Do you have panic attacks?

[SheWolf]

I am sorry to hear that some of you had such a difficult time with panic attacks. I have only experienced a few, and I hope it doesn't become a big problem in the future. My stress levels have been going down significantly in the past few days. I have been doing meditation and listening to alpha waves. I have also been talking about and sharing what is stressing me out, and my mom and fiance have been encouraging me to see things more positively. So far, I am getting good results. I am going through a hard time right now, but I know everything is going to be ok.

 

[Superfly]

I am sorry to hear that some of you had such a difficult time with panic attacks. I have only experienced a few, and I hope it doesn't become a big problem in the future. My stress levels have been going down significantly in the past few days. I have been doing meditation and listening to alpha waves. I have also been talking about and sharing what is stressing me out, and my mom and fiance have been encouraging me to see things more positively. So far, I am getting good results. I am going through a hard time right now, but I know everything is going to be ok.

I'm sure no one here would have a problem with you private messaging them if you need help or guidance. I certainly wouldn't mind.

 

[SheWolf]

I'm sure no one here would have a problem with you private messaging them if you need help or guidance. I certainly wouldn't mind.

Thank you. I am not very worried at this point. It seems to be getting better.

 

[Ockham]

I used to have panic attacks and just like the other posters said, they feel just like you're having a heart attack. I used to have pull over on the freeway until it passed. But then I started doing Yoga and the breathing exercise seems to have solved the problem and I haven't had one in years.

The 4-7-8 breathing technique is quite good for stress or for panic attacks. They've helped me especially when during the day, the pressure is on or the stupid just won't stop calling on the phone.

 

[Chagos]

Had the last one about 20 years ago where the propensity for having one spread over more than a year. Spent too much time just worrying instead of seeing somebody about it. Where they were totally inexplicable my mind got around to making all sorts of non-contextual links until auto-suggestion then made them contextual. So being stuck in a situation I couldn't remove myself from quickly set me off. Stopped at a red light, stuck in a plane after take-off, in a department store the further I got away from the exit, walking away from the house and so distancing myself from "safe haven", stuck in the queue at the cash-out in a supermarket.

When it got so bad that I couldn't leave the house anymore to work I called for help. Should have done that much earlier.

After some bad calls I wound up with confrontation therapy. That consists basically of consciously seeking everything that sets it off and then going thru the panic cycle. The attacks can't kill you if you're otherwise healthy, just experiencing that they won't puts a new perspective on things (I'd never heard of panic attacks before, outside of being under enemy fire where it made sense) and actually thought I was losing it.

Proponents of the therapy don't know why it works and how, they just know that it does. The shrinks at the time tended to be very critical but their success rate was much lower.

Basically I regained control, the losing of which was probably my greatest underlying fear. Paradoxically not by taking the bull by the horns as I was pre-disposed to til then, but by letting things happen that I could do nothing about otherwise.

Don't know if that makes sense?

Breathing training accompanied the whole thing as did Tai-Chi, I was no way going on any pills.

 

[DiAnna]

Have you ever had a panic attack? What does a panic attack feel like? What you doing right before you have one?

My doctor thinks I may be experiencing panic attacks, and it would make some sense because I have a lot of stress in my life right now. She ran tests to make sure my heart is healthy, and all the results came back normal.

Just now, I relaxing and talking on the phone and I started to feel really weird and short of breathe.

I've head two full-fledged panic attacks in my life, and both involved being crushed in a crowd of people. Now I'm barely 5' tall, weigh 92 pounds, so when crushed on all sides by sweaty stomachs with seemingly no way out, I just feel as if I'm in a coffin. Claustrophobia on steroids. The first feeling is utter panic, feeling as if I'm going to die... right now!... if I don't get away. I can barely breathe, my pulse is literally pounding inside my skull, my voice gets all raspy and desperate as I try to get people around me to move. Then I "see" myself almost from above as I just start pushing and shoving my way to freedom without the slightest concern about whether I will hurt someone by doing so (that is very unlike me). I have been told at that point that I start making a horse screaming/moaning sound, but I don't remember.

