Panic Attacks

Anybody here have em? Has anyone had success getting rid of them? I've been to the doctors, the only thing that seems to help is Xanax. For me it's feelings of doom, like your heart is going to stop and your going to die.
But that's been checked and all was fine. Any suggestions would help. :shrug:

Bourbon, lots of bourbon.

Just kidding. I don't have panic attacks per say on a regular basis and never have but I have experienced them a few times in my life, a couple times completely out of the blue. At any rate I feel for you if this is a regular occurrence.

I found that those few times it happened I just had to stop, take several deep breaths, mutter I Tan I Epi Taas to my self and accept what will be will be.

I realize that's not much help but due to the fact that this is such a personal and mental thing I think everybody needs to find their own way to handle them.

By the way I Tan I Epi Tas is ancient greek for "With My Shield, or On It" This was a phrase used when going to battle that meant you would return either with your shield or being carried on it. If one ran away from battle they would typically drop their shield first hence they would not return home with the shield, hence cowardice. For me it simply means suck it up, you don't have to like it you just have to do it. It's my way of working up courage so to speak whether that courage is needed to do something literally dangerous or simply something like giving a presentation or going for a test at the doctors or something.

At any rate, life is too short and you're dead a long time. Try not to sweat the small stuff.......and good bourbon is a thing of medicinal beauty.

Take care, good luck, I am sure you will work through it either with or without drugs.

Chris

c'mon now if you wantfree help from dr. candlequacker you have to give more info; are the attacks associated with or triggered by anything in particular some event , location, or behavior? If so I would advise some sort of desensitization therapy.
do you have insomnia?
have you discussed taking an anti-depressant such as zoloft with your doc?

Don't know of any triggers, no insomnia as I sleep very well 99% of the time. Have tried Zoloft, Buspar, Prozac and Lexapro. Cannot tolerate the side effects of the melatonin drugs. Xanax (a tranquilizer) does work but
takes about 40 minutes to start working. When you feel panicky that's an
eternity. I've had them for 7 or 8 years now and they are getting old.

Valium. 5mg. Works for me. When they are really bad, I wash down the Valium with a shot of SoCo. (NOT recommended!!! Do NOT try that at home!!! It is BAD!! VERY, VERY BAD!!!)... Anyway, with Valium you can "self-medicate"... meaning you only take it when needed rather than having to take an anti-depressant every single day whether you need it or not and have to deal with the side effects of anti-depressants (impotency) and then have to wean yourself on and off of it. (30 5mg Valium lasts me 6 months)

Do the Valium make you real sleepy or take the edge off?

blasphemer!! diluting your SoCo (Southern Comfort) with Valium!!

actually xanax is supposed to be shorter acting than valium, .5mg (point five mg) would be about equal to 5mg valium..

impotentency is not necessarily a side effect of anti-depressants.
have you tried lower doses, (ie 25-50 mg a day for Zoloft) ? -- they can be effective too. the panic attacks may be a result of a condition that an antidepressant could help with..

old hat but can be effective; breathing into a paper bag; the build up of CO2 tells your brain to calm down..as does lying down in a horizontal position.

also it couldn't hurt to try a Clor-trimeton ($.35 a pill for brand name) (or a generic chlorpheniramine maleate $.04 pill..) at bedtime. it seems to help, you can look it up.

42 now but had a panic attack at 40. Didn't know what it was but thought I was having a heart attack...

My main problem was chest-back-side pain including pain when I ate...

Went to general doctor thinking it was a heart attack, then sent me to gastroenterologist and he found nothing wrong, then sent to interventionist cardiologist. Went to high school with him, he laughed while looking at all the test I've been through (EKG, Blood work, Gallbladder x-ray, Endoscopy, ph nose test, Cat-scan upper and lower (not a piece of plac in my veins)...etc)


Diagnoses was STRESS

Cardiologist Put me on Lexapro and told me not to come back if I didn't take it... Made me a little groggy at first and had some sexual side effects I had to work through. I got used to it after 3 months of taking it. It Took away the few panic attacks & most of the pain and put me back to work. I used to laugh when people said they had panic attacks. Not any more... I thought I was perfectly fine with just a little stress and wham-oooo. Stress effects people differently but can be very powerful given ones tolerance and age... Took me 3 doctors to get some relief but finally got some...


Cheers

I had them and Valium has really helped! The worst would be waking in the middle of the night sweating, freaking and heart racing!!! With Valium, I now have control over my life and attcks! I would have one just thinking about where i'll be when one stikes!

MARNAV1 said:

Anybody here have em? Has anyone had success getting rid of them? I've been to the doctors, the only thing that seems to help is Xanax. For me it's feelings of doom, like your heart is going to stop and your going to die.
But that's been checked and all was fine. Any suggestions would help. :shrug:

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I hear ya!! 5mg works for mild.. I go 10-15mmg for the "Crazy rip your hair out" attack!

