Why does my mom keep getting anxiety attacks?

Hi @aarona560 😊
It is so nice to meet you! You sound like a very loving and caring daughter. Very beautiful.
You mentioned that your mother was in the hospital. Is she going through a illness?
You also mentioned that there are several medications involved.
Both, the stress of a recent illness (hospital stay) and taking new medications can be very scary emotionally.
Also, each chemical (aka medication) can produce side effects and there can also be interactions with any of her other medications.
It can be tricky to diagnose what the problem is.
I assume your mother has no fever or any signs of an infection?
After you hear back from the neurologist, hopefully you and your mother may have more clarity. Will you meet with him soon?
If there are still no answers, I think I may take her for a second opinion (along with her medical history, all the documents from her hospital stay, her list of medications, any testing at the hospital, her latest diagnosis from the hospital, and her current symptoms).
I hope you can find a doctor who will take the time and concern to understand the full picture and fully investigate. I am sure if your mother is getting the brush off that it's "nothing", the brush off is probably contributing to her anxiety too.
Do you live near a Mayo Clinic or a large university hospital for a second opinion?
If it turns out to be an emotional problem she is having, then the doctor may refer your mom for an appointment with a knowledgeable psychologist to help her process the tremendous worry and concern she is experiencing.
But I think I would continue to thoroughly investigate any medical reasons for her distress first.

As a patient being treated for anxiety, I send you a BIG hug for trying to help. My panic attacks began at that same age!

Once the brain begins using this coping mechanism, it can become even more frequent. I urge your Mom to get a screening with a competent psychiatrist. Panic attacks are not a weakness, they are the brain’s reaction to some stimulus, which could be hormones, or illness, or brain change.

The most important thing is that they are treatable, and every treatment makes things better. I suffered for only a short time before my wonderful psychiatrist gave me effective meds. I was on a higher dosage for a few months, then titrated down to “as needed”, which now is only a few times a year. One happened last year while I was hospitalized for a heart problem, and I got the fear that a new pill had something I was allergic to. The doctors told me it didn’t, but my brain would not believe it. Panic attack right there in my hospital bed. Pharmacy sent rescue med, and an hour later I was fine,

Tell you Mom that she deserves some peace.

Thank you so much I hate to see her like this and I would do anything just to see her better.

She did have a sinus infection but we noticed the anxiety before that, and she was in the hospital for the anxiety attacks. There is also no sign of fever or infection, but her appetite has been affected severely she is not eating like she use to would you know if this is normal for someone with anxiety like this?

Hi @aarona560 ❤
I love how much you love your mother.
Before the anxiety started, did your mother have any big medical problems that she's been dealing with(in addition to her sinus infection)?
Also, if you list some of the meds she is taking, maybe someone will be able to give you a heads up that it may be instigating her anxiety- like symptoms (dizziness, heart palpitations, vision disturbances, legs not working, etc).
Yes, there is definitely no doubt that anxiety, worry, and panic attacks can absolutely cause all of these symptoms. It is a real thing.
But that said, I always like to make sure there isn't something medical that is being missed.
Has your mother experienced panic attacks and anxiety in her life before the last 4 weeks or is this something totally new for her? Is there anything new in her life that may be affecting her thoughts? Did something happen?
I know that a lot of people are worried now about their jobs, crazy inflation, the price of housing, the price of food, personal relationships, etc.
Is your mom possibly worried about something like that?
I read an article that over 50% of the American population is now struggling to keep their mental health, so your mother has lots of company in this unbelievably stressful world.
I love that she has you as her daughter to support her through this and I totally agree with @patient101
If you feel the anxiety is not from a medical issue, making an appointment with an excellent psychiatrist is an outstanding idea to help your mother through this rough patch in her life. Do you like that idea?

This is SO me. At one point, I stopped eating for over a week. It was a combo of job, and visiting toxic family, and travel, and weather, and I left there and drove directly to Mayo Clinic. Once I was there, after my first meeting with the doctor who would coordinate my visits, I left there and went to a bakery, and ate an entire chocolate pastry.

It sounds like she really would benefit from an empathetic psychiatrist, once physical problems are ruled out.

DO not underestimate the role hormones can play. Early menopause between 40 and 45 could be a factor. It is an easy thing to check out and it can cause real instability in some women. Postpartum depression as well as menopause are just not on peoples radar. If she can get her hormones balanced it would support her treatment for anxiety. My husband is on hormone blockers for prostate cancer and man, what a mess. My daughter had postpartum depression and likewise what a mess. They used to call it menopause madness.

It is my opinion that she needs Cognitive Testing for some type of dementia.

Have a psychiatrist check her symptoms. She may have Generalized Anxiety Disorder like me. I take a small dose of Buspar. So far, no benefits from it.
Anxiety destroys quality of life and can cause severe chest pain.

I have had anxiety pretty much all my life. I am turning 70 this month and decided to go to a "shrink" for a tune up. I have no advice but wish you all well.