I've been dealing with breathing problems for about 4 weeks now. I've already seen a doctor and they said I was perfectly fine. I'm starting to wonder if this is something psychological. It's to the point where I feel like I'm going to die if I fall asleep, which in turn makes me not able to sleep. I have another appt with a new doctor next week, but I keep telling my parents I'm not going to make it (and this makes them worried, although they assure me I'm going to be alright). I also asked my pdoc if my current med (which I'm now coming off), Abilify; 15mg -> 10mg, could be causing this problem. Maybe it was too high of a dose for my body to handle. Of course, he said no to me. Now I'm not sure where to turn. They say I'm fine, but I know something is terribly wrong. I don't know what to do. Has anyone else gone through something like this? Where do I go from here?

[Silent_tsol]

hink it's strange that the docs just leave it at "nothing is wrong". That would drive me crazy, most people aren't afraid of going to sleep for fear of stopping breathing.

I could think of two things that might cause it
1) panic attacks trend to have a fear of dying involved and can make you feel like you are unable to breathe
2) asthma attacks put pressure on you're chest giving the feeling that you are unable to breathe. If you are in any of the heat waves going on, they can definitely conjure up some respiratory problems (I was diagnosed with allergy triggered asthma over a decade ago. Threw out the inhaler because it wasn't cool but didn't have any problems until now)

Keep pressing the doctors to look into it. If you have a t, ask about some breathing exercises. Maybe putting your hands on your chest and stomach can work as proof that you are breathing ok because you can feel your hands moving

[yellowted]

did your doc listen to your chest/back? if not thats the first thig you should insist on.
if he did and didn't hear crackling or wheesing, a spirometry test will check for lung capacity, a chest exray will confirm asthma or lung problems like pneumonia ot TB. if all three are ok then it is probably either allergy related or psychological. if it is llergy related you will probably be able to work out by the times it is worst what the allergen is e.g. only in bed will be probably be dust mite poo or the washing agents used on your bedding, if it is only after you have a meal look closer at what you had, there will usually be a common factor.
one other thing to throw in the mix is that if you are health compromised, remember that once you eat, your body sends most of its energy to your stomach to process the food you have eaten, and in some cases this can leave you exhausted and struggling with everything including breathing for a good couple of hours after your meals.
hope you get it sorted soon, good luck x

[Leed]

I had this problem and it was all anxiety. Once they put me on anxiety meds, this quit completely. I felt like I was passing out instead of falling asleep. And I also felt like if I fell asleep, I'd quit breathing. A couple of times I DID forget to breathe and I'd wake up startled and would be panicking. But after the anxiety meds, I was fine. Talk to your doc.

I wish you the best. God bless & take care. Hugs, Lee