panic attack

[debj52]

hi,i was sitting here playing agame and my foot was hurting and the calf was hurting and all of a sudden i felt something wash over me,i thought i was going to pass out.....anyone have this to?....thanks ahead of time....deb

[conegallery]

I've learned that the subconsious has alot to do with panic disorders.... the front part of your brain starts the problem with negative self talk which triggers the symptoms. and to address this kind of thing... what I've learned to do is .. first sign things are not feeling right stop and think about what you are or have just been saing to yourself...

then close your eyes.. take a deep breath.. hold it and then release it slowly.. do this twice... then with your eyes still closed listen to the sounds you are hearing outside yourself (be in the now) Then imagine one of those old style tape recorders that you could push the button on and rewind.. reach out with your mind (imagination pushing down on the rewind button and if you can't imagine it just reach out physically and pretend to push the button) repeat to yourself the negative talk.. look at it... then push that rewind button again ...only this time tell youself something positive that relates to what you were thinking..

such as: If you were thinking of death or illness and it started to panic you... tell yourself "I cannot control everything that happens in life, I am alive now..might as well keep living for as long as I can" ..

I do this a couple of times.. rewinding the tape.. looking at the negatve talk again.. repeating the rewinding and new thinking and then thank my subconsious for helping me notice the negative self talk and ask in 3rd person if my sobconscious would continue to work with me to let me know when I'm not thinking in a healthy way... since obviously the subconscious is me..

You'd be surprised how your subconscious mind can really be helpful... since in truth it's at least as smart as your frontal lobe who tries to run everything, when the subconscious has proven itself your entire life .. that it actually does the running of things automatically, like all your vital functions and even heals you when you get hurt... so.. it's actually smarter than your executive mind..

Just an idea  that has helped me tremendously to recognitively retrain the way I think.

[Lhrlnd]

I like your comments at the start of this thread and they work!

UInfortunately they're not always available. I suffer from Social Anxiety and clinical depression. I also work in a bank with 80 - 100 people working in my department :¬/ so these aren't always possible to do.

My panic attacks normally start with breathing and move to sweats / prickly skin. Then I get paranoid about my profuse sweatign which amplifies it, my heart races and I go into a cold dark place almost out of body experience. This can be particulary bad as I get rooted to the spot (it feels like some force is stopping me from running away or screaming out).

I've actually been desperate to goto the toilet for some 4 hours before but been petrified to move and not gone.

I've been on various anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medication before and some work a little (Citalopram) and some just made me want to kill myself (seroxat). I've also been to doctors, specialists, psycologists & psychiatrists too.

Has anyone else had such severity? I'm at my wits end and suffering in silence now! I regularly think about suicide and day dream about death in my family and dying. I know I'm not normal but feel I cannot talk to anyone apart from Doctors and they just see me as a guinnie pig.

[debj52]

thanks very much for the info ...its appreciated for sure.....come to think of it if i get scared i get pin ***** feeling all thru my hands....never figured out why it would do that..take care ....deb

ps thanks again

[jensequitur]

Deb, the symptoms you're experience can cause panic - after all, your brain is telling you there's something wrong.  You know there's something wrong.  It's perfectly natural to be panicking.

There's also a possibility that whatever is wrong is causing your panic, or symptoms that make you feel as if you're panicking.  Rapid heartrate, shortness of breath, cold face and hands, a feeling of pinpricks in the face and hands...  all these are panic attack symptoms, and I've had these symptoms without any sensation of actual panic.  One time I woke up from a nap and started with the shortness of breath and rapid heartrate.  I also get the same sensations if I'm just sitting around playing a computer game, for instance.

There are several calming techniques that work to reduce your heart rate.  Try breathing through your nose and out through your mouth, counting two seconds every time (one-thousand-one, one-thousand-two.)  Close your eyes and imagine a flower opening, petal by petal.  Any distraction will work, but visualization and monitored breathing work the best for relaxing you.

[debj52]

hi sorry allmost forgot your question...i dont believei did but i went straight to prozac i believe ...memory isnt that great any more......sorry ....deb

[debj52]

thank you so much....it means a lot for you and all to answer me....i had a panic attack or something about 15 years ago ...i thought i was having a heart attack...last nite it was something washed over me(maybe fear)but after i moved around and was flapping my arms at my dh ..i calmed down...that poor man has been thru a lot because of me...has anyone had the blurry eyes set in when it gets dark out?...just wondering ...thanks again ...((((((BIG HUGS TO ALL))))))))))......deb

[spastic]

Hey Sweetie, I have had some bad panic attacks in the past, the bad ones always felt like a deep heat was rushing out from me.  I have also had panic attacks in public because I'm clausterphobic, if I am standing in line at a store and there is a lot of people surrounding me, I get a clammy hand, heart pounding, dizziness sensation and I have to get out of there quick.  I have had that for years but I am the youngest of 9 and they liked to torment me when I was a kid so I naturally blame them for that, :)  

I take Xanax for that and it also helps with the muscle spasticity I have.  They are quick acting, if you keep getting these you might want to ask your doctor for some to try, they don't like to prescribe it though because it is a controlled substance.  But it is well worth the trouble.  If I am having a bad attack, I slip one under my tongue and let it melt, it tastes nasty but the results are quicker than letting it dissolve in the stomach.

I do have to say this though, beware when you have a dx of panic attacks, Doctors are quicker to say symptoms are from anxiety than exploring further.  I think sometimes because I have had that dx, it put up a big wall for me to climb when my body decided to fail me.  I even had a neuro write a letter to my pcp telling him he thought my symptoms were due to anxiety and stress and wouldn't even look at my legs when the first started bothering me.  I know now his dx was wrong but am thoroughly torked off at him for stating that in his letter.  Just advise of caution, Sweetie.

If you need to talk, I am here.

Many Hugs,

Ada

[6-paq]

Ughh.... it's funny you mention the weight gain.  That's the main reason why I decided to taper myself off the Lexapro!!!

Did you taper off of it?  If so, did you have any side effects with the taper? Do you have any words of wisdom??

Take care, Pat :)

[debj52]

hi thanks for responding ...yes im on fluxetine(prozac)....i used to be on lexapro but i gained to much weight.....take care ....deb

[6-paq]

I've had that happen too.  I have also had the panic attacks and anxiety.  I'm currently on Lexapro for them.

I have noticed that my body reacts differently to panic since I've been on the Lexapro.  I get more of the experience that you had when I feel something overcome my body and I feel very lightheaded.  It worried me at first, but when I realized what it was, I can control it better.

Before Lexapro, my panic attacks were more the palpations, etc.

Are you on any medication like Lexapro that could cause the same experience?

Take care, Pat :)

[debj52]

thanks...deb

[santana8]

You are welcome. I am here if you need to talk or anything just let me know!  I hope you feel better!  Try not to worry too much, because things have a way of working themselves out eventually!  I struggle with worries like this everyday, and have started to try to get myself focused on something else when the worry gets to intense!  It seems to work for me!

Take Care
Santana

[debj52]

hi santana ,i think your right,i have been worrying a lot about my health and it just finally overwelmed me i guess....i guess i'm worried the pain in my calf may be a blood clot ...so it did me in:).....but im better now...and also it seems at night my vision in my right eye gets blurry   so i just built it up to panic....thanks for being there you and quix.....deb

[santana8]

The panic attacks I described to you was one of the more sevier one that I have had before. Sometimes I only have mild ones without palpatations, and some times I only have a feeling come over me , kind of like you described, that only lasts for a few minuets. I think these type are pretty common, even in people who do not have a panic disorder. Sounds like you may have been worring about all of the hard things that  you have been through lately and maybe this provoked the mild panic attack. But, if you continue to have them, then you should tell your doctor.
Santana

[debj52]

hi,,i had no palpatations but all of a sudden i had this feeling wash over me ,i mean it started from my feet and went straight up......scared the devil out of me......but im better now,thank you so much for responding....take care ...deb

[debj52]

hi thanks for responding....im not sure but i dont think its very far apart...and no at this time im not dxd and dont have insurance so have to wait and hope i get ssd....i pray i get it,and hope you are feek\ling allright...  

i guess i just sit around and think of all that is going wrong with me and i had an attack....thanks again....deb

[Quixotic1]

I can't tell from your description whether this was a panic attack, or simply an episode of hyperventilation.   If you just suddenly felt like you were going to faint, but did not have the palpitations, generalized fear or fear that you were dying, you may have begun hyperventilating from the pain.  Can you tell us a little more about what you went through?

Quix

[santana8]

Yes, I have had panic attacks most of my life, as far back as I can remember. I have a panic disorder. When I get scared or startled about  something it seems to provoke it. They do come on suddenely and intensify with fear. There are a lot of things you can do to help them go away sooner. I feel like I can't   breathe when I have one and my heart races and I get a cold sweat and sometimes tingleing in face and hands. I have found that controling my breathing by putting a little pressure on my diaframe either with a pillow or by holing my arm in close to my stomach and also lying in a bent fetal position helps the breathing. A cold wash clothe to your face and neck, and most importantly is to distract your thoughts away  from the panic attack. I walk around my house and look for something else to focus on, like reading something or anything at all to direct my thoughts away from the attack. This maked it go away faster. If you become more scared then the panic attack intensifies. I am also on anxiety medication for this, but even with the medicine if I become worried or stressed or overly scared over something I still have these sometimes, but they are not as strong as before the medication was added.

Hey, I noticed that you are from Tennessee too! I don't know how far Cookeville is from Sevierville, but  I am thinking it is not too far! Do you know how close they are from eachother? I see a neuro in Knoxville, is this where you go too?

Hope this helps you some!

Santana