Thank god it's only happened twice. Horrifying loss of control. Very scary.


Edit: I should have read the whole thread, and realized that you meant panic attacks for which there appears to be no immediate cause. Sorry.

 

[SheWolf]

I think that that probably is a panic attack, but it arises from a situation. I always heard of people having panic attacks in certain situations like when speaking in front of huge crowds or being in a tight enclosure. I thought that that was all a panic attack was, which is why I was confused I was having symptoms while my mind is calm.

What you described does sound very scary. I have had that crushing feeling at concerts, and I refuse to participate in Black Sunday sales because of stories I have heard.

I've head two full-fledged panic attacks in my life, and both involved being crushed in a crowd of people. Now I'm barely 5' tall, weigh 92 pounds, so when crushed on all sides by sweaty stomachs with seemingly no way out, I just feel as if I'm in a coffin. Claustrophobia on steroids. The first feeling is utter panic, feeling as if I'm going to die... right now!... if I don't get away. I can barely breathe, my pulse is literally pounding inside my skull, my voice gets all raspy and desperate as I try to get people around me to move. Then I "see" myself almost from above as I just start pushing and shoving my way to freedom without the slightest concern about whether I will hurt someone by doing so (that is very unlike me). I have been told at that point that I start making a horse screaming/moaning sound, but I don't remember.

Thank god it's only happened twice. Horrifying loss of control. Very scary.


Edit: I should have read the whole thread, and realized that you meant panic attacks for which there appears to be no immediate cause. Sorry.

 

[EthanCarter454]

I used to have panic attacks and just like the other posters said, they feel just like you're having a heart attack. I used to have pull over on the freeway until it passed. But then I started doing Yoga and the breathing exercise seems to have solved the problem and I haven't had one in years.

Well said.

 

[Moot]

Well said.

Your first post, too. Thanks and welcome to DP.

 

[fmw]

Have you ever had a panic attack? What does a panic attack feel like? What you doing right before you have one?

My doctor thinks I may be experiencing panic attacks, and it would make some sense because I have a lot of stress in my life right now. She ran tests to make sure my heart is healthy, and all the results came back normal.

Just now, I relaxing and talking on the phone and I started to feel really weird and short of breathe.

My panic attacks resulted from a body chemistry disorder. It is under control with a prescribed drug. The attacks caused me to feel like I was suffocating. I would pace endlessly in hopes of wearing myself out to stop it. Sometimes it would take an hour or more of pacing. The chemical imbalance, in my case, didn't show up in a blood test or urinalysis because I was never tested during an attack when my brain would release the chemical in question. I would explore more possibilities with the doctor. If your condition is like mine, then it is completely manageable.

 

[SheWolf]

My panic attacks resulted from a body chemistry disorder. It is under control with a prescribed drug. The attacks caused me to feel like I was suffocating. I would pace endlessly in hopes of wearing myself out to stop it. Sometimes it would take an hour or more of pacing. The chemical imbalance, in my case, didn't show up in a blood test or urinalysis because I was never tested during an attack when my brain would release the chemical in question. I would explore more possibilities with the doctor. If your condition is like mine, then it is completely manageable.

I am glad you are doing better.

 

[humbolt]

Never have had one. Prolly caused some though. That's not intentional - it's just me being me. So don't get excited if the tree I'm cutting down lands near the house. It didn't hit it. Hit the car instead. Whew. Close one.

 

[Andalublue]

Have you ever had a panic attack? What does a panic attack feel like? What you doing right before you have one?

My doctor thinks I may be experiencing panic attacks, and it would make some sense because I have a lot of stress in my life right now. She ran tests to make sure my heart is healthy, and all the results came back normal.

Just now, I relaxing and talking on the phone and I started to feel really weird and short of breathe.

Yes, I've experienced them a couple of occasions in my life, both at times of stress at work. Mine usually showed themselves first thing in the morning. I was having bad dreams also brought on by the stress and I'd wake up suddenly, with a gasp and my heart would be racing and I'd feel... well, panicked, obviously. I'd gasp for breath but work hard to calm myself down and slowly the adrenaline rush of panic would dissipate and I'd be left with a horrible feeling of dread and lethargy, making it hard to get out of bed.

