Panic Attacks (mental health issue)

It started in February, when it was the worst. You see, everyone feels stress in different ways. With some people, they can't keep focused, they feel pressured, they feel drained, etc etc. Me, and others like me, feel mostly just physical pain when stressed. I get headaches, chest pains, pains in my arms and sometimes those pains in my arms it feels like the pain is in my bones. It made me think I was dying, having a heart attack, tumor/cancer, brain anuerism (sp?), blood clot, and/or whatever else I could think of.

I got really huge panic attacks at least three times a day, becoming convinced I was dying at that exact moment. It's calmed down a lot and I haven't had a very big one like before in a long time. But I still have 'mini panic attacks' where the thought crosses my head and I worry about it but I don't verbalize it. I don't tell anyone what I'm thinking, I just freak out about it in my head for a minute or two, and then it's gone. I get those a few times still, sometimes a few times a day (those are 'bad days'), but usually a few days in between those bad days.

As a small child (approx age 10) I used to get those mini panic attacks as well, but never the big ones, but it went away for several years.

Does anyone else get panic attacks? Will this go away eventually? How do you keep yourself calm when you're 99.99% sure you're dying? It's already seeming to calm down quite a bit.

I'm 19, I work out, I eat right, I don't drink often just every once in a while and I smoke when I drink. I don't use any drugs, but I used to a lot. I had to stop using in February because even one hit on a joint sent me into an intensely horrifying 2 hour panic attack.

Original Post by supersaiyankim:

 It made me think I was dying, having a heart attack, tumor/cancer, brain anuerism (sp?), blood clot, and/or whatever else I could think of.

Oh yea, I can definitely relate to that quote.

I've had some pretty severe panic attacks (can't say I've ever had one last for 2 hours), bad enough where I've gone to the hospital.

I still get them, probably averaging on 2 or so a week. They aren't as bad as they used to be. I think what helps me is knowing it's a panic attack. If I can convince myself that my heart is pounding because I'm stressed, and my left arm isn't actually numb, I can usually calm myself down. Of course this is hard to do, so maybe it's probably not going to be of a much help.

One time after a panic attack, I calmed myself down by being content with death. I was so convinced I was going to die that I just sort of accepted it and went to bed. Crazy meeee.

I'm not sure if you're already seeing a therapist, or if you already have any medication for anxiety. I know friends and family that meds have helped a lot. I'm personally not willing to go on any drugs.

Meh, I guess all I'm saying is I can relate.

 

Original Post by jblarghp:

I'm not sure if you're already seeing a therapist, or if you already have any medication for anxiety. I know friends and family that meds have helped a lot. I'm personally not willing to go on any drugs.

 

I am seeing a therapist, but it doesn't help much. I took medication for anxiety for three days. It kept me up all night because I was worried that I would have some horrible side effect or heart attack and die, so I stopped taking them. They gave me more anxiety!

Personally I am also against taking drugs now, which I know people may judge when I say that because I used to do the illegal kind, but people change. I took those anxiety meds as a desperate attempt at stopping them, but they failed me in that way. I hear you are supposed to take them for a while before they take effect, but I missed two days of school and work because of staying up all night with panic attacks, passing out around 7:00AM, and then sleeping all day.

 

Sometimes when I am falling asleep, I am still awake enough in my mind to know that I'm about to fall asleep, but when I feel that I don't think "oh, I'm about to fall asleep" I think I'm dying and I wake myself up. Immediately after I doing so I realize that really...I was just about to fall asleep, I wasn't dying!

My therapist told me no one has ever died from a panic attack. But I asked her how would she know that. I mean, I'm not a doctor so I can't say "hey, maybe people can die from them" but....if someone had a big panic attack and worked themselves up enough to give themselves a heart attack....then they die from "the heart attack" not the panic attack. Again, I'm not a doctor, but that little thought freaks me out when I'm in the middle of a panic attack and I feel my heart racing faster than ever.

To me, it seems like you're more afraid of death than you are the panic attacks, even though panic attacks can involve the feeling of you're going to die. What kind of therapist are you seeing? Are they a cognitive-behavioral therapist? Medication can help, but I believe cognitive-behavioral therapy may be extremely helpful. They can teach you to try and calm down when you feel a panic attack coming. If you knew more about the reasons for the physiological arousals, being more familiar with why your body is undergoing such experiences may ease you in a way.

