Is this anxiety or something more?

Sleep apnea?

I would wake up shaking, sweating, feeling panicked.

The apnea diagnosis changed my life.

I have sleep apnea, anxiety, diabetes and breast cancer. And I have experienced 3 anxiety attacks. What I have heard is, panic attack is worse, curious if your husband had mini anxiety attacks before.

For sleep apnea, have a CPAP, receive quality sleep, 6-7 hrs. I do not drink alcohol or smoke. Due to side effects of cancer treatment, I drink 1 cup of coffee in the morning, and there after, drink 1-2 cups of green tea with caffeine. At night, I drink chamomile tea for sleep.

For anxiety, I do not take meds but have a therapist that prescribed a device that helps, Alpha Stim. I use it for anxiety, but it also helps with insomnia and depression.

I take med for diabetes, Mounjaro to lower sugar and tamoxifen for cancer treatment. Vit D, magnesium and probiotics.

Be careful with medications. I fear that medications are temporary fix without knowing why. Looks like your husband works in a very high stress environment, does he exercise, physically and mentally?

My experiences with panic have come about after I got serious and upsetting news. I was evaluated medically to rule out a medical cause. It can be very scary. Has he received any upsetting news or been placed under undue stress? It’s my understanding that Lexapro takes a few weeks to take effect. Talk therapy can be very helpful. Also, if medically cleared, a good workout schedule can also help with relaxation.

I imagine working in the ER would be a very intense, high -anxiety situation daily. Perhaps he needs to consider a different line of work. When I started to experience the pressure of speed as a jeweler, I eventually realized I no longer found my work satisfying and I switched to a job that required performance but I could create my own personal atmosphere and I felt in control at all times. I did start Effexor during this time and life became more tolerable as long as I gave myself plenty of time for sleep. He might consider time with a therapist, as a career transition might be considered.

I would suggest further testing to rule out other causes like sleep apnea, heart issues, cortisol/adrenaline levels, or nervous system disorders.
Can your husband recall exactly what he was doing when that first incident struck in the er? Thinking back, was he already feeling “off” and ignored it? Had he slept poorly, not eaten, was he dehydrated, did something upsetting happen right before that he repressed?
That very well could have been a panic attack, but could it also have been a sudden drop in blood pressure, blood sugar, arrhythmia, vasovagal issues, etc. which triggered the panic and it’s spiraled from there? I’m not medically trained, but this is just what occurs to me.
I also suffer from anxiety, cptsd, depression, heart arrhythmia. and sleep apnea. It can get complicated. Xanax really helps me, but ssri’s were a disaster. They made me more nervous. One night, it got so bad I literally could not relax and was having muscle fasciculations.
Would your husband consider increasing the Xanax, stopping all the other stuff, and trying to go back to work? Many times, I got through a stressful day at work by taking the Xanax as needed. Being able to function gave me a feeling of control and accomplishment that reassured me. He might feel less depressed that way.
You both have my sympathies, panic is a horrible, helpless feeling. I pray he gets it sorted out soon.

I’ve tried everything for panic and fear over the course of 30 years, I felt that I had a rebound effect from Xanax. When it wore off, I would be twice as nervous, upset, anxious - you name it. Maybe Xanax isn’t the best thing. My psychiatrist told me that benzodiazepines are very bad for the brain and I quit them completely.
(Now I just kind of suffer in silence.) Not saying that that is the best advice, but you may want to think twice about grabbing a Xanax as now I am 67 years old my memory is very foggy and I quite often can’t focus and I do believe it has affected my brain.

@barbaray58
I’m 70 and have been hearing the same thing for years. That’s why I tried all the ssri’s; the psychs were trying to get me off Xanax. Well, they made things worse. I guess it’s not a one size fits all situation. I always think twice before taking a Xanax; grabbing it just because it’s the easiest way to go is not good either.
I think all drugs have side
effects; it’s a matter of
whether the benefits outweigh the risks.
I’ve taken Xanax since 1993 and my memory is still pretty good, as is my focus, (I think).
Anxiety itself can affect both of those functions in my experience.
Please don’t suffer in silence; find something that works. I suffered in silence for years, and all it got me was heavy drinking and several nervous breakdowns.
I believe that whatever drug is either touted or demonized at a particular time has a lot to do with Big Pharma, money, and politics. Just my opinion over the years.

Thank you for your reply. 🙂

@ltahuaryeenr I suffered from panic attacks years ago. I worked as a unit clerk in the intensive care unit when these attacks started but I can’t say for sure if the hospital environment was the cause. All I know is my first attack came on out of the blue and subsequent attacks scared me and disrupted my life.

The thing about panic/anxiety attacks is you tend to live in dread of the next one. It becomes a vicious cycle. I rushed to the ER frequently. My vial of Ativan was always within reach in case of another attack. Then I was enrolled in a Relaxation Therapy program where I was taught to breathe from the belly. It takes some time to learn belly breathing and practice cognitive behaviour, but once I got belly breathing “under my belt” I was able to let go of my vial of Ativan and have not had a panic attack since the late 1990s.

It must be so distressing for you and your husband to go through all this, day after day, Try to keep positive and believe that eventually a doctor will be able to help with the symptoms. I have had Bipolar Disorder since I was a teenager (I am 72 now), and I am afraid it took years going to different doctors to work out what was going on. I am now stable on medication, and living an active life without anxiety or depression. I am sorry to say this, but my
GP was not of any help. He did not have enough experience with thes type of things, and for a while I was on a merry-go-round of medications which either didn't help or made things worse. I finally for referred to a psychiatrist, who had plenty of expeience and put me on the medication combination I am on now. I am not suggesting for one minute that your husband has mental health issues - you have to rule out other causes of his symptoms first, and that is a matter of trial and error. I have two suggestions :
1) When he has a severe anxiety attack, use the old paper bag trick. Put a paper bag over his nose and mouth,
and get him to breathe slowly and deeply into it. I don't know the science behind this, but it is a trick I was
taught in hospital, and it really does work.
2) While you are going through the horrible experience of getting a diagnosis and treatment, consider getting
your husband, or the two of you together, to talk to a psychologist or qualified counsellor. It won't cure the
problem, but talking it through with a professional and getting advice on non-medical ways to manage the
symptoms can be enormously helpful. Even now, I talk to my therapist a couple of times a month, and he has
a wonderful way of helping me see things differently, and giving advice on coping with life issues.
I am in Australia, so I don't know how your health system works, but please, get to talk with someone about this.
Psychologists and counsellors have specific techniques to deal with these things, and from my own experience of anxiety attacks, they can teach you ways of coping with anxiety and panic attacks and help you through this awful, difficult time. Very best wishes, @ellu