The old breathe into a paper bag did kinda work for me, stopped me hyperventilating.

On both occasions I took these attacks as a sign that I really needed to change jobs, so I did. The attacks went away.

 

[fmw]

I am glad you are doing better.

Thanks. It is completely under control now. The drug that controls it is habit forming so I have a bit of a commitment to it but I've only had a couple of attacks over the past 10 years. Talk more with the physician. There is no need to put up with panic.

 

[SheWolf]

Thanks. It is completely under control now. The drug that controls it is habit forming so I have a bit of a commitment to it but I've only had a couple of attacks over the past 10 years. Talk more with the physician. There is no need to put up with panic.

It's a great idea to think medication would make them completely stop. I wish everybody could just take medication and it would go away.

The only symptom I have been having lately is a pressure in my chest and it feels like my heart slows down and then starts to beat fast. I just take some deep breathes in, and it starts to go away. I was wearing a heart monitor when it happened, and they did not detect any heart issues. It is very comforting to know my heart is fine.

Sometimes I can feel immense stress in my body, muscles, and chest. I think my body takes more stress than my mind. I tend to NOT spend a lot of time in stressful thoughts or negative thinking. For me, I guess the panic attacks is another way my body is getting overwhelmed with stress. I try to run, walk, or exercise when my body is feeling stressed.

 

[fmw]

It's a great idea to think medication would make them completely stop. I wish everybody could just take medication and it would go away.

The only symptom I have been having lately is a pressure in my chest and it feels like my heart slows down and then starts to beat fast. I just take some deep breathes in, and it starts to go away. I was wearing a heart monitor when it happened, and they did not detect any heart issues. It is very comforting to know my heart is fine.

Sometimes I can feel immense stress in my body, muscles, and chest. I think my body takes more stress than my mind. I tend to NOT spend a lot of time in stressful thoughts or negative thinking. For me, I guess the panic attacks is another way my body is getting overwhelmed with stress. I try to run, walk, or exercise when my body is feeling stressed.

Sounds like your panic isn't a chemical disorder like mine. I'm not sure how you treat stress. Perhaps your doctor has some suggestions. For an old timer like me a warm hot chocolate and a nap can do the trick.

 

[Riveroaks]

It's a great idea to think medication would make them completely stop. I wish everybody could just take medication and it would go away.

The only symptom I have been having lately is a pressure in my chest and it feels like my heart slows down and then starts to beat fast. I just take some deep breathes in, and it starts to go away. I was wearing a heart monitor when it happened, and they did not detect any heart issues. It is very comforting to know my heart is fine.

Sometimes I can feel immense stress in my body, muscles, and chest. I think my body takes more stress than my mind. I tend to NOT spend a lot of time in stressful thoughts or negative thinking. For me, I guess the panic attacks is another way my body is getting overwhelmed with stress. I try to run, walk, or exercise when my body is feeling stressed.

As FDR once said, the only thing to fear is fear itself. Fear can be paralyzing and you must learn to control your fear and not let fear control you.

The medications I use are gin, rum, tequila, whisky and wine. I avoid vodka though. And beer causes gout in old age.

My dosages are one drink per weekday. More on Fridays. None on Saturdays or Sundays.

 

[Riveroaks]

Sounds like your panic isn't a chemical disorder like mine. I'm not sure how you treat stress. Perhaps your doctor has some suggestions. For an old timer like me a warm hot chocolate and a nap can do the trick.

Stress must be kept in check. Everyone has a stress limit of some sort and if you exceed it then it can kill you.

The best treatment for stress is exercise. I like riding my mountain bike for several hours.

The second best is a shot or two of whisky or a glass or two of wine.

Coffee tea and hot chocolate are stimulants and not a good idea for stress -- these are rather antidepressants. Coffee tea and hot chocolate will cheer you up if you are feeling bad. Of the 3 of them coffee works best and costs least.