Honestly, I think your therapist is right in saying you probably won't die from a panic attack. Sure, you may feel that way, but sympathetic nervous system is just being hyperaroused by anything you feel that is threatening. This could be that there is real threat, but also that the threat is not real and it is just some cognitive distortion you have.

Yeah sorry though... I'm currently a psychology major so I'm just regurgitating information. haha...

I have had 1 panic attack before, so I know how it feels. But I cannot relate to chronic panic attacks, so I'm sorry. I really felt like I was dying though, and was sure of it...but I made it out alive! And you've made it out alive through your attacks!

I get panic attacks a lot. Sometime I get the ones where I feel like I'm dying and I have a mini asthma attack. The first time I had one my ex made me use his inhaler and it helped a lot. Now there's really nothing I can do to calm down. Usually I'll just stand in the shower, turn on music and cry. The shower helps me calm down and the loud music prevents me from thinking, and the crying usually gets me so exhausted that by the time I calm down, I can just go to bed. Other times my panic attacks are more like mania. I get ridiculously hyper and can't sit still. I've taken to running when that happens. It gets out all the nervous energy and helps me focus. I'm also on anti-anxiety meds for depression. It helps a little bit, not completely obviously, but it does keep me from completely breaking down. I've wanted to see a therapist, but I'm too much of a chicken to sign up for therapy. I've always been a perfectionist and seeing a therapist makes me feel like I'm not perfect (silly I know, but that's how I feel.) So I really don't know if this will help you in any way, but know that you are not alone.

Yeah, I had them bad in High School. Particularly my Senior year, it started towards the end of my Junior year (hm... I wonder what caused it lol [/sarcasm]). I remember one day particularly. It was a day we had a paper due, I had turned my paper in early, and my teacher didn't remember and had apparently lost it. I went back to my seat, wondering what I would do, would she find it? etc. Then soon after that, my heart started pounding, the room started spinning, I went light headed, I'd feel like I need to get out of there, and I felt like I was going to pass out or at least fall out of my chair, and of course, I felt panicky. I clutched my desk and closed my eyes and breathed slowly for a bit, calmed me down, but then it happened again 2 more times in the same class, so I went to the nurse. It happened in the hallway, I hate having them when I'm standing, cuz it makes my legs feel like Jell-O.

Anyways, when you have them, as a quick simple way to get rid of them is to sit down, on a solid surface (I prefer the floor incase I happen to fall over), I'd close my eyes, grab onto something just so I felt "stable", and I'd just breathe slowly. Make sure the people you're with are aware that you have them, and that if you are having one, they need to give you some space. Being surrounded by panicking friends does not help.

But it can get really frustrating when it keeps happening. It happens to me a lot, my mom thinks I have some disorder that brings it up even if I'm not stressed or panicked. I was at a convention(which was a vacation for me) at dinner with some friends at iHop, just relaxing and eating when I got one.

Also... I think benedryl and other allergy medicines might cause them. I noticed that when I took benedryl, I'd have panick attacks.

I used to get really bad panic attacks.  They are so scarey!  I guess that's why they call them "panic" attacks, huh?  :D  Anyway, mine have gotten a lot better.  I hardly have them at all now and they are much less severe.  When they first got bad, I went to a psycologist who gave me klonopin.  Instead of taking them every few hours, I popped two under my tounge when I felt an attack coming.  It got me through for awhile.  But other than drugs, I researched a lot about my panic disorder, let people know I had it and how to react (this makes a big differance, explaination in a sec), learned what my triggers were and how to avoid/control/get used to them, and got a pet.  My cat always knew when they were coming.  If I was at home, he would jump up in my lap and lock eyes with me and just let me pet him.  It kept me a little more attached to reality.  Now, for the telling people....it was embarrassing for me to tell people that I had a "mental issue" but it was better than them not knowing why I would suddenly freak out and assuming I had a much worse one.  I taught them what my triggers were, so if I started to panic, they could get me away from what caused it.  I taught them when I needed space and what calmed me down.  I taught them everything I knew.  Just knowing that someone around me understood and could help me out of whatever situation caused the attack helped lessen the severity.  Also, having one person there that would be paying attention and not let me die helped.  After I had my daughter, things got a lot better.  I don't know if it was a hormone thing or just that I had something to focus on (and that others were focusing on besides me).  I have been attack free for several months now.  Hope this gives you hope that you will not die, and the attacks will get less frequent and less severe if you work on it.  The more you concentrate on the attack, the worse it gets.  This is a "there is nothing to fear but fear itself" thing.  If you learn to not be scared of the attack, it has much less power over you.

