Anyone ever dealt with panic attacks?

[Cire]

Just had one last week.  awful.  anyone deal with these things?

[michigancat]

No.  What triggered yours?  EMAW hoops?

[WillieWatanabe]

Knew and worked with a guy that had them. Just started having them all of a sudden. Really weird. Sorry dude.

[Cire]

Knew and worked with a guy that had them. Just started having them all of a sudden. Really weird. Sorry dude.

Yeah, it's weird.  Really horrible experience though.  On meds now.  Nothing in particular triggered it.

[steve dave]

Why don't you just settle the eff down?

[DQ12]

I've gotten a few before...specifically when I'm in bed and my mind is racing about different stresses, responsibilities etc.  Ussualy I just try to recognize what it is, get some water, and get up and work on something (cuz Dlew aint getting post PA sleep.)

[felix rex]

Have a family member that got them for a year or so once. Horrible things. Hasn't had them in 3 years though, so...that's good news.

[steve dave]

What happens?  You just start to freak out about stuff that is stressful?  Like grades or something?

[WildCatzPhreak]

Xanax is amazing to deal with them when you first start having them, short term.  You don't want to stay on it for an extended period of time though, very addictive.

Exercise is the best way to deal with them long term, cardio specifically.  Panic attacks are basically your brain triggering your fight or flight response, and your heart starts beating a million miles a minute and you feel like you're going to die if you don't do something to stop it.  Burning the adrenaline pre-emptively prevents that fight or flight response from ever activating, or at least making it much more mild/shorter duration.

[reidrolled]

I've gotten a few before...specifically when I'm in bed and my mind is racing about different stresses, responsibilities etc.  Ussualy I just try to recognize what it is, get some water, and get up and work on something (cuz Dlew aint getting post PA sleep.)

drew! i never knew..............

[weird roberts foam finger]

Xanax is amazing to deal with them when you first start having them, short term.  You don't want to stay on it for an extended period of time though, very addictive.

Exercise is the best way to deal with them long term, cardio specifically.  Panic attacks are basically your brain triggering your fight or flight response, and your heart starts beating a million miles a minute and you feel like you're going to die if you don't do something to stop it.  Burning the adrenaline pre-emptively prevents that fight or flight response from ever activating, or at least making it much more mild/shorter duration.

That's a pretty good explanation.  I got what I think was an anxiety attack after working like 20 days in a row once.  I just all of a sudden couldn't focus anymore and the mere thought of trying to focus freaked me the shazbot! out.  Needed to go for a walk to settle down, then took the rest of the day off.

[felix rex]

What happens?  You just start to freak out about stuff that is stressful?  Like grades or something?

For some people. But the "panic" part of the name is misleading. It gives you a feeling of panic even when there's nothing to panic about, like the good "fight or flight" description. Like how weed can simulate hunger even when you're not actually hungry. Or how the accelerator can get jammed in a Toyota, and suddenly you're all revved up and have no idea WTF is going on.

For some, that's the worst part, because you don't know what's causing it, and other people are all "it's just in your head. settle down." It would be like being trapped in that runaway car while the police are like "Just slow down, dumbass!"

[Cire]

What happens?  You just start to freak out about stuff that is stressful?  Like grades or something?

For some people. But the "panic" part of the name is misleading. It gives you a feeling of panic even when there's nothing to panic about, like the good "fight or flight" description. Like how weed can simulate hunger even when you're not actually hungry. Or how the accelerator can get jammed in a Toyota, and suddenly you're all revved up and have no idea WTF is going on.

For some, that's the worst part, because you don't know what's causing it, and other people are all "it's just in your head. settle down." It would be like being trapped in that runaway car while the police are like "Just slow down, dumbass!"

Went to the doctor and apparently its "General Anxiety Disorder".  comes on when it shouldn't or in non stressful situations.

[Johnny Wichita]

Xanax is amazing to deal with them

One of JW's favorite vitamins. 

[PurpleScarf]

Cire, you can PM me for ideas to help if you'd like. I don't do meds, so I have a few tricks to help. Not all of them involve bourbon.

[steve dave]

Xanax is amazing to deal with them

One of JW's favorite vitamins. 

reminds me that we had a xanax related convo at OKCPak

[pike]

I used to get horrible panic attacks. They are the most frightening experience you will have in your life. Mine are triggered by drinking too much so I don't drink as much as I used to. I take meds now as well and have for the most part been fine since.

