Panic Attacks
 

This is an old thread that I pulled up because I am experiencing more. Thought it may help to get some fresh dialoge. :(

I used to suffer from Panic Attacks and they went away. Until suddenly in the last couple of weeks they have come back with a vengence.
We are talking full blown panic. Trembling from top to bottom, heart pounding so bad it feels like it is going to jump out of my chest, elevated blood pressure, body tingling, room spinning, vomiting, can't concentrate, the works.
There is no rhyme or reason to them. They blindside me out of the middle of nowhere. No triggers that I am aware of.
Me being someone who "has it together" this can be very frustrating.

Have you ever suffered from Panic Attacks? Even mild ones?
Do they stop your world? What do you do for them?

I have them when I am working in a way I don't want to work, or doing/saying/defending something I don't believe in. My entire body tries to rid me of things I do that are against my nature.

Angel! I know exactly what your talking about...I started experiencing attacks like a year ago. The best thing to do for me is get away from people, get some fresh air...concentrate on my breathing. I SO feel what your talking about...check your diet, have you been consuming more caffeine than usual? Different sleeping patterns? For starters, I've found it helps to know that I'm not the only one getting them....Being an otherwise physically and mentally healthy person...(we'll save the jokes for another thread)...

Mild ones. Saw a shrink. Taking Celexa. World of difference. Now I can even go to bars, museums, etc. (any place w/crowds of people) and not feel like throwing up, running for the door, etc. There's no shame in asking for help (or so they tell me). Living in fear is a horrible way to spend your time. Hope this helps.

Edit: Oops! Checked the bottle, it's Lexapro. Switched from Celexa about 3 months ago 'cause it was making me too sleepy during the day.

I had a very mild one once, when I was at work. I had this feeling that I "had to get out of there." I got increasingly anxious, my heart rate increased, and I couldn't focus at all. I took my break, went outside, and sat there till the feeling subsided. Nothing that I'm aware of triggered it, and its never happened again.

However, one of my friends this year at school had a major panic attack/attacks, and she left partway through the semester. One day she was there, the next she had disappeared. I was the only one who had a class with her, and I just assumed that she was sick that day. I meant to call and see what was up, but didn't until later. Obviously, nobody was there. Still, we all just assumed that she was just not there when we called. It took a few days for us to find out what had actually happened. That was a few weeks into the second semester, and she still has trouble dealing with more than a few people. Last thing I heard was she was doing better and would be coming back next year, but that was a while ago. Its really frustrating... one of us is able to contact her every once in a while, but generally we don't really know what's happening. What exactly happened, we don't know, but it involved panic attacks, and it definitely stopped her world, as it was.

I used to suffer from terrible panic attacks--my mind would race, my heart would race, and my body would freeze up while I started to hyperventilate--but then I started taking anti-depressants(for depression), and they went away.

I still have problems with anxiety--stomach issues, tension headaches, etc.--but the medication did get rid of my actual attacks. Perhaps that's something to look into--I know there are medications designed specifically for anxiety. Otherwise, I would definitely look into alternative therapies. Kava kava is a great herb for stress/tension/anxiety that promotes a sense of well-being. It might be worth a try. (Don't take kava if you drink on a daily basis--it, like acetaminophen, can cause liver damage when taken in the same period of time as alcohol.)

Meditation might also help, as well as biofeedback. With biofeedback you learn to control your body's responses so that when you do stress out, you can focus on what's going on and tell your body to stop it.

Started taking that this last Thursday. Along with Alprazolam to take at the onset of one. I hate taking any kind of drugs so hopefully the Lexapro will kick in soon and I won't have to take the other.

Nice to know we aren't alone....:confused:

I get night terrors sometimes, where you wake up suddenly with that exact feeling of horror, heart pounding, adrenaline pumping, throbbing at the back of your neck fear, with no explanation. It happens maybe once every three months. I'm used to it and I read about it online, there's nothing wrong, it's a normal thing unless it happens constantly. It is still weird though even when you are fully aware of it and all you can do is wait it out.

My mother had them extremely bad, to the point of taking xanthax (msp?) when they would come on. I tried to get her to take Tai Chi and she thought that was too hard. She went to yoga and has been taking Chi Gung (internal martial arts- breathing and meditation) she doenst have the attacks anymore or take anything. You say they come on out of nowhere do they happen more during the day by any chance?

Take this for what its worth. Night terrors can be the prelude to an out-of-body experience.

The feeling of leaving your body is so unnatural as to be terrifying. If you can get past that initial shock, you may have an amazing experience.

I'm in the middle of a giant panic attack.