I get panic/anxiety attacks. In fact, there is an about.com anxiety/panic attack forum I am a member of also but haven't been there in a really long time. I never had them until a few years ago and they all of a sudden came on out of no where. I had the same feelings as you.....thought for sure I was dying or had some disease or something. I didn't know they were panic attacks until I went to the hospital one day thinking I was dying. It is amazing how fast they get you in when you tell them you are having chest pains and can't breathe. Well after all the tests the doctor told I was having a panic attack. The thing is though I was not stressed out at the time. My life was great. The doctor told me it was a chemical imbalance in my brain and they could come on suddenly any time any place. I don't get them as bad know. I also have xanax with me at all times though. I was not put on any meds permantely. The xanax is only if I feel like I really need one. I haven't taken one in over a year but they did help a lot with an attack. Would totally calm me down and also made me sleepy (side effect).

It sounds like you've got it pretty much under control already... panic attacks don't disappear overnight - they gradually fade away like yours are. It's okay to have moments of anxiety (or even sheer panic) in your day... you're handling them exactly right. Remember - you know from experience that the bad things you're afraid of are not actually going to happen... you've ridden enough of these things out that they're just part of the 'background radiation' of your life rather than a big deal. The less power you give them over your actions, the less of a big deal they become, and the less likely they are to hang around.

Original Post by kapwned:

 

Also... I think benedryl and other allergy medicines might cause them. I noticed that when I took benedryl, I'd have panick attacks.

 Taking allergy medicine doesn't CAUSE a panic attack... but it alters the way your body is working - if it's one that has caffeine/stimulants in it then it makes your heart beat faster and increases your adrenaline and raises your blood pressure a little, and your brain interprets THAT as panic because that's  what  it's used to.

Original Post by kajikit:

Original Post by kapwned:

 

Also... I think benedryl and other allergy medicines might cause them. I noticed that when I took benedryl, I'd have panick attacks.

 Taking allergy medicine doesn't CAUSE a panic attack... but it alters the way your body is working - if it's one that has caffeine/stimulants in it then it makes your heart beat faster and increases your adrenaline and raises your blood pressure a little, and your brain interprets THAT as panic because that's  what  it's used to.

 A panic attack is cause by your brain interpreting those signs as signs of an oncoming panic attack and therefore goes in to fight or flight mode, actually incresing those very things to bring on a panic attack.  The fear of having another panic attack is what tend to bring them on.  That's what I was talking about the fear causing the fear.  So anything that contains a stimulant CAN cause a panic attack.  Some people are more sensitive to this cause than others.  I personally can drink 8 cups of coffee and be fine, but someone standing too close to me sets me off.  Here's a website that explains it a bit better than I can:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/panic-attack s/DS00338

Which is what I was trying to say... panic is a very individual thing  because it's as much psychological as physical. What freaks me out the most might not raise a flicker for you. The basic physical reaction to stress is universal, but the triggers are different for everyone.

I freak out about taking medications - ANY medication. If you gave me a sugar pill and told me it was medicine, I'd most likely have a panic attack the first time I took it. But that doesn't  mean that the pill CAUSED it. My fear of what 'might happen' becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy unless I'm very careful to jump on it hard. I have to account for my anxiety response and not let it stop me from doing what needs to be done. It's the UNKNOWN possible effects that scare the pants off me. But if you take a pill that has a known effect, then that can be accounted for - you can override the panic response and reassure yourself that it's not a mysterious panic, it's a predictable, repeatable, and NORMAL physiological response. 'Okay, my ventolin is expected to make my heart beat faster for awhile, the caffeine in the antihistamine is going to make me jumpy, it's nothing bad... etc.' Personally I prefer to get around the problem by avoiding ALL medications, stimulants etc as much as possible (I NEVER the 'non-drowsy' formula) etc ... but it's not always practical.

I can really relate to this topic.  I'm 17, and have suffered from pretty bad panic attacks since I was 15.  

