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Panic Attacks

post #1 of 23
4/2/09 at 7:44pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone get these? Or have you had a problem with them in the past?
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post #2 of 23
4/2/09 at 7:48pm
I feel like if I admit to having panic attacks you are going to make fun of me, which makes me feel like I'm going to have a panic attack.
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post #3 of 23
4/2/09 at 7:48pm
I had a brutal problem in high school, and then had a relapse when I graduated college. I've since gotten it under control thanks to meds and pretty intensive counseling. Mine were related to an OCD problem though, and most people I know seem to have them as part of a depression problem or a PTS problem.
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post #4 of 23
4/2/09 at 7:55pm
Yeah, I used to get them really really bad in high school. I have social anxiety disorder and used to get paranoid a lot so that didn't help things at all.

I was on Xanax for awhile, and that worked great. The only problem was I had to be on it all the time in order to feel better. What worked for me was just a lot of forcing myself into situations that made me anxious so I'd get over it, practicing deep breathing and yoga, and also psychedelic therapy.

I'm still really weird about talking to people I don't know on the phone, and sometimes The Fear will come back, but I haven't had a real attack in years so I'm doing pretty good.
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post #5 of 23
4/2/09 at 9:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Werewolf Girl View Post
and also psychedelic therapy.
See, back when I was "normal," I was very into this sort of thing, but more for the mind expanding/"spiritual" bits.

I'm pretty sure my first panic attack occurred while on some psychedelics, so that has sort of put the kibosh on doing any more for the time being. At least until I get this under firm control, and even then, I'm not sure I want to venture back into something that might trigger more.

I've been battling bad panic attacks for, christ, the past two years now? Boy, do they suck. I still do all my normal activities and do my best not to avoid things just because of The Fear, but I still don't feel like "the old me." My biggest problem is they're not always mental, but I get really bad physical symptoms when they happen (can't breathe, head feels like it's simultaneously getting electrocuted and slammed in a vice, neck gets a strange tingling sensation, dizzy, disoriented).

My doctor gave me some pretty mild meds to take when I'm having or about to have one (they're not regularly taken, and I was pretty adamant about not wanting to feel "drugged" all the time), but I'm thinking it may come to that now.

I tried a few daily meds, but those all had side effects that were arguably worse than the attacks themselves.

Tried a couple of psychologists, but they really didn't do anything for me (lots of "count to ten" and "try deep breathing"). None of it really helped.

They seem to come in waves, and over the past month I've had a particularly rough relapse into them, hence the thread.

Was mainly just curious to see if anyone on here had them and what remedies they had found successful, if any.

I don't really have any deep seated issues or anything I need to work through as far as counseling goes. I have always had a problem fainting with blood/injury though. A few years ago I barely knicked my finger on a sharp doorknob (strange, I know) and went to wash my hands. Next thing I knew, my Dad was slapping me in the face and pulling me off the floor. I'm thinking that might tie into whey they've gotten so bad.
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post #6 of 23
4/2/09 at 10:37pm
One exercise that always worked for me is as follows:

Suck in a breath through your nose and fill your lungs.
Blow ALL the air out of your lungs through your mouth, SLOWLY.
Hold your breath for a 10 count.
Repeat as long as needed.

It doesn't help the mental part, but it makes it pretty much physically impossible for your body to continue an attack.
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post #7 of 23
4/2/09 at 10:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by joeypants View Post

I don't really have any deep seated issues or anything
Deep seated issues peak my interest.
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post #8 of 23
4/2/09 at 11:18pm
I've gotten them a few times, I'd just take a seat and let it pass. Then again I just tend to ignore most mental/physical issues I have.
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post #9 of 23
4/2/09 at 11:30pm
I experience these when inside an extremely authoritative environment. Over time they've dwindled in scope and occurrence. The worst was had in Air Cadets when I was as a kid - I wasn't the overtly rebellious one, instead my demeanor was quiet and non-participative, until my nerves were wracked by orders and I subsequently went thru a panic attack and its subsequent nervous breakdown - lying on the grass outside the squadron dance hall, in which officers carried rulers to ensure we were at least six inches apart from the girls we slow-danced with. Maybe it was only a nervous breakdown, or both, I'm not sure, except that I was shaking, unable to focus my thoughts, and breathing very quickly - but later glad that I was fucked by such an asinine place to be.
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post #10 of 23
4/3/09 at 1:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Troy n View Post
I get them sometimes while I'm asleep. Waking up during one is NOT FUN!
I get these quite a bit when I'm going through a cycle when I'm having them. And you're right, it is possibly the worst because you're not ready for it at all. I woke up a few months ago and literally didn't know where in the fuck I was for a good 2 minutes (could've been less, but it felt like forever).