About 22 years now.

asdf

Angel, don't these things normally have some sort of trigger? AFAIK, they do (but i don't know much)... Anyway, as opposed to taking medication, it might be worthwhile to strictly test any new food/item/exercise/route/whatever that you've taken up recently.

Sit down, take out a pen and paper, and write down _anything_ new that you've started doing recently that either you used to do, or are doing out of the blue. Ask your friends out for help. Once you've got the list, try eliminating one thing, whilst still maintaining everything else for a few days. If that doesnt stop them, restart doing whatever you stopped, and try eliminating another thing, etc.

That method could be a problem with an obscure trigger... can the be obscure?(such as eating yogurt, then getting into a car) or are they specific? (such as many people close to you?)

Hopefully they are specific, so hence should be easier to detect and stop.

I used to suffer from panic attacks too... although a much more tamer version. Mine was a fear of a bridge falling down while i was on it, which meant that i used to freak if i had to go over a bridge. I stopped it by walking over the harbour bridge and back again. It was a very long and scary trip, but by halfway through the return trip, i realised that if the bridge was going to fall, it would have already, and now the fear and associated panic attacks are no longer there =).

I also suffer from panic attacks and they can be terrible. I was having about 4 or 5 a week so I went on Zoloft about 3 years ago. I tried to go off the Zoloft once and they came back even worse, so I think I will be on it for a lifetime now.
My Doctor warned me that I might have to be on it forever but some people can go on it for 6 months and it cures them, unfortunately I was not one of them.
I hope that helped you a little, talk to your Doctor.

sounds like situational anxiety...see a doctor...

luckily i've never experienced the same. My wife however has had panic attacks to the extent that she thought she was having a heart attack and had to go to the emergency department.

better zoloft for a lifetime, then for you to have to suffer through those attacks. No one deserves that. Especially not you.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH MEDICATION YOU NEED!

Sorry for the shout, but it's true. If you had diabetes or a thyroid condition would you kvetch about your medication? Of course not. The brain is just another organ and it can suffer chemical imbalances that require treatment.

I've been on zoloft and effexor when I've been clinically depressed and I'll do so again if necessary. (Counciling is also an important treatment here, folks...)

angel: if you ever worry about 'being weak" or what not..... the only true weakness we have is to hold onto false pride. real people seek help, ok?

i'm on Zoloft. sometimes i fucking loathe it, but it's helped tremendously since 2000. i had been in ICU for a few weeks and i'd pass out or just get a case of the shakes. most of the time without knowing _why_.

if we knew why they hit us, we'd be able to avoid em. my biggest theory is to write anything you can think of that may be objectional. it can be a major thing to a keyword to a fell tiped pin. our mind doesn't forget anything.

i had to get help. i've had an oddly fucked up life and now realize the weak are those who ignore help because they are cowards who will not face reality.

get help and get better.

Mine are susually mild, like when i go into a grocery store or another public place where i don't know who is inside. It used to be bad, even going to school adn such missed 2 years of hs because of it.

Angel find a good doctor and find which med works best for you, the problem I had with some meds were the side effects because I also take drugs for my manic depression. Good luck, keep us updated on how it's going if you feel like sharing

angel: dudette remember, also, that you may NOT need medications.

please, guys, never just get in the pill line.

Angel years ago I went through this and I know many many more people who have as well.

Stress is the number one factor. Somewhere there is a "stresser" in your life. Something is causing it. It is not just a random thing that can surface without the help of something else.

I am here for ya girl, whatever you need, whenever you need it:)

I used to get pretty severe panic attacks. I found that exposing myself to situations that caused me to panic, then using rational thinking to help calm myself to be effective. Minor amounts of alcohol can also help calm one, but I wouldn't suggest to excess at all. I used to smoke pot to induce panic attacks when in the public and that was also useful in helping me to see how ridiculous my panics were. I wouldn't hesitate to take a benzodiazepine like Xanax or Ativan to help calm myself, but I would be weary of SSRI, TCAs and other exotic drugs of those type for habituation, withdrawal, slow onset of antidepressant effect, unknown mechanism for clinical effects, side-effects and neurotoxicity concerns. Supplements such as DLPA and 5-HTP can help greatly with anxiety. Check out www.feelinggood.com. "Feeling Good" is a book written by David D. Burns, M.D. on the cognitive approach to therapy and contains excellent rational thinking techniques problems relating to depression and anxiety.

Good luck man.

Whoops, hehe, I didn't realize you are a girl. Anyway, good luck, girl/ma'am/dudette!

Wow! I wasn't expecting such a response! Much of what has been said, I am doing. I am under my doctors care and I am not too proud to seek help. Frustrated yes. I pin pointed one trigger today and that is a start.
Thanks to everyone for their support! :D

I have panic attacks. It always happens in the worst places but the Dr doesn't think they are bad enough to warrent any help. Thing is they always hit me in the car. I'm glad I don't drive much but even if I'm in the passenger seat they'll still hit me. It's all related to a serious accident that Hubby was in a year and a half ago. I hadn't learned about it before I got to the site of the accident. Right before I got there an ambulance passed me going my way and then very soon after going the other way to the hospital. Now if an ambulance with it's siren going is anywhere near me when I'm driving, riding, or even just walking I freeze. When it happens I'm shaking, heart racing, frozen, and I get flashbacks and even nausea. Freezing like that is never good when you are driving either. I was on the phone just today and heard in the background an ambulance going by where the other person was. That even got me a little bit. I was out of breath, heart racing, and shaking. It has gotten worse over time not better either. If it gets much worse I will have to see a different Dr. I don't know much about night terrors but I have a close family member who I believe has them. Instead of sleep walking it's a lot like sleep fighting. Someone else touching them as they are falling asleep can trigger them and I have even gotten a black eye from it. They don't even remember it at all once they wake up.

I started having panic attacks about three years ago. It was horrible. In seemingly benign situations, like being right here on the computer, I would start freaking out. The symptoms are the same as many people have mentioned: dizziness, nausea, heart pounding, troubling swallowing, it goes on and on. At first my doctor thought that I had really bad migraines, which I have mild cases of. Instead, he put me on Paxil, and after 3 years on Paxil, I have only suffered a couple very minor attacks. Paxil has helped me tremendously. Unfortunately, the side effects are real, and I have gained about 75 pounds, I am always constipated, and get tired easily. Those side effects are a small price to pay though.

Of those of you who have had panic attacks, and take medication for it, what have you found to be the best medications? Paxil is nice, but I am not supposed to drink alcohol (I still drink anyways), and the side effects kind of suck.

Looks like alot of good ideas, I had panic attacks, my doc put me on paxil. It worked well. I didn't like the idea of being tied down with a drug so I got desensatized. Took about 5 months but I'm off the paxil and haven't had a recurrence in 5 years. (knock on wood)

I'm trying to overcome panic attacks/nervousness. I'd recommend staying away from prescribed drugs as they pretty much all have unwanted side effects. I've been experimenting with 'kava kava' which is a natural root ground up and drunk as a tea (tastes awful), but it's quite good for bringing on a calm feeling. It may be not be available in some places, but if you come across it, it's worth a try. It's not a miracle cure, but it helps, and it's better than fucking yourself up on dodgy conventional medicines.

I don't have them, but after reading every single last response, I would like to say that..for me it was tremendous to see these great heartfelt, emotional and educational responses.

It has made me more educated, enlightened and grateful. thank you everyone for sharing a small piece of your world with me.

Well, here we are, 7 months later and after 6 months panic free, this last weekend I had a few mild ones hit me and then I woke up at 2:40 this morning in a full blown panic which eased up within an hour. Now I am just coming down from another one that was worse than this mornings. :(

It is SO frustrating! I have a few major stressers going on right now and I am certain they are the contributing factors but after so long being panic free, it is a let down. At least this time I can pinpoint some of it.

But it is so strange because it will hit at the most unexpected times when I don't feel stressed at all! Go figure!

I am currently taking effexor and when the panic gets a bit too much I take Klonopin to help calm me. I'll be glad when this cluster of attacks is over!

I think re-reading the words above from before would be a good start. Take it easy and try to deal with the new stresses one at a time.

You can do it. Good luck :)

As you get older (40+) seratonin(sp?) is produced less in your body, a fact unknown to me 8 years ago. I started having anxiety attacks that took "chill pills" and deep breathing to relieve the chest pains. I now take Serzone twice a day and rarely have a "slight attack" that is calmed by a few deep breaths. You may have this problem and the doc may not have considered it.

Tonight in psych class, we went over some disorders. Panic attacks were the triggers for many of them. I'm not gonna diagnose ya or anything, but you may wanna talk this over with a professional.

You can also get Kava Kava in a pill form. It's side effects are truely much milder (or non existent) as compared to prescription medications. You still need to be careful and treat it like a medication. My mother learned the hard way that Kava Kava does not go well with the other herb St. John's Wort. Also if you take Valerian Root it can multiply the effect of Kava Kava. Read all you can about these herbs and treat them with respect just as you should other medications.


Tell me more about this. Do you mean that Panic Attacks CAUSE these other disorders or are caused BY them? What kind of disorders? I know with my panic attacks - they are triggered by a set of circumstances that mirror what happened immediately prior to a traumatic experience 2 years ago. I have felt a small amount of guilt about the event and since I acknowledged it to myself and my family I have not had another attack. Not saying that I won't but it feels good to me.

I started having panic attacks right after we bought our first house, about 5 years ago. I felt like having a house was such a huge responsibility, and that because we were living across the street from an apartment building and had "more" than they did, I felt like I would be punished for my good fortune somehow, that they'd hate me and something bad would happen. I couldn't leave the house, I didn't want anybody to see me, and the last straw that finally got me to therapy was when Ratbastid caught me crawling on the floor under the sightline of the windows so people couldn't see me. I swear I have NO memory of that, but I believe him.

Some therapy helped - I learned progressive relaxation and meditation techniques, uncovered and learned how to derail some of the mental processes that caused the panic attacks, and pretty much licked them without meds.

Then my brother died. I was already on meds for a mild depression that started last year, but the first time Ratbastid had to be away for the weekend, I had one. I had just gone to my boss's house to witness her husband Bill's will and living will and powers of attorney (he was in the end stages of cancer), and he signed over his motorcycle to his daughter. On the way back to the office, I thought about my brother's motorcycle, and Ratbastid in a plane (I'm afraid of planes crashing), and Bill dying, and just lost it. I got back to the office and was hyperventilating and crying so hard I couldn't breathe. I couldn't reach any of my friends, my boss (the only other person in my office) was back at home and I couldn't burden her with this given all she was going through. I ended up calling my mom and she had to talk me through it till I could breathe well enough to drive home without being afraid I'd faint and crash. I haven't had another one since, thank god.

Anyhow, the other thing that works for me besides relaxation and meditation exercises is valerian. I've found that when I'm on the edge of an attack I can sometimes stave it off by taking some valerian and drinking some tea. The tea is purely ceremonial - something about the hot water and the steam and inhaling it slowly calms me down till the valerian can kick in.

Usually when I had them it was because I was stressing over something. Except the last time I flew. I knew we were going to die or something. Flying doesn't bother me but when I woke up the morning of our last flight I had a major panic attack for no reason. Figured it had to be a premonition or something. I worked my way through it and got on the flight. Nothing happened. Still don't why I had the attack when I did. Very disabling. Hope that doesn't happen again for a very long time.

Panic attacks are symptoms and triggers of some disorders.

A good example is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. If an OCD sufferer fails to complete a ritual, they begin to have a panic attack until they are able to repeat the ritual.
Schitzophrenia, Depression, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Bi-Polar Disease... they all have panic attacks associated with symptoms. Like I said.. I am not even touching a diagnosis. Not until I get my doctorate. :)

Re: Panic Attacks
 

Yes. I suffer from Agoraphobia. Having to go anywhere would set off a small panic attack. There were times where I was supposed to go places where I would know no one, or going to a concert and I would have a full blown attack.

Trying to find a job I would be comfortable at, or going to work everyday would be a struggle for me. Just going to school was hard enough.

This went on for a decade, denying what was wrong. Finally when I was out of options, I seeked councelling and began on a prescription for Paxil. It has helped alot. Unfortunately I am off the meds right now, due to the cost and the fact I can't afford them but I am doing pretty good without it for now.

Since I started working (July) I haven't had health insurance, so I've been off of the Lexapro due to the cost of the pills. I've had minor bouts of anxiety but nothing like before I started the medication. I don't know if this means I'm cured or I'm headed for a big one. Guess I'll find out in time.

I had one a couple months ago. There was a lot of shit going on at home with my family and at school. There was a lot to deal with and I found that I had to battle each problem 1 at a time. I have fixed the problems for the most part and haven't had any reoccurances.

my wife too.

she had an angiogram done to her,.......not very fun to see a 33 year old woman have a test done to her that normally people get in their 40s and 50s.

lots of meds and a clear head about these attacks.

it's been a year and a half since her last attack.

she's doin' awsome now.

good luck to all......it CAN be beaten.

had 'em since taking paxil some years back...a wonderful gift which i'm still waiting to give back. They aren't as frequent or as severe as they used to be, but i'll still have to use xanax from time to time. otherwise, its more about general maintanence-getting sleep and exercize-try to ward them off in the first place.

don't worry about relapses, angel-they happen to *everybody* and it's not about not having your life together. People don't kick their own asses for getting a cold, ya know?

