Has anyone been diagnosed with hyperventilation syndrome? I have had many years of difficult breathing with the sensation of not getting satisfactory breaths. I'm not sure which one came first but I am anxiety prone which leads to rapid breathing episodes and proably periods of breath holding which I'm not even aware of most of the time.What really interests me the most is what I think I discovered by accident and that was during a routine blood test I had a below normal range of co2. I asked my doctor what that meant and he more or less dismissed it as hyperventilation due to the arousal of taking a blood test. I became curious as to what lowered co2 levels really meant and why he made light and said I would not have symptoms. He knows I have had difficulty with my breathing for many years but he has not recognized how breathing difficulties would lead to greater anxiety levels. I have also been to a pulminary doctor who first thought I had allergies who after many tests came to the conclusion it must be the anxiety. Has anyone had a equal problem with their breathing which lead them to explore the possibility that it might be whats called Hyperventilation syndrome. I did a little research on HVS and they spoke of low co2 levels and how years of stress could cause improper breathing and a long list of symptoms which can be cuased by chrionic low levels of co2. I for one had severe fatigue and many muscular problems which got them to diagnose me with fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue. My search on hyperventilation+syndrome got me to question what might be the cause of long periods of difficulty breathing. Any insights would be appreciated.

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Hi Couger - I had that also, but mine was caused by asthma, which I was diagnosed with last year. Needless to say, the inability to breathe correctly and feeling like I was suffocating not only caused me to develop CHS but also panic attacks and high anxiety. My breathing patterns were all over the map. My pulmonologist put me on Xanax for awhile to stop the panic attacks and treat the anxiety, and I also did breathing exercises to retrain myself to breathe correctly. I've been fine every since.

How are you doing now?

[This message has been edited by kellie2 (edited 06-15-2003).]

I also just became aware of the hyperventilation syndrome. I'm having shortness of breath and the doctor put me on asthma medication 3 weeks ago (I tested positive for asthma). But I don't have asthma "attacks", just this constant feeling of not being able to breathe deeply enough. This medicine has not made any difference in my breathing. Now I'm getting anxious, and I'm sure the anxiety isn't helping matters. I read about hyperventilation syndrome on the internet and found mention of a good book by Susan Bradley called "Hyperventilation Syndrome." It is in its third printing and apparently the new revised edition has some self-help exercises, etc. I ordered it and haven't gotten it yet. If you are interested, Amazon.com has a copy for $8.99 plus $3.49 shipping. It might be worth your while to read it. Half.com has a copy for $1.99, but I believe it is the first printing and I wanted the newer edition with self-help exercises.

You may want to read the posts in this forum under the topic "Air Hunger" started by Johnl1. Many people, myself included, have had similar breathing problems on and off for years, with various diagnoses or unknown causes (which usually lead doctors to assume it's anxiety). It was comforting to at least know that many others have the same problem and don't know the true cause of their "air hunger" either. My husband is hoping we can find a doctor who will think "outside the box" enough to figure out what is causing me to feel as though I can't get enough air when I breathe normally.

Thanks for your replies and much more for letting me know I'm not alone when it comes to what I believe is directly linked to what may be thought of as just a bad habit of improper breathing. I've tried to find someone who could relate to "hypertventiating syndrome" but my shouts have generally fallen on deaf ears. By doing a search on HVS I came across a doctor out of Russia whose name is Buteyko. He researched the effects of improper breathing and how this has far reaching negative results on the health of many individuals. His followers can also be found at yahoo groups under Buteyko + breathing. On contacting a Buteyko practictioner the first thing I was told was to breath through the nose and keep the mouth shut as much as possible. From that day on I concentrate on not breathing in with my mouth open and breathing out but also keeping my mouth closed. This was very difficult in the beginning but I was determined to try this anyway. I also concentrated on slowing down on the number of breaths I took per minute doing reduced breathing exercises for 5-10 minutes twice a day. I thank you again for for those who replied. Its nice to know your not alone. I wish more people in this group would find the time or look into the HVS problem it sure seems it would simplify what doctors are good at making complicated.

I wanted to give a follow-up post about the book I ordered. "Hyperventilation Syndrome" by Dinah Bradley. I received it yesterday and have read more than half. It is a small paperback with cute pictures, etc. so it doesn't take long to read. The biggest thing I have figured out so far is that I have been breathing wrong. When I feel I can't breathe enough air (air hunger) I am taking deep gasping breaths, really pulling on my chest muscles. My chest is really sore and I think it's from this hard breathing. I also think I have been taking breaths that are too SLOW, believe it or not. She gives a specific breathing exercise to do to train yourself to breath through the mouth and into your belly, rather than breathing high into the chest. You do these several times a day to try to train your brain to breathe correctly again. Apparently normal breathing is 10-12 breaths per minute, which is roughly one breath every 5-6 seconds. And you have to RESIST that urge to take a huge gulping breath.

I have been feeling short of breath for several months and been diagnosed with asthma. I've been taking the cortizone inhaler and bronchodilator inhaler for 3 weeks and don't feel much different. I went back to the doctor yesterday (different doctor in the same office because the first doctor scared me) and she spoke very calmly about my tests and asthma. She assured me that I am getting enough air when I breathe. I also have an anxiety problem and we discussed that. She said it would take too long to explain, but research has been done showing that people with asthma often have anxiety problems. Not FROM the asthma, but in addition to the asthma. And it's a good idea to get the anxiety under control, because that will help your asthma.

I noticed that other people who wrote on this thread mentioned that their breathing tests are normal, they just feel "air hunger". So it's good to know you're getting enough air, etc. Then you can move on from there and see what you can do to help yourself. No magic pill. But I think these exercises can help. She only gives the one exercise in the book. From what I read (in this book and elsewhere), you can actually go to physical therapists to have breathing re-training. They just give you different breathing exercises to do.

Breathing is supposed to be an automatic thing; you aren't supposed to have to consciously think about taking every breath. We can get into a habit of breathing incorrectly. We try to override that automatic breathing thing in the brain. But we can re-train ourselves to breathe right.

I'm very excited about this, and I'm going to try to find other exercises. If I can't find it on the net or in a book, maybe I'll find a physical therapist and go to a few sessions. If anybody has any leads on other exercises, I'd appreciate knowing about them.

If you order this book, make sure to get the 3rd revised edition because she added some more information including the exercises. I think I spent less than $11, which is less than one doctor visit co-pay, and well worth the money!

When I had my breathing tests done, the therapist said that it is normal to "sigh" every once in a while. EVERYBODY does that. Every once in a while, you take a deep slow breath, or yawn, to pull in extra air. But it isn't normal to do this all the time and keep telling your brain you're not getting enough air.

From reading the air hunger thread and searching HVS and Buteyko breathing exercises on the net, I am beginning to think that my symptoms are a disordered breathing response to underlying anxiety, (and/or other physical/emotional vulnerabilities), that have become a patterned response and is hard to break. Having had asthma all my life, it would make sense that breathing is problematic for me, even though these particular symptoms, (sighing, yawning, feeling chest pressure and heaviness), are not asthmatic.

I plan to get the book discussed above. I have also increased the amount of buspar (anti-anxiety med) I am taking. My doc is running a thyroid test, as hyperthyroidism can cause anxiety.

I have contacted a buteyko breathing instructor, who will get back to me, (www.buteyko-usa.com). The other thing that might be helpful is cognitive-behavioral therapy. Such treatment can help you to stop obsessing about the condition, re-train your thinking as well as your breathing. I have noticed that the less I think about this, the less it bothers me, also the more I do it, the more I have to do it.

I appreciate everyone's posts.

I read the Hyperventilation Syndrome book, and while I do recognize that I have a disordered breathing pattern, it did not answer all my questions. My primary symptom is "air hunger" which manifests as an uncomfortable feeling of pressure in my chest that can only be relieved by sighing and yawning.

Sighing and yawning are mentioned in the book as symptoms, but I have none of the other symptoms of hyperventilation. No dizzyness, no tingling, no fast breathing, (my rate of breathing is normal - 12 breaths per minute), no panic attacks. And what is it that causes the feeling of pressure in my chest? (That feeling/symptom is not mentioned in the book).

I do think that my oxygyn/co2 levels are off, due to all the sighing and yawning -- and it does feel like I am stuck in a disordered breathing cycle. Maybe I should have my blood gasses checked.

So, I will try the breathing exercises, continue the anti-anxiety medication, (possibly add an anti-depressant), and try to stay hopeful that my breathing will eventually normalize.

Does anyone ever find it helpful to breathe into a paper bag?

Regina, did you read the newest version of the book? It is called "Self-help for Hyperventilation Syndrome." She talks about how we basically screw up our body's natural breathing rhythm and teaches how to get it back to normal. She mentions the "air hunger" thing.

Here is an excerpt, "Your body will play all sorts of tricks to start you over-breathing again. The urge to sigh, yawn, or gulp air will seem overwhelming at times, and very uncomfortable at first. Remember, this is a sign of progress: your respiratory centers are frantically trying to make you hyperventilate again. With regular and determined practice, your respiratory centers will adjust to accept a balanced PH and normal ventilation. To resist the urge to overbreath, try swallowing hard and continue breathing low and slow."

I have been trying to do just as she says. When I find myself starting to take those deep (unsatisfactory) breaths, I just stop and try to breathe like she teaches in the exercises. I try hard NOT to breathe incorrectly, and just ignore my brain screaming at me.

A lady who has emphysema told me her doctor suggested yoga and she feels it really helps. So I've started a yoga class and have been twice. Today I asked the teacher if she of any good books about breathing or hyperventilating. She suggested one and I went right to the library and got a copy. I've just started reading it, and I can tell I'm going to get a lot out of it. The cover says, "...refreshingly simple and practical guide to reestablishing proper breathing techniques that will dramatically improve your physical and mental health." This book is by Donna Farhi.

I think it is very hard to accept that anxiety and our own brains are causing us to breathe incorrectly. And then the improper breathing causes more anxiety! But it's interesting to read how many people on this board have the same problem and no doctors can give an answer. No pill to take to make it go away. So I figure it's worth a try to do what these therapists are suggesting in these books.

Another important read on the subject of how improper breathing effects ones health is the Oxygen Breakthrough "30 days to illness-free life" by Sheldon Hendler. In chapter ten he writes about proper breathing and states its the single most important thing you can do to improve your health. I absolutly agree with this statement. He emphasizes the importance of getting enought oxygen so that the body cells are properly nourished. The problem I think is that by trying to hard to get a saisfactory breath we overbreath which throws off the o2/co2 balance where to much co2 is released from our lungs and low co2 levels will not allow oxygen to does its proper job. Reduced breathing exercises along with some breath holding and especially breathing through the nose and if possible after some time not exhaling with mouth open will raise co2 levels. I think where all on the right track and hope you find that exercise right for you. Whatever exercise you choose just remember take your time and persevere because it really does work.

Thanks so much for the replies. Yes, I got the newest book and I am giving the breathing exercises a try. The section you quoted plm does make sense to me. ("urge" could be the same as the "pressure" I feel). The thing is, I DO usually breathe properly, in and out thru the nose, expanding the stomach, etc. I don't breathe shallowly or quickly. I am taking only 12 breaths per minute. It's just this need to take a deep over-the-top kind of breath every few minutes that's interfering.

Also, my body does seem to be properly oxygenated because I have NONE of the other symptoms of hyperventilation, (no dizziness, tingling, etc.)
I guess I'm just feeling discouraged and tired. I want there to be a quicker solution. I do think the hyperventilation syndrome concept makes the most sense, even if I don't fit all the criteria.

I really appreciate the support and encouragement.

What's the name of the book by Donna Farhi?

It's me again, checking in. By taking one klonapin every night for 5 nights, I found myself to be virtually symptom-free. It was very liberating and I had a wonderful weekend. Then I skipped a night and by 6 PM the next day, my breathing struggles had returned. It's so frustrating. I go to my doctor again in a week. I'll tell her that the klonapin helps, but the buspar by itself doesn't seem to do much. I know she's going to want to try paxil next.

It's ironic that at a point in my life where I feel mentally and emotionally strong and healthy, I am hit with a syndrome, supposedly caused by anxiety, that has me taking all these drugs.

How are you other hyperventilators faring? Are you taking medication? Are the breathing exercises really helping? I can't say they do much for me.
I still wonder if this really is an anxiety-induced condition.