However, I think that there are definitely methods and ways of overcoming it.  My 'trigger' was feeling trapped, and that if something was to happen I would not be able to leave the room or stage without letting someone down, so pretty much claustrophobia. I was really really worried that this would affect my GCSEs (exams in the UK which are sat at 15/16) and so a family friend who runs a hypnotherapy business offered to treat me.

I was a complete skeptic, but it did work really really well.  I didn't have a single attack during my exams, or for 6 months after.  Since I had the hypnotherapy sessions a year and a half ago, I've only had 2 panic attacks, which is amazing considering at one point I was having them daily. I think the main thing that it helped with wasn't so much stopping the panic attacks, but knowing what to do if I had one, which in turn helped calm me down.

The thing is, once you've managed to talk yourself down from the height of one panic attack without anyone noticing or having to leave the room, I think you do gain confidence because you know you CAN cope, and you're not going to die. The method the hypnotherapist taught me was basically just deep yoga breathing, while repeating the mantra "I am calm, and in control" in my head really slowly, counting to ten in between each repetition.  I know it sounds really tacky, but it worked for me.  

I had my first panic attack when I was driving late at night back to San Diego from Los Angeles. Thought that I was going to Die. Literally, my heart was pounding a million beats a minute and I went all cold. I was in the fast lane and had to quickly merge to the right side almost getting hit 2 times. Good thing I put the hazards on. From then on it's been a roller coaster. I have not had one as sever as the first, but there have been ones that come close and can last about an hour.

Most of the attacks start out small then I think that I am going to die becuase I think my heart is bad. I never went to the Dr because I was scared that they would say that I had a F**ed up heart etc. To calm myseld down I would just walk in slowly in circles then look up heeart attack and panic attach symptoms and upper shoulder pain online. The laster part of looking things up seemed to help. Also playin a queit computer game helped me a lot until I felt safe enough to lie down and go to sleep.

I just went to the Dr this weekend. She told me that I am perfectly healthy and that actually my heart rate is better since it's lower. Said it could be due to the recent running. She also gave me a a safety blanket of Xanax just in case my methods do not work.

I feel your pain and understand the dread your living with. A lot of what I feared is that I would have another one like my first and I would die. I think every person is different. Do what your doing to make yourself feel better. Try relaxing to music, or playing a quiet game on the computer or even mediate. Soon you will find what will work for you. If you need prescription drugs and feel that it will help you, take them. Regardless of what anyone else tells you, you are the only one that truly know what you are feeling and what is best to calm down from this.

I am not sure if you take about 20 - 30 minutes of "just me time" to relax. This may help.

Good luck and let us know your progress.

 

Weird just yesterday I couldn't sleep until 3 AM because I was convinced I felt and heard my heart beating really fast and I could hear it literally pumping in my ears!  I dont know if I was imagning or what but I felt like I was dying and I was so scared I started praying and then I thought Maybe Im pregnant because dont pregnant women have a fast heartbeat and then I feel my heart beating even faster.  Then I started thinking maybe its a lack of protein and my heart muscles are atrophying or osmething and then thats when i REally got scared and ate something with protein (nuts) because I dont eat meat/chicken/fish/eggs......  Honestly Im not diagnosed yet but I really think Iam crazy, at least according to most people I know, Kind of offending but ill live.

Original Post by annabecks26:

A lot of what I feared is that I would have another one like my first and I would die.

She also gave me a a safety blanket of Xanax just in case my methods do not work.

 This is how I felt after having my first one. I haven't had a panic attack in a long time but I do carry my Xanax with me everywhere because I am always afraid I will have one and not be able to calm myself down. Xanax is like my safety blanket. I haven't taken one in about a year and a half.

Yes, I have them. I couldn't say whether they go away or not, because I can go a long time without having one and then out of nowhere one hits. I take an atirax when it happens. Also you can try breathing into your shirt, that helps sometimes.

I had them really bad when I was younger, I couldnt go to school I was pretty much gone. It was horrible and wish to never witness a child go through what I went throught.

The only advise I can give you is that the best way to deal with them is to remind your self that its just an antiety attack and it WILL pass. I take deep breaths and refuse to let my self get worked up. Its very hard but after a while like anything else you get good at it. I didnt read all the post so im not sure if this has been said but I would say if you havent seen a doctor maybe go see one just to reassure your self.

I wish you health and happiness