The symptoms I would get/sometimes still do get is like this:

Hyperventilation(frightening, feels like your gonna run out of air)
Numbness in chest arms and face (this is a side effect of hyperventilating)
"The feeling of impending doom" - Can't explain it, this is what is triggered after getting other symptoms
Insomnia
Vertigo
Heart palpitations (rapid heart beat, can be scary too)
Tremors in the extremities
"Brain fog" or "Cloudy headiness" - It's a feeling like your in a dream, like everything around you isn't reality. Very surreal

Also, while having anxiety I could not drive, study, type, and hardly talk because I would be freaking out so bad.

i don't get it nearly as bad anymore thanks to celexa and lorezapam(a benzo, like xanax)

[Cire]

I used to get horrible panic attacks. They are the most frightening experience you will have in your life. Mine are triggered by drinking too much so I don't drink as much as I used to. I take meds now as well and have for the most part been fine since.

The symptoms I would get/sometimes still do get is like this:

Hyperventilation(frightening, feels like your gonna run out of air)
Numbness in chest arms and face (this is a side effect of hyperventilating)
"The feeling of impending doom" - Can't explain it, this is what is triggered after getting other symptoms
Insomnia
Vertigo
Heart palpitations (rapid heart beat, can be scary too)
Tremors in the extremities
"Brain fog" or "Cloudy headiness" - It's a feeling like your in a dream, like everything around you isn't reality. Very surreal

Also, while having anxiety I could not drive, study, type, and hardly talk because I would be freaking out so bad.

i don't get it nearly as bad anymore thanks to celexa and lorezapam(a benzo, like xanax)

This is exactly what I have.  I'm on Lorezapam and some other one with an L.  Do you ever get bad ones any more?

[pike]

I haven't had a "bad" one since the fall. I was put on 40mg of Celexa/day and given lorezepam for full blown panic attacks. Since I've been on Celexa I've been able to actually function because before that I couldn't even go out and could barely sit in class.

[nicname]

Had a really bad one at work a couple years ago.  Scary as crap. 

I'm also mild pure-o(pure obsession), and a bit of a hypocondriac. 

I don't take and have never taken any medication, you just have to overcome it imho. 

pure-o = is basically like ocd but without rituals.  for instance if I think about something really bad happening then i cant get it out of my mind.  can be horrible.

I only had probably like two real atacks in my life.  have dealt with hypocondria since i was 12(only two other people know about this) and the pure-o episodes lasted about a year and a half beginning two years ago. 

jfc, i seem like a rough ridin' nutcase,

[WillieWatanabe]

didn't realize there were so many weirdos on the board 

[pike]

didn't realize there were so many weirdos on the board 

Just pray that it never happens to you WW. I wouldn't wish it among my worst enemy, and I'm sure everyone above would agree.

[jmlynch1]

I used to get horrible panic attacks. They are the most frightening experience you will have in your life. Mine are triggered by drinking too much so I don't drink as much as I used to. I take meds now as well and have for the most part been fine since.

The symptoms I would get/sometimes still do get is like this:

Hyperventilation(frightening, feels like your gonna run out of air)
Numbness in chest arms and face (this is a side effect of hyperventilating)
"The feeling of impending doom" - Can't explain it, this is what is triggered after getting other symptoms
Insomnia
Vertigo
Heart palpitations (rapid heart beat, can be scary too)
Tremors in the extremities
"Brain fog" or "Cloudy headiness" - It's a feeling like your in a dream, like everything around you isn't reality. Very surreal

Also, while having anxiety I could not drive, study, type, and hardly talk because I would be freaking out so bad.

i don't get it nearly as bad anymore thanks to celexa and lorezapam(a benzo, like xanax)

Sometimes I get the spins. Same thing?

[felix rex]

I used to get horrible panic attacks. They are the most frightening experience you will have in your life. Mine are triggered by drinking too much so I don't drink as much as I used to. I take meds now as well and have for the most part been fine since.

The symptoms I would get/sometimes still do get is like this:

Hyperventilation(frightening, feels like your gonna run out of air)
Numbness in chest arms and face (this is a side effect of hyperventilating)
"The feeling of impending doom" - Can't explain it, this is what is triggered after getting other symptoms
Insomnia
Vertigo
Heart palpitations (rapid heart beat, can be scary too)
Tremors in the extremities
"Brain fog" or "Cloudy headiness" - It's a feeling like your in a dream, like everything around you isn't reality. Very surreal

Also, while having anxiety I could not drive, study, type, and hardly talk because I would be freaking out so bad.

i don't get it nearly as bad anymore thanks to celexa and lorezapam(a benzo, like xanax)

This is exactly what I have.  I'm on Lorezapam and some other one with an L.  Do you ever get bad ones any more?

Yep. Exactly what the person in my family went through.  Especially, the "feeling of impending doom". They went on Lorezapam which was later downgraded to a real small dose of amitriptyline. Once dated  girl in college who got panic attacks and totally wrote her off as an emotional psycho. Kinda feel bad about it now that I understand it (although she really was a dumpster fire, panic attacks aside).

Remember the episode of the Sopranos where Tony starts getting them? That's totally how I would react if it happened to me.