Hi Regina
Be careful when taking the benzo drugs they are very habit forming. Take it from me I took it for years and had horrific withdrawal feelings. They should only be taken for short periods( no more than two weeks). As Dinah Bradley says she could see taking antidepressants if there is anxiety or depression. If you can come to the conclusion that you are suffering from HVS it most proably is from some type of anxiety or underlining stress you are not conciously aware of. If you react to stress in such a way that your breathing habit has become reinforced over years you must now reverse that habit. What I think you must accept is that habits are difficult to brake and take alot of relearning. I would suggest you don't set yourself for failure by looking for immediate results. That will only discourage you. You first must accept this condition and accept that it will take some time for breathing to return to normal. Don't rush things. The more you stress over how long it takes to reverse breathing patterns the harder you make it on yourself.If you can convince yourself that your breathing is a major part of your problem and allow yourself time to heal this process will take its course. I would not put any time limits on success and trust that breathing properly and religiously practicing your breathing you will see great results. Try to look into the part about exercising for ten minutes three times a day while praticing reduced breathing as a very effective way of bringing up co2 levels. Just remember to breath through your nose as mush as possible if not all the time. It works. Trust me.

Hi--Please be careful with the tranquilizers. Unless you continuously "up" your dose they will STOP helping relieve anxiety and will CAUSE it instead. I just tapered myself off of Lorazepam, I had taken it twice a day for 3 years, but my anxiety (and hyperventilating pattern of breathing)started getting worse this last year or longer. If you don't take MORE, tranquilizers only work for around 4 months at the most--after that you're just poisoning your body. You can get addicted to them in as short a time as 2 weeks. Long-term tranquilizer addiction can cause increased anxiety, muscle pain and weakness, shortness of breath, lack of energy, suppressed immune system, excess lung secretions (causing bronchitis and other lung/breathing problems), blurred vision, pressure in the ears, and many many other problems. The doctors are now saying anti-depressants are the "miricle pill" but the Internet describes the long-term side effects of them to be just as damaging as tranquilizer addiction. Both tranquilizers AND anti-depressants must be tapered off of; abruptly stopping them can cause seizures, extreme anxiety and a host of other withdrawal symptoms.

Okay - I understand the cautions. But I also want to point out that if you use these drugs for a specific reason, under a doctors care, together with non-drug therapies - they can be helpful. Right now I am tapering off buspar, which didn't seem to help my breathing, and starting on paxil. I am also using klonapin, as needed, which is the only thing so far that has actually helped to normalize my breathing. I am very aware of the risks and I use the klonapin sparingly - taking 1/2 a pill to a whole pill every other night or so to try and keep the breathing stable.

I have tried acupuncture, and herbs with no results. I have read books and continue to try and do breathing exercises, but i have to admitt that they seem to provide minimal help. I have good breathing days and bad breathing days, but little control over when it's good and when it's bad.

At my doctor's suggestion, I may consult a cognitive-behavioral psychologist and may try bio-feedback in order to deal with the underlying stress/anxiety disorder that this dysfunctional breathing seems to come from. Things were really going fine until this breathing disorder kicked in 3 months ago - I was not aware of any underlying anxiety disorder, so it's really frustrating and scary.

For those who are recommending NOT using drugs - what is helping you with your anxiety/hyperventilation/breathing disorder??

Hi regina - Please don't feel guility about anything you use under a doctor's care. If it helps you, use it. It's too easy for others to tell you not to use something when they don't have the problem. Yes, some of it's addictive, but deal with one problem at a time. Take care of the breathing for now and don't start worrying about what may happen 4 months down the road. Antidepressants have their down-side too, but are we really going to worry about a person becoming 'addicted' to them when they're suicidal without it? Understand what I'm saying? You do what you need to do to get better, and you don't need someone dumping a pile of guilt on top of everything else. You'll get better, really you will, whether it's with breathing exercises, biofeedback, or a pill. But worry about YOU, ok? And if taking that pill makes your symptoms go away, then by all means take it until you and your doctor can find out what's causing it and take care of it.

You take care....

Thanks Kellie!!

Kellie,

I have had this problem for 4 years now, it started during a very stressful internship. Back then it was absolutely terrible, I couldn't breathe at all. Once the internship finished it got much much better. So, I then realized it was psychological. I have seen many doctors and they all tell me it is anxiety. They have not been able to help me at all, I have been on several SSRI's and no relief.

