glad to finish the course of meds and have resolved to avoid Flagyl as much as I can.
posted by nerdfish at 8:04 AM on February 24