And I've always had incredibly vivid dreams nightly. Even before I started having panic attacks (since I was a child actually), I wake up every morning and it takes me a few minutes to really get my bearings and shake off the dream world. I can't tell you how many times I've dreamt of losing a family member or winning the lottery, and it's not until I start my shower that I sort of snap out of it. Depending on the scenario, that can be a joyous feeling or a terrible one. Ha ha.

One major sticking point is right after I started to have them a few years ago, I also started to develop some health problems and consequently, started to really feel mortality for the first time (I'm 27 now). I was also just about to graduate from college and enter the "real world." You can see how this is all tied together, I'm sure.

Anyway, after having a lot of pains in my chest and left arm I discovered that I have an irregular heartbeat and subsequently went through months of tests (EKG's, stress tests, sonograms, MRI's, Sleep Tests), and all that waiting nearly drove me nuts given my problem dealing with blood/injury/trauma. Thankfully it turned out to be the "benign" sort of irregular heartbeat and I've managed to stop noticing it. The cardiologist attributed the pains to stress. Nonetheless, all that didn't help the whole stress/anxiety problem at all. I still can't help but get a little weary anytime I get some sort of chest pain or a pain in my arm.
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post #11 of 23
4/3/09 at 1:59am
I've gotten them for years, funny this thread popped up just now because I had the first bad one I've had in a month just a few hours ago. I'll chime in more once I'm feeling like myself again.
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post #12 of 23
4/3/09 at 2:12am
Does the paper bag thing work at all?
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post #13 of 23
4/3/09 at 2:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jared Melton View Post
Does the paper bag thing work at all?
I've never tried it, but I would think that would cause one to hyperventilate. So no?
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post #14 of 23
4/3/09 at 2:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post
I've never tried it, but I would think that would cause one to hyperventilate. So no?
I thought it was supposed to do the opposite...? I don't know.
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post #15 of 23
4/3/09 at 2:44am
Yeah man, me either. I'm totally talking out of my ass on this one.

Someone step up and confirm or deny!
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post #16 of 23
4/3/09 at 3:12am
The thing I suggested is a better way of doing the paper bag thing. It's all about pushing as much oxygen into your brain as possible.
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post #17 of 23
4/3/09 at 12:55pm
The breathing exercise mentioned above by Gabe will do wonders for you. Use that in conjunction with meditation if possible and you'll help to bring yourself out of a panic attack.

I used to get them, especially in high school and college. Developing an exercise routine, along with facing/overcoming some personal issues, really helped me get past that stage of my life. I honestly havn't had a major attack in over 10 years.

To those of you that suffer from them: I sincerely wish you nothing but the best of luck in overcoming them.
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post #18 of 23
4/3/09 at 1:06pm
Welcome to the club. We have punch and pie.

The thing that's helped me most is realizing, since I started that thread, I have done everything possible to make myself healthier, mentally and physically, and whenever anxiety gets the best of me, it's become extremely easy to breathe deep, evaluate myself, and say "You're okay. You're not dying. You exercise. You eat well. You're married. Let this pass."

When thats not the case, it's a matter of telling my brain, "Get me through this, I'll fix it."

As for the paper bag thing? Screw that. If I'm having an attack, I feel like I barely have enough room to breathe to begin with. A paper bag would make it worse, I would think. What does tend to work for me is similar to what Gabe suggested, only in a rhythm of seven. Inhale slowly for seven seconds, hold breath seven seconds, exhale seven seconds, repeat. Getting my pulse to remember there's a calm rhythm it's supposed to have works like a charm most of the time.
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post #19 of 23
4/3/09 at 1:15pm
My panic attacks suck. I get a tension headache where all the muscles on the back of the skull and jaw and neck feel like they're pulling/tightening. I use to get jaw pain from clenching. The worst: I also get Cholinergic urticaria which feels (for me) like a hot flash mixed with hives (itchy skin, but no bumps) when I get over-heated or too stressed. All it does is make me panic all the more (vicious cycle). Sometime I get panic attacks when my blood-sugar is too low as well. Had a really bad time with panic attacks during college (12-15 years ago) and now I'm starting to experience them again with all my life stresses coming to head the past year (like many other people), financial, job security, family illnesses, etc. There's a definite link in my case to not getting enough rest or exercise, drastic changes in diet and schedule, lower immune systems (I've been sick a lot lately thanks to my daughter's pre-school), etc.

