Riding on Anxiety Meds

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Riding on Anxiety Meds
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flag shwinn8
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Posted: Sep 30, 2019 at 21:00 Quote
I'm curious as to what triggers the panic attacks and anxiety(?).. when you do or if you happen to have an attack on the trail while riding how do you cope with it and are your friends able to assist if needed? When you are on the medication are you 100% enjoying the ride or are you "enjoying it" but num to it? It's Great and sounds like you are getting the help you need for it. I would certainly talk to your doctor more in-depth. Personally i wouldn't want you to risk putting yourself or potentially others in danger until you know for sure you're good to go considering the risk involved with DH/FR'ing. I'm not trying to come off as an At-home, yes the jokes of others token up and letting it rip sounds fun but I'm all seriousness I just want you and everyone to be safe on the trail.
flag allarile260
Posted: Oct 23, 2019 at 15:48 Quote
Honestly the risk is overrated, I work in psych & unless you're "snowed" aka heavily over medicated you'll be just fine.

Panic attacks can be significant when you first begin having them, but over time you'll be able to recognize the signs & understand just how temporary they are. I could write a novel on the topic of panic attacks itself, but to spare you all the details there are varying levels of panic attacks. These level of panic attacks can be minor to the worst feeling imaginable (panic attacks at the top level are the highest level of fear possible).

So in summary you'll be fine, if you feel a panic attack coming on, pull over & breathe.

Don't let panic attacks stop you from doing what you love or you'll get worse & worse (agoraphobia at the most severe)
flag Mntneer
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Posted: Oct 23, 2019 at 16:49 Quote
Riding on benzos seems like it would hinder physical performance and mental acuity, unless it was at or just below the threshold dose (ie microdose).
flag allarile260
Posted: Oct 23, 2019 at 18:29 Quote
Different people have different results
flag Aaronz25RS
Posted: Oct 24, 2019 at 21:14 Quote
Alrex wrote:
evilazonic666 wrote:
I know this is the opposite direction, but I take time released Ritalin..... Makes riding awesome..... I'm faster, care less and push harder. But because it's an upper not a downer, I react quicker, and therefore wreck less......
I was on something called Vyvance which is also an ADD med

It did all those things mentioned for my riding, but messed me up physically (stomach problems) and mentally in the long run.

Please tell me more about your experience?
My Dr prescribed this to me, mind you i have(had) well documented ADD/ADHD, but ive been so leary about this and Aderall, that i haven't filled the prescriptions.
Ive taken Aderall before recreationally and it was amazing, but the thought of gaining a dependence to it scares the bajeasus out of me..

That being said i also have well documented stomach issues and battle with them constanly.

Im also older at 45 and my physical state isn't so great in the last year or so, my riding has tapered off to near zero with my work schedule (3-4 12s nights per week) and have some pretty serious back issues as well, making riding more and more difficult..

Thanks
flag ethanhagle
Posted: Dec 26, 2019 at 9:37 Quote
I had totally forgotten that I posted this (no pun intended).

It’s nice to look back on life and feel the progression from where I was 5 years ago when I posted this. This could be a short novel by the end of it if I really explained all of the ups and downs along the way of my experience so I’ll share the important parts.

I had been in a really weird place after being diagnosed with Melanoma at the age of 19, had surgery and had another few run-ins with the bullshit in the future, actually just had my 6th instance about 2 months ago. The doctor said some things to me about it being genetic and pretty much being doomed as far as avoidance in the future. Back when I posted this thread I was having a hard time accepting mortality at the fragile age of 21 and I was inept when it came to mental fortitude. I’d be out on rides and my mind would be spinning with negativity and dread.

Eventually after about the 50th panic attack I could recognize these symptoms as they started to build up like a wave of negative emotion clouding my soul. I developed coping mechanisms and strategies to avoid completely going off of the deep end. Most of all I learned that I was poisoning my own mind by backlogging these negative thoughts and making connections or correlations to everyday instances. I had retrained my mind to panic and to fear instead of having a rational thought process about normality.

Once recognizing that this is all something that is spun up by your own worst enemy (the scared voice in your head) you can actually retrain your brain throughout time and create a mental reflex that doesn’t panic and induce fear. If you can create it, you can end it. Once you arm yourself with proper sharp mental tools and actually put them to use, you’re on your way to the winners circle. You might fall short once or twice again, but pretty much you will be able to overcome any false fear in your head. Just like stomping your first drop or your first gap, it gets easier and easier every time you do it.

As far as the medication goes, I would avoid any sort of benzo if possible. That was a great tool for the first few weeks but eventually nature took course and it didn’t have any positive effects after the tolerance threshold. I became dependent on something that barely got me by. It didn’t make me feel clouded, but it sort of flatlined my life for a little over a year, maybe longer.

Cave men didn’t have anxiety meds, and cave men didn’t have therapists. They faced cougars (real fear) head on and figured their problems out the real way. Life isn’t meant to be fair and soft, and the strong and hard people in this world are the only ones who live it to the fullest.
flag shwinn8
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Posted: Dec 26, 2019 at 10:06 Quote
glad to see things are looking up. and don't worry about forgetting, it might be Early Alzheimer's but about a month ago while rinsing my hair after washing I realized I had already washed my hair about 2min prior..
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