The fact that it's "in my head" makes it worse! How can I stop it then? It seems as if I am totally trapped and doomed to be like this forever. Sometimes when I am with friends or very busy or very happy it just goes away entirely! Once I realize that it's gone, it comes right back again. It's so awful, how can I stop it? I read one of your earlier posts about the breathing exercises, I got a book by Dinah Bradley that talks about breathing with your stomach. I tried it a couple times but I feel like yawning. I can't tell if it's helping or actually doing anything? What do I do? I just want to know what I am supposed to do when it gets really bad, I need to know how to stop it.

I don't want this to last forever, it's hard for me to just enjoy life. I constantly have to yawn or take a deep breath to feel like I am not suffocating!! Oh man it's so awful. I have some hope that if I could just get myself to stop thinking about it then it would go away. I just need to figure out how.

If anyone could help me I would be very grateful. I am really suffering from this problem, it makes me miserable. Kellie, thank you for your posts they have given me some hope. If you could help me out further it would be most appreciated. Thanks again!!

k

Regina

I have the EXACT same problem you do. I have the book by Dinah Bradley, and I only have the yawning/sighing problem. I have had it for 4 years now, and like you said I have good days and bad days. Lately for the first time it has been getting better though. I have recognized that it is totally psychological. You have to understand that you can't fix it by thinking too hard about it. It's very hard to do, and I am still struggling with it. The less I think about it, the better it gets -- again, it's VERY hard to not think about it. But, when it happens tell yourself "I can't stop it, let it go" ... It will improve at that point.

I just want to know what I am supposed to do when I feel like I have to yawn. Is it better to deny myself that satisfying breath? I don't know, this is what I am trying to figure out.

I am 24 and I also feel like this is the prime of my life, some days I get extremely depressed and upset about it and I don't know what to do. I feel I am missing out on the very simple pleasures of life like relaxing with a book and not having to think about every breath. I have been to many doctors and I can't seem to get much relief. I really hope someone finds a sure fire way to just stop this damn problem. Please keep me posted on your problem, Regina, I would like to know if you get better. Also, if you need any advice or help just let me know. I have been through 4 years of this. I really hope you get better sweetie.

k

Khromman,

I have posted a couple of times on the air hunger thread, so if you get a chance you may want to look through those posts. But, I'll try to tell you what has helped me. I've had occasional hyperventilation and episodes of severe air hunger on and off since I was a young teenager (I'm now in my forties). The periods of air hunger have lasted from days to months, and disappeared for weeks or months at a time too. Sometimes it was only noticeable to others, sometimes it would be a minor inconvenience for me, sometimes it would be bothersome for me, and sometimes it would interfere with my daily life. I was an elite athlete from childhood into my twenties and though I no longer participate in a sport, I walk a mile or two five times a week and am not overweight. As most others with this condition, its never a problem during sleep, nor has it ever awakened me at night. Also, when I'm not thinking about it or am very involved in something else it's not noticeable. I've had most of the tests to check for lung problems, allergies (which I do have), asthma, etc. Nothing was significant. Several doctors said it's probably anxiety induced. I tried Zoloft which didn't help my breathing and currently take Lexapro. I have no depression and no ******d signs or feelings of anxiety. I do get severe mood-affected PMS that's directly related to my cycle--that's why I take the Lexapro. About 3 months ago my air hunger was about the worst it had ever been. At that time, I came across a thread on this board that talked about reconditioning yourself to breathe. I decided to first see what would happen if I FORCED myself to breathe normally through my nose. I did it for five minutes, and though I consciously felt as though I was holding my breath I didn't pass out or anything so I was obviously getting sufficient oxygen and didn't NEED the deep breaths or yawning. So, I spent the next week working VERY hard at breathing only through my nose; if I felt the tremendous need to take a deep breath I did it with my mouth closed. If I felt the need to yawn for breath I did that with my mouth closed too. Understand, it was extremely difficult to breathe "normally" and it took constant thinking and effort, but I did it. After several weeks, the cycle of air hunger was broken. About a month later, I felt the feeling return. Instead of giving into it, I consciously breathed through my nose. I do this whenever I feel the need for the deep breaths. It has been 3-4 months, and though I sometimes feel the air hunger, I use nose breathing right away; I don't give into it and seem to be able to keep the cycle from really starting and becoming problematic. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Just started to read this post and wanted to let everyone know that some psychologists specialize in breathing exercises and biofeedback (I know the one I see for my chronic, severe asthma does). You can also talk to a speech therapist. Their job is to retrain the brain to breathe normally. They help people who suffer with VCD, but I'm sure could help with this as well.

Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder in July. The doc said the reason I was dizzy and lightheaded all the time is because I was hyperventilating. I have been on paxil for 4 months and I am still dizzy/lightheaded and spaced out. What does not make any sence at all to me is that all of you are hyperventilating and none of you are dizzy. I know I was misdiagnosed, 99.9% of everyone given the anxiety diagnosis is. I do believe I hyperventilate as I frequently :yawn: and sigh. I just dont see 24/7 lightheaded/spaced out feelings being caused by hyperventilating, if they were all of you would be feeling this to. To all doctors that give anxiety disorder diagnosis :nono: It is just a symptom of something that may be serious. I have run out of money trying to get this figured out I have made 16 trips in all. That is 8 hours in waiting rooms and 45 min with the doc.

Sorry I had to vent.

Derek

Cougar, like many replying to you I have had this problem for years and went from doctor to doctor. While doing this I found out I had Lyme disease and one of the symptoms was air hunger. I have been treating myself for lyme but it has not solved the breathing problem. I have spent a small fortune trying everything to get over this and like many others Xanex helps but does not stop it from happening. It just makes it easier to deal with it, but I use them sparingly. I also read the book by Dinah Bradley which helped. Just knowing that there was a name for this helped. I want to let you all know about a couple things that I have just started doing that actually seem to help. One is trying to become more conscience of my breathing. I think I also stop my breathing before I realize it. I also am working on nose breathing which others also have mentioned.

Here are a couple things though that I have not seen anyone else mention. I do not work for either of these places, I just happened upon them and bought their products. One is www.breathing.com This guy is a breathing genus. I bought his video and most important his strap. It is like a long seat belt that you wrap around your body and breath into. It strengthens what needs to be strengthened and helps to rebalance your autonomic nervous system. His video also has a lot of great advise.

Second is this crazy little gadget I saw in a health magazine called the power lung. It is around $50 and you breathe into and exhale though it. It has adjustments so as your lungs get stronger you can make it harder. It is buliding up your lungs. You can see this at
www.powerlung.com I have only had it for a few days, but I love it. Let me know if this helps anyone.

Steve

Hi again,
I have a question for everyone.
The first test I had run was a CBC. Everything checked out. I have heard that oxygen levels are checked in every CBC is this true, if so would they not be able to tell if I was hyperventilating from the oxygen levels. If I were hyperventilating enough to cause lightheadedness would'nt my levels be very low.

Thank You,

Derek

WOW!!! I'm sure glad to find this site. Like so many of you I really thought I was alone in this. I thought for a while there I was going to lose my mind. I was so bad that I wound up in the Emergeny Room twice - I felt like I couldn't get those deep breaths. They sent me home and said it was anxiety. From there it was doctor to doctor - test after test. It took months before I finally started to believe that there wasn't something physically wrong with me. I think I started to realize that after I was able to manipulate how I was breathing. For a while no one could convince me that nothing was physically wrong. So now I'm trying to deal with this. I have the constant yawning and sighing - probably every few minutes. It's very annoying. All the advice on here is great. I'm going to try the nose breathing and get some of the books too. Thank you to everyone for sharing. It's at least helpful to know that there is a name for this. I would love to communicate with others about this :)

No, Oxygen levels are not checked in CBC but some tests in the CBC's will show that your red cells are extra large and others will be a little off due to trying to move the O2 in the blood stream so there can be some irregularity if someone has emphysema or something like that. Don't think it would show anything for a transient problem. O2 levels can only be checked by oximeter(finger tip instrument) which they do in ER or Drs. office or by Arterial Blood Gas where they take blood out of an artery. This is usually only done at hospital by special people sa it must be handled immediately for results. A regular vein blood draw won't show too much about O2 except as I noted in the beginning.

It's me again, checking in. By taking one klonapin every night for 5 nights, I found myself to be virtually symptom-free. It was very liberating and I had a wonderful weekend. Then I skipped a night and by 6 PM the next day, my breathing struggles had returned. It's so frustrating. I go to my doctor again in a week. I'll tell her that the klonapin helps, but the buspar by itself doesn't seem to do much. I know she's going to want to try paxil next.