I got in a rut with them for awhile. Had a really bad one,, then a bunch more that mainly built up from the fear of having another one/passing out. Once I started having them in school it became a bigger problem. I ended up being able to control them on my own.

Sometimes I can feel the physical symptoms of it happening, but I've gotten used to it and know that nothing bad is happening. I don't feel the "panic" of the panic attack anymore, just the heart racing every now and then. I just start doing some deep breathing and it goes away. I still have a big fear about passing out in public, especially when I'm by myself.

What Halx says definately makes sense, cause it happened to me. My first panic attack was the scariest because i didn't know what it was, and I ended up in the ER (it really sucked cause i was in truck by myself on a back country road - I was 99.9% sure i was "checkin out") stopped at the nearest payphone and called an ambulance. Anway - after that i started experiencing really frequent episodes of "depersonalization", which in turn started other "panic attacks." It was a full year of me fighting to keep my sanity / stay alive, whatever...and at least another two years that but not as constant. Luckily they have subsided and the panic attacks only happen every few months (and not nearly as severe), but i'm dreadin the day they resurface.

I've had anxiety and depression since I was 15 and I get panic attacks all the time. They're far more subdued than they used to be (the meds I'm on now really work quite well), but they still piss me off, especially if I'm driving or in a situation where I can't casually step out...

Even though I am not afraid to fly, I get mild attacks at boarding time, takeoff and landing. I think they are a result of flying with food poisoning several times and not being able to get out of my seat when necessary. I have been taking 1 AllunaSleep tablet (Valerian) when I fly and it works.

A friend of mine had just started getting major panic attacks recently in different situations. I think it started when the actor John Ritter died and my friend realized that he has the same heart condition. AllunaSleep has worked for my friend too.

If you can't find a specific trigger for your attacks, it's possibly time to have a look at your life and figure out what you need to change. They can be indicative of something you are not happy with in your lifestyle. You say you have it all together, is that rationally, emotionally, or both? Also, when they went away last time, what had you changed, if anything?
If thinking about those things still doesn't help, pay a visit to your doctor to make sure there's nothing chemically wrong.
Good luck :)

anyone in here?
 

Is anyone in here anymore?

I was actually going to look for an old "panic attack" thread to post in today, but you beat me to it.

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this method of calming anxiety (I don't think so), but I started taking about 150 mg of vitamin B1 and about 8000 mg of vitamin C, spread throughout the day.

It seems to be helping with my anxiety problems, at least so far. I've taken Paxil about three years ago for about 5 months, but I hated it, and the withdrawals were excrutiating. The panic attacks and overall anxiety never really went away (getting married, having a kid, getting divorced while keeping custody, getting laid off twice, and moving 6 times didn't help much). I was tired of feeling like this and went on PaxilCR. BIG mistake. Fuck Paxil. After two days, I stopped, dumped them down the garbage disposal. I'm sure they work for some, but not for me. The doctor prescribed Welbutrin, but the side effects scared me too much to even take one. I mean , one of the side effects is "anxiety". Another is "risk of seizure." Ah, no. Not for me.

I decided that doctors are way to eager to pass out " 'scripts." These drugs frighten me, especially after the Paxil nightmare.

I was reading a health book of natural remedies, and among other things it suggested the aforementioned B1 and C. I bought them and, not sure if it was merely a placebo affect, they seemed to work. I was social, happy... I actually felt like waving at strangers out my car window. All over a couple vitamins.

I'll have to continue taking them (I just started today; I bought them after I almost lost it at work today) to see how well it works, but at least they are natural.... and I felt much better after taking them. When on the medication I had trouble relaxing, just becasue I felt as if my mind was fake. The fake feeling was enough to give me anxiety.

I doubt I'll go through withdrawal if I skip a few doses of vitamins B1 and C.

I'm not sure I've ever suffered a full-blown attack. I've definitely suffered from anxiety attacks, though -- mind is racing and I feel very anxious, all the while knowing it's irrational but I can't shake the feeling. I've found that regular exercise helps a lot, and if I have one going on a long walk will almost always help. (Same thing with depression, at least if it isn't too severe.)

Haven't had one in a while (knock on wood).

Well im on neurontin and I have attacks bout 2 years ago really bad and started taking that, n I didnt have one since then i desided to stop em and started having them again, I just started my pills again like 4 days ago and they are starting to help again. I dont want to take em forever but thats all the seems to help and I have missed a lot of work and stuff from them in the past week and I dont want to miss out on my life, so I do what i have to. i came on here to talk to someone bout it, cuz that seems to make me feel better too! Im 19 and dont want to miss out on my life!