EDIT: Sometimes watching a movie (or some other form of escapist entertainment) is the only thing that lets my mind focus on something else long enough for it to blow over.
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post #20 of 23
4/3/09 at 1:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DARKMITE8 View Post
I get a tension headache where all the muscles on the back of the skull and jaw and neck feel like they're pulling/tightening.
Aw man, that's EXACTLY what happens to me. Up until now, I've never heard anyone else mention those.

In the past I had gotten past them completely for a few months after all the tests confirmed I am, in fact, in good health, and so I was able to just tell myself "there's nothing wrong with you, this will pass."

But then time goes by, new stresses rear their heads and then WHAM, panic attack (sometimes when I'm having the greatest days too, which makes it all the more alarming.) The subconscious can be a bitch.


ETA: And thanks for the link, Justin. I wasn't sure if that forum was the best place for this, otherwise I would've found that thread.
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post #21 of 23
4/3/09 at 1:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nexus-7 View Post
I've gotten them for years, funny this thread popped up just now because I had the first bad one I've had in a month just a few hours ago. I'll chime in more once I'm feeling like myself again.
After reading your comments in the other thread, you and I share a lot of similarities.

I've never been a big drinker (not since early high-school, anyway). But I was a REALLY avid pot smoker for years. Loved it. It was a nice, "safe" drug and I smoked at least every evening, if not more for years.

My first really major panic attack that I was able to identify as such came after smoking. It seems now that I might not be able to smoke much for some time, if ever again as that seems to be one sure-fire way to bring them on. And even if I do manage to get by smoking without having one, it's just not "relaxing" anymore. Doesn't feel the same at all, probably because I feel like there's a panic attack just around the corner. I also get pretty disoriented when I smoke now, rather than the relaxed concentration I used to feel.

Haven't smoked much at all over the past year or so. It sucks, but there's worse problems than having to give up weed. It really hasn't been all that hard or bothersome to do.
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post #22 of 23
7/19/11 at 11:23am

The more I read this thread the more I think I have these. Especially Werewolf Girl's post about not liking to talk to people I don't know over the phone, though that anxiety also extends to talking to anyone who I haven't seen in a while. I don't understand why I have this problem. It even extends to these message boards, If I post an opinion that is contrary to the popular one I get really anxious about returning to the thread. 

 

Then there is the full blown panic attacks which only seem to come when I have some sort of big event (a debate in college, talking to a crowd). They can get pretty bad with shallow breathing, tunnel vision and selective hearing loss (I can still hear myself, but everyone else is silent).

 

I get really pissed at myself for having them because there is no doubt that they are getting in the way of me trying to establish a career.

 

Sometimes I want to punch my psyche in the face an tell it to man up.

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post #23 of 23
7/26/11 at 7:57pm

I had my first panic attack about a year and a half ago, and I've had two since then.

 

In March, 2010 I went through a painful break-up that was pretty cruel and drawn out. And to be honest, I've never fully recovered from it. A month later, I started a new job which should have been a new beginning, but turned out to be a nightmare. And I moved into a new apartment on my own (I'd been living with the girl I broke up with for two years prior), that I ended up hating.

 

One day, early on at that job, I was working on some designs (I'm a graphic designer), and I suddenly, completely forgot how to use Photoshop. My mind went totally blank, and I just stared at the screen for what felt like ten minutes. I felt this wave of panic come over me, and I went to the bathroom and locked myself in a stall. My heart was racing, I got tunnel vision, and I felt completely disconnected - like that feeling you get when you experience deja vu, or get flashes of a dream you barely remember having. My hands and feet went cold, and it was all I could do to stay in there, and talk myself down.

 

The next two came about a year later, one month apart from each other. One of them at work, and one of them while driving to work (THAT was fun). All three times, I had this overwhelming sense of being alone, on top of the aforementioned symptoms. The combination of being screwed up by a girl, being driven to anxiety by a sociopath of a boss who was (is) running his business straight into the ground, and living in a place I felt uneasy in got the better of me. I've since quit that job, found one that makes me happy, and I've moved into a kickass neighborhood, and I've done everything I can to make the new place feel like home. Here's hoping I never experience those attacks again.

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