It's ironic that at a point in my life where I feel mentally and emotionally strong and healthy, I am hit with a syndrome, supposedly caused by anxiety, that has me taking all these drugs.

How are you other hyperventilators faring? Are you taking medication? Are the breathing exercises really helping? I can't say they do much for me.
I still wonder if this really is an anxiety-induced condition.

I too wonder if it is really anxiety induced. I am not an anxious person. MY HVS came on rapidly this last spring. I wonder if it can also be caused by Sinus congestion (stuffy nose so one forces or snorts through the nose having a vacuum effect on your body) or from a viral infection.

Has any one noticed chronic muscle (maybe diaphragm) pain under the rib cage that feels like a strain due to HVS (the pain seems to be chronic)? When I am congested, I sniff hard, which acentuates the diaphragm strain and continues the HVS?????

sometimes I would hyperventilate and have done so for years. the first time I did it I was about 12 years old, I thought I was having a heart attack and prayed to god don't let me die!!

every since then I got used to it. sometimes I would have trouble when trying to relax to sleep of turning over the breathing to my automatic part of the brain. After I concentrated on just not forcing the breathing and letting the air drain out of my lungs and wait about a half of minute or so until the urge to breath returns strongly. It helps to know that my anxiety about it just makes it worse I would just wait it out. experience tends to ease anxiety when you realize it won't last long helps alot.

But the past couple of years I had trouble breathing well during exercise, during rest I did notice that sometimes I had to breath in deep to feel like I am getting enough air, but generally only lasts a minute, but during exercise I would huff and puff so hard just walking I would get muscle cramps. I guess I just got used to it, until the desire to sit to catch breath started to happen, and severe muscle cramps, then I went to my doctor and told him about it and he started me on advair (I had severeal bouts too over the last two years of bronchitis and I never smoked a day in my life) and what a difference.

I can take deep breaths, I feel comfortable, can exercise like crazy now and not feel like I have to sit down to catch breath every 2 minutes, now I can go about 20 minutes or so of brisk walking with some jogging before I need to sit to catch breath and then move on and repeat. We went to two zoos this week and I was able to do all that walking (the only thing that eventually stopped me was my legs on on one day were hurting very badly) and the next zoo we walked four hours and the only reason I had to quit was fatigue. Had I not been on advair I would of never made it half the time without fatigue and breathlessness being a severe problem.

By the way I don't have asthma, since I have never had attacks or anything, but my doc thinks copd. But some of the causes and symptoms of asthma and copd are very close and may perciptiate each other.

RR

With COPD you will HYPOventilate. They feel the same but the treatment is different. One you have too much carbon dioxide in you lungs and one you have too much oxygen. You breathe into a bag if you are HYPERventilating as you want the CO2 in your system. YOU DO NOT want to do with if you are HYPOventilating. Be sure you know the difference as they feel like one and the same.

Hi everyone, just discovered this week after seeing a specialist that the severe breathing discomfort Ive had for 2 months is Hyperventilation Syndrome. Great to know Im not alone and found these posts really helpful. a few points to make...

1. The symptoms have been described at great length but nobody (including my specialist) has really addressed the cause - i.e what makes the breathing go wrong in the first place, why does it come out of the blue. My guy said something about residual mucus covering sensory organs. People say anxiety but why does anxiety=irregular breathing?????very curious

2. Does exercise help? Although i sometimes cramp up easier than i used to, sometimes exercise can make me feel better. Anyone else found that???

3. Is there any value in using an Asthma inhaler or does this just make things worse. Am definitley not an Asthma sufferer.

4. Mixed reviews re the breathing exercises, am determined to give them a try but little depressed about the absence of a definitive cure. Anyone else got any recent suggestions??????

Thanks all for you rhelp and reassurance.Roddy

Hi everyone, just discovered this week after seeing a specialist that the severe breathing discomfort Ive had for 2 months is Hyperventilation Syndrome. Great to know Im not alone and found these posts really helpful. a few points to make...

1. The symptoms have been described at great length but nobody (including my specialist) has really addressed the cause - i.e what makes the breathing go wrong in the first place, why does it come out of the blue. My guy said something about residual mucus covering sensory organs. People say anxiety but why does anxiety=irregular breathing?????very curious

2. Does exercise help? Although i sometimes cramp up easier than i used to, sometimes exercise can make me feel better. Anyone else found that???

