If you would, tell me about experiences with panic/anxiety attacks

In My Humble Opinion
21

I used to get them alot about three years ago or so. I keep a few Lorazapem with me in case I get a full blown panic attack, but I haven’t had those in a while. I spent a while with a psychologist, who recommended the book, “Mind over Mood.” You can pick it up at any big chain book store, and has exercises you can do on your own.

I kept worrying about getting heart attacks, as a then healthy 21 year old from a family with no real history of heart attack or stroke, and having taken a stress test earlier in life due to hypochondria.

As a now healthy 25 year old, I find that keeping up with my routine exercises (spinning, squash and the like), and making the effort to be sociable even when I don’t necessarily feel like it, has gone a great ways to helping me control anxiety symptoms. I don’t check WebMD on a daily or even monthly basis anymore, or worry about my heart needlessly, and I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with a racing heart beat and palpitations. They’re scary, and seem IMPOSSIBLE to be associated with anything mental.

The worst thing I did was just affirm to myself that it was all in my head, and not see a doctor or tell anyone about it, because it just allowed my own doubt to further victimize me. It’s important for a whole bunch of reasons to talk to your doctor about any peculiar symptoms, if for no reason other than to rule out a litany of things.

22

(Emphasis added.)

This.

Benzodiazepines might be helpful for very short-term use, like if you’re stressing out because of an important final exam that’s coming up. But if you have chronic long-term anxiety problems, any benzo you use for a long time is likely to make things much much worse over the long run.

See http://www.benzo.org.uk/ –
And in particular, see the Ashton Manual at benzo.org.uk : Benzodiazepines: How They Work & How to Withdraw, Prof C H Ashton DM, FRCP, 2002 “Benzodiazepines: How They Work and How To Withdraw”

BTW: You heard right. They ARE very addictive (Xanax reputedly being one of the worse ones), and kicking them IS A BITCH!

Sign me,
Been there, done that.

23

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been convinced I was about to die because of my anxiety messing with my head. It mucks up your brain and makes you think there is ‘something seriously wrong with you’. You assume your organs are failing, or you have a hemorrage, or something terrible.

For me they are worst when I try to sleep. I am very unnatural in that regard, my worst anxiety comes as I am about to fall asleep. I have heard that is because your body thinks that sleep is a time of vulnerability, so it shocks you awake right as you fall asleep. However I think there might be something biological to them too as they have only started in the last year. So I don’t know if something in my physiology changed or what.

For me avoiding the triggers is the most important thing. And ironically things that are supposed to reduce my stress are some of my biggest triggers for nocturnal panic attacks. I have no idea what is wrong with my body.

24

I started having them this year. Specifically, the day my Grandmother died. It has been a stressful year for me admittedly, my mother has been diagnosed with diabeties, I have started my own firm. For me its light headeness, chest and arm pains…heart attack.

Worse, I actually do suffer from GERD, which mimics heart symptoms. It is brilliant for my nerves I tell you.

I am on Inderal, a very low dose. It has helped a lot.

25

[QUOTE=choie]

Last month was basically one long panic attack, and for the first time ever, I genuinely thought I was losing my sanity because of the constant terror and dread. I’ve been depressed all my life, but this was the first time I actually felt crazy. I spent most of the time lying in bed sleeping because that was the only way to escape.

[/QUOTE]

How could you sleep in the face of constant dread and terror? I used to get jolts of fear at night (What was that noise? Vampire rapist! Dive under covers! Try not to breath too much and hope that the vampire rapist’s super hearing can’t detect your pounding heartbeat! - now, I am generally so tired that I figure getting attacked by a vampire rapist would at least buy me a few nights sleep in the hospital - but I digress.) and when I’m terrified, sleep is the last thing on my mind, not to mention the last thing I am capable of.

Also - did you ever find out what caused your B12 deficiency?

In any case, I’m glad that this month seems to be less panic-ridden than last! : )

Thanks!
love
yams!!

26

With GERD do you get symptoms at night (racing, thready heart beat; trouble breathing, racing thoughts)? I have wondered if I have GERD that is aggravating my anxiety. But the stuff I’ve tried (OTC meds, sleeping on my left side, sleeping at an angle) didn’t seem to help.

27

The only time I’ve had it an ansiolitic (I’m not sure which one it was), it was because I went to my doctor and asked him for la baja (medical leave), as I was having a strong case of gastrenteritis and it had clearly been triggered due at least in part to strong stress. I told him that just not having to go to work for the next few days was enough to get rid of the stress, but he insisted.

I took it only once; it didn’t help me sleep any better (I usually slept like a log - ten years later I wake up once a night, compare with my mother’s 3-4 times a night at the same age) and it kept me woozy all day. I couldn’t concentrate at all, it was like having a bad case of the flu minus the bone aches.

28

Yipe, that sounds horrible. Oddly enough my panic attacks don’t make me paranoid about external threats; it’s mostly internal (health-related) threats that cause my dread. (In fact during the last month I stopped locking my door at night because I was so afraid that I’d need to call 911 and the EMS folks wouldn’t be able to get in. Have I mentioned I live in NYC? Locking one’s door is de rigeuer.)

As far as how I got to sleep? Ambien. That and the Klonopin put me to sleep pretty quickly, at least as long as I wasn’t in the middle of a panic crisis. If I was, then no, I woudln’t be falling asleep.

I also bought Johnson’s lavender bath oil for babies, and Mr. Bubble (don’t laugh). Taking baths while listening to classical music helped calm me before going to bed.