30 of them last me about a month and I only take them as needed. Def. a god send!

Sasha said:

Valium. 5mg. Works for me. When they are really bad, I wash down the Valium with a shot of SoCo. (NOT recommended!!! Do NOT try that at home!!! It is BAD!! VERY, VERY BAD!!!)... Anyway, with Valium you can "self-medicate"... meaning you only take it when needed rather than having to take an anti-depressant every single day whether you need it or not and have to deal with the side effects of anti-depressants (impotency) and then have to wean yourself on and off of it. (30 5mg Valium lasts me 6 months)

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Klonopin is a Benzo like Valium but has less sedation and less amnesiatic effect. It has a very long biological half-life and is routinely used to treat seizures. It has been use with great success in treating anxiety dissorders. My sister was completely incapacitated by panic attacks about 10 years ago. She tried Valium and Xanax and said the side effects were worse than the panic attacks, she became a hermit. A Psychiatrist eventually prescribed Klonopin and she has almost completely eliminated the attacks and now functions normally with almost no side effects, YMMV.

Mine have been getting less frequent, fortunately. They were closely associated with losing my mother and living alone in a house for the first time in my life. I self medicated myself, but that didn't help. Or maybe I'm having anxiety attcks. Is that the same thing? Anyway, nothing bad ever happened, so I was worrying about nothing.

Instead of medicating or boozing why dont you go to a shrink?

A couple of friends had panic attacks and therapy was their way out of the problem, therapy may include drugs, but they are closely followed by the professional...

Good luck and try to relax!


Pablo

If the Xanax was prescribed by a GP or your primary care physician, and you're on an HMO, you might want to ask the doctor if he/she could refer you to a psychiatrist (not a psychologist or mental health counselor, they can't prescribe medication.)

If the Xanax was purchased through some web site or e-mail spam, and self-prescribed, then you'll want to see your physician at your earliest convenience.

MARNAV1 said:

Any suggestions would help. :shrug:

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PEU said:

Instead of medicating or boozing why dont you go to a shrink?

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I concur... with one change. See a psycologist or family counselor rather than a psychiatrist (MD). A family counselor will be more inclined to get to the root of the attacks rather than just throw drugs at them. That's how I ended up with Valium and I'm soooooooo glad!!! And that's also why 30 pills will last me 6 months. No, I don't have any problems with drowsiness or goofiness... no forgetfullness either. I was actually surprised and even brought it up to my doctor how I would get so "spun" with these attacks and take a Valium and within 30 minutes, everything was so clear and I was able to focus on my work with an attention that someone with OCD would envy! It is really kind of weird... for me, it is a "clarity" pill... and only when I need it.

Another thing you may want to consider is the amount of physical exercise you get on a daily basis. I find that now that I can get out in my pool every day, I'm alot calmer and the "impending doom" (yes, I know EXACTLY what you mean!!!) comes around less and less. I DO have insomnia... (if I get 5 hours in a night, I'm doing fantastic!)... and the exercise helps with that as well.

Also... look into a good Vitamin B Complex that is a "stress formula". This has also helped to reduce the frequency of my attacks.

And... alcohol is NOT a good idea... regardless of what I posted earler... Alcohol is a depressant... and while it may knock down the anxiety (yes, it's the same as panic), it really does make things alot worse. Don't do it... um... speaking from experience here... k? 'Nuff said.

Oh... and btw... I'm a certified pharmacy tech... just so ya know...

i take strong dosages of serequel and zolft it dont work for me at all.i still pretty much hate people and dont trust em.but i take baby steps and do the shrink thing.used to be on clazpam or something but it was not my thing it made me feel like i was on drugs

i should calify i hate bing around people and i will panic if around more then 2 people.ya realy should go to drs there is like 4000 psych meds now.zolft is good for most pople and it just went to genric

+1 for Klonopin. Tried Zoloft, Buspar, Lexapro and Paxil - couldn't tolerate the side effects. They make a 0.25 low-dose Klonopin wafer that you can dissolve under your tongue and they work pretty quick and do a great job for me. Stuff like going to the dentist or traveling on a plane used to freak me out - not anymore.

Sasha is right, you'll also need to see a psychologist or a para-professional therapist in addition to the psychiatrist. Thanks to our current medical insurance system, psychiatrists mostly manage medication these days and it's not likely that you'll find a psychiatrist will also engage in the therapy that you'll need to address the issues that are the root of your anxiety.

Sasha said:

See a psycologist or family counselor rather than a psychiatrist (MD).

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It's nice to see how these medications have worked wonders for so many sufferers here. It can be an emancipating feeling to suddenly have one's life given back, and surprising to learn how simple it might be to make this happen.

I also agree with the recommendation to see a psychologist. This can indeed help to find a more homeopathic way to manage the panic attacks.

Don't overlook the obvious either - if you're drinking a lot of caffeinated beverages, go easier on them.