3. Is there any value in using an Asthma inhaler or does this just make things worse. Am definitley not an Asthma sufferer.

4. Mixed reviews re the breathing exercises, am determined to give them a try but little depressed about the absence of a definitive cure. Anyone else got any recent suggestions??????

Thanks all for you rhelp and reassurance.Roddy

I Have Been Dealing With This For 4 Years Also. It Started Out Of The Blue After I Had Some Surgery And Never Went Away. I Have A N Apointment With A Lung Doctor On The 16 Just To Rule That Out But I Really Think Its Hyperventaltion Syndrome Of Some Sort. Its Horrible And It Is Very Depressing. We Need To Find A Cure Because There Are To Many Of Us Suffering From This. It Ruins My Life Sometimes. I Guess I Should Have My C02 Checked Also. I Try Not To Take Deep Breaths But Sometimes The Feeling Is Overwelming And I Have To. I Feel Bad For All You Guys That Are Going Through This.

I don't know what happened to my reply so if it is there and I can't find it sorry. Anxiety can cause hyperventilation and constriction of the bronchial tubes so in that respect the inhaler may help on an as need basis. Our breathing is regulated by the central nervous system so anxiety can be a major factor. Many people with lung problems have anxiety which makes it worse. I have never head of residual mucous covering sensory organs and I am pretty well versed in lung disease. It would be terrific if you could get a arterial blood gas done when you are having one of these attacks. That would really tell the story but it would have to be done at that time. it doesn't do any good to do it when everything is fine. Aer you doing the pursed lip breathing when this happens. Breathe in thru nose for 2 counts and out for 4 counts. I personally have never known anyone that had this and it has never come up on the lung forums in the 10 years I have been around them so it is a puzzle to me, too. I wish you luck in finding an answer.

So What Did Your Doctor Say To Do To Fix It?

I can sympathize so much with all of you in this post. I also have this awful constant shortness of breath. What a strange phantom of an illness...if it is one.

To answer one of your question roddy1601, in my personal experience, asthma inhalers and medications have not helped at all. I've taken just about every one, and I don't notice a difference. If anything they usually make me feel worse.

My doctors don't think these are asthma episodes though. After ruling that out, they just want to blame anxiety. I recognize that is definitely a component, or at the very least becomes a component once the symptom presents itself, but I don't think that's the whole of it.

Someone else mentioned they thought it was strange this was striking them at a time when they otherwise felt fine, and I would have to agree with that feeling. Although I do have a tendancy towards anxiety, but this will come on me at times when I'm not feeling terribly stressed. I can think of a couple other times this year when I felt more stressed than I do now, yet here I am feeling bad again. I wonder if any other women in this post (sorry guys) associate this feeling with your period? I have definitely noticed an increased tightness in my chest in the week or couple days before my period starts. It really leads me to believe that hormones play a big role in this.

It's so frustrating that there are so few resources in dealing with this. God bless the doctors for all they're doing to treat asthmatics, but it seems like if you don't fit into that box there's not much they can do for you. I'm thinking of starting yoga to see if that will help me in retraining my breathing patterns. I'd really like to see a specialist that deals with that sort of thing exclusively. From what I read on the web there seem to be a lot of these therapists in the UK and Australia, but not too many in the US.

I sympathize so much with anyone who said this feeling really limits your ability to get out and do things. It scares me when this thing takes hold of how debilitating it is. I try to stay positive but it's hard when it's at the top of my consciousness all the time. We should form some kind of support group and push to get some research and recognition in this area! I would bet there are a lot of other people out there who are just as stumped as we are.

Thanks for the reply. Im also thinking of starting yoga to see if that helps. Has been pretty good the last two weeks but i know another episode can come out of the blue in minutes so not getting too excited by that.

With reference to your point about specialists, i think given the prevalence of this syndrome any respiratory specialist would be familiar with this syndrome so there would be thousands in the US?? To be frank i can save you a couple of hundred bucks though and tell you that they'll say it is hyperventilation syndrome, no real cure other than retraining breathing and in extreme cases cognitive therapy. unless anyone knows better (?) thats about as good as it gets.

Best of luck though, hope you improve. Might start a thread on Facebook or something for sufferers.


Roddy