No, unfortunately. I was cleared of the most common cause of it (pernicious anemia), which is good, but that left me wondering what the heck happened. I suspect it was due to my having very little meat (the only real dietary source for b12) for some time during a particularly impoverished period of my life.

I had no idea how damaging b12 deficiency is. Research has shown that something like 70% of people over 65 have b12 deficiency, and some seniors with dementia may be suffering from B12 deficiency that could be reversed and improve their situation.

Knock wood when you say that! :slight_smile: But yes, thank you. I’ve had two attacks this month, only one of which lasted longer than an hour or so. It’s still two more than I want, but it’s certainly better than it was. And honestly, getting the OK from my cardiologist really helps put some perspective to these symptoms. When perspective is something sorely lacking in the middle of an attack, every little bit helps!

Edited to add: I should’ve mentioned that one of those attacks was preceded by my drinking a can of Pepsi earlier in the day. A stupid thing to do when I so rarely have caffeine at all, and it’s quite possible partly responsible for my increased heart rate, which is usually the instigator of my attacks. I’ve largely removed caffeine from my diet, but every now and then I splurge. Big mistake, I think.

29

Not at all. I’ve been on something very similar for panic attacks in the past was was able to stop using them without any issues.

Please note that they recommend tapering off the dose. Here is what wiki has to say about it.

If you are getting panic attacks because of stress, counseling is often effective.

I wouldn’t hesitate to use a combination of techniques, including medication as necessary.

30

Sorry, I missed this. Yes, and I am currently on medication. I make it a point to eat a few hours before sleeping and to have a light dinner (soup mostly). I also keep TUMS with me and some sugar free gum.

My advise, see a Gastroentoligist ASAP. He will help you find a proper balance.

31

I can emphathise with you. I have in the past year often checked to see how far a hospital is from anywhere I may be. Get sleep. Lots of it. I always feel better after a good night sleep.

32

Exersize is one of the best things. A mile or so on the treadmill can work wonders. Of course, if you are like me, you will worry that you will die suddenly of a hitherto undiscovered cogenital heart disease.

33

I use valium to control my anxiety when it spikes. My doctor limits me to 20 pills a month, but I try to make it last for three months. It’s so helpful when PMS, test anxiety, and mean people get the best of me.

I have named my anxiety ‘Hysto-bitch’. Giving her a name for some reason helps me to seperate out-of-the-ordinary responses from ordinary responses. One thing she does that drives me crazy is to ‘fly under the radar’. When life and all its crap is giving me hell, I am very good at directing my conscious behavior and thoughts to a positive, productive outcome. However, Hystobitch will work in my subconscious, quietly bringing down the house. During long periods of stress, even though I feel as if I am in control, I will have palpatations, dizziness, blinding headaches, muscle cramps, hives, and blurry vision. Valium will not exorcise Hysto-bitch. But it can reduce the symptoms when they peak, and keep her from successfully staging a total emotional hostile takeover.

DIE HYSTO-BITCH!

34

After reading this, I wonder why my doctor has continued to refill my Clonazepam (.5) prescription since 2008 without needing me to visit her. She even gave me 60 plus 1 refill this last time.

And I wonder why my vet gave my dog a prescription for Xanax (1) to take regularly, twice a day, due to separation anxiety, indefinitely. (It didn’t work by the way, so I stopped giving it to him.)

I tried a Xanax just to see what would happen. Nothing did. The Clonazepam doesn’t even work anymore.

Guess it’s time to start tapering. I mostly just try them when I can’t sleep, but antihistamines help too so I can go back to them.

35

I’m informed this morning my husband has been waking up 3-4 times a night with horrible anxiety attacks. He’s 60-ish, overweight, leads an unhealthy lifestyle. I’m afraid it’s going to catch up with him. He’s worried about his blood pressure, heart attacks, etc. He has a doctor’s appointment coming up but it’s near impossible to get him to ever go. But this waking up with anxiety has been going on for a while and he can’t stand it any more. I’m afraid he’s going to go in, demand some kind of pill, and be done with it, and I’m afraid the doctor is going to want to give him tests and stuff. I’m really worried. Husband does have a pretty good case of OCD so I think the anxiety attacks are related.

36

IANAD but it sounds like your gallbladder to me. When I first started having gallbladder attacks it felt like I had terminal gas, trapped in my chest. They eventually took it out as as “extra” while doing other surgery. But I remember it was pretty awful and I sympathize with your pain.

37

Paxil worked for me. It also made me gain about 50 pounds. Soooo not good…I developed Type II diabetes. (Like I needed something else to list on my medical history. lol) Went on a diet and lost 70 pounds (basically South Beach but found I needed to increase the protein to stay on it.)
Xanax helped. The withdrawal was slight, but I’d also quit everything else. Cold turkey (do not do this at home.) Went from a half dozen meds a day to zero. Every now and then I could really use a Xanax now but I don’t have any and I get thru it.
IMHO I think ONE anti-depressant, in as low a dosage as is effective, can really help. And Xanax is good to have on hand for acute times of stress, but try not to let it become a daily drug. Talk therapy, I think, works as good or better than the drugs. Certainly great in conjuction with.
I guess it takes a combination of things to keep it under control. And think of it as a chronic thing like if you had high blood pressure or something and try not to let it define you. And one saying I really like is, “Don’t campare your insides with somebody else’s outside,” (because they’re probaby faking it, too.) :wink: