Anxiety/ Panic Attacks

CandyAshes

Not sure if its the right room... I get panic/ anxiety attacks. Thought I pretty much had them under control. Doctor gave me some ativan for emergency use if I get one that I can't calm myself down. Well today I was out for a long walk, ended up stopping to talk to a friend and all of a sudden I had an attack. Managed to calm myself down and walked back to the house. I was just wondering if anyone else on here gets them and what do you do to help control them or deal with them? Thank you for your time and input.

noiinteam

zoloft and ativan for emergency. once on zoloft only need ativan when i fly.... unless ppl have panic attacks they have no idea what it feels like

macpatti

Anxiety runs in my family. I had my first attack when I was about your age. The best advice I can give you is to talk to a therapist about how you can handle your anxiety with bio feedback. Meds are great, too, and I would never discourage anyone from taking them (I take Buspar). I find the bio feedback and breathing really helps when I feel anxious. I haven't had an "attack" in a while, but I know how horrid they can be. PM me if you want t o talk more about my experiences.

ramgi

Hi! I started getting them a few years ago. I only panic when I'm abroad. I'm half asleep and I am so afraid because I'm not in my own room. It sounds weird but I feel like I'm going to die. Last year I went on a cruise with my family and I was able to calm myself down. I told myself that I paid for this cruise and I want to be stuck in the middle of no where. I had to try and think logically and not give into my feelings.

HellsKells

Same thing for me. Thought I had them under control, but recently they started sprouting up again randomly, some completely out of the blue.

I have a prescription for Ativan as well, and take those when I can (assuming I have some on me). If I can't get to those, I try to breathe through them and find a quiet place where I can try to meditate a bit. Sometimes that helps, but sometimes, I just have to keep myself in check until I can get to the meds.

That's probably not much help, but looks like you're not alone anyway.

mceldows83

I haven't made this very public, but my anxiety has hit hard over the past month and I have basically become a shut in. I get outside to the pool area maybe once a week, but I always take my music with me so that I can drown out the outside world. I have been trying to get a handle on my problem by taking natural herbs and minerals, but I think I might have to go soon to talk to a professional. Right now it is running my life and I need to be back in control so that I can get my goals and dreams back. My attacks are random and severe. The happen at least once a day and I feel weak, even though I am not, just because it affects me so much.

KatieMae75

Add me to the panic club. I've honestly found that since I've started working out, it's not happening as frequently. When it does happen, I'm better able to work through it. For the most part, I've learned to step back and evaluate the situation when I feel anxiety coming on, before it turns to full on panic. Panic attacks are physical, it's the "fight or flight" response of the body. Sometimes things in our brain can get screwy and ready the body for danger that isn't there.

When you start to feel that flutter (you know exactly what I mean, I'm sure), stop and ask yourself a few questions: Am I being threatened by someone/something? (No) What specifically am I worried about right now? Is not taking care of that something causing an immediate problem? (No). Keep asking yourself these questions to evaluate the trigger and you'll likely find that it's a false danger alarm. Once you realize there is no threat, take a few deep breaths and keep telling yourself you're OK. If the anxiety is kicking mostly when you are away from home, do your best to work through it and not run from the situation. If you leave the situation, go home and calm down, your mind will begin to reinforce the idea that home is the only safe place, which can in turn lead to agoraphobia (I believe the clinical diagnosis is agoraphobia with panic attacks). Sometimes getting out of the situation may be the only solution, but you want to avoid doing that when ever it's possible.

Uhhh...sorry for the ramble, hope some of that helps

caraiselite

i do low carb. it has helped immensely with anxiety. (and insomnia for the most part!)
st. johns wort may help.

i wish you luck.

CandyAshes

thank you everyone for making me feel not so alone... im able to calm myself down quicker than i used to. but you do get those feelings like you're going to die or pass out. i get to the point that sometimes theyre so bad that i just lay down, even if im at the mall i just lay on the bench no matter how embarrassing, i get myself calm then i get some gatorade and if i need it i take an ativan. Usually at that point i feel so weak and tired and just want to cry or sleep. im hoping that becoming more active (hopefully i can keep it up) will help me to control it more. the doctor i had gone to see who gave me ativan said that im doing a good job only taking the ativan in an emergency. my dad gets panic attacks, we found out when he went into convulsions when he took my brother and mom to the hospital, he's lucky that i know what to do if he has a panic attack

shaynak112

Yeah I get panic attacks too . I'm talking with a therapist too about it and she's pretty helpful.
Taking GABA daily helped me not be so anxious. Maybe look into that?

minnesota_deere

i get them because of work, been self employed my entire life, now work for a major corp. i never know when i am going to get axed. and that drives me to panic when i make a mistake, i call my wife and she talks me down off the cliff.

kayleesays

I have GAD and used to frequently have panic attacks. I usually need to get up and remove myself from a situation and wait until it passes, I've found no other way. Thankfully, I'm at a better place in my life now and get them less often. School exacerbated them a lot.

diddyk

Add me to the club. I've had anxiety for years and have panic attacks periodically. The weirdest times. Rode the train for years, had one panic attack on the train and now every time I get on I feel like passing out. Grocery store lineups? Yea don't do that anymore. They make me panic.

Exercise has helps control it a bit, knowing how to breath through it is helpful.

I'm also on meds, mirtazapine and clonazepam.

IndigoVA

Mine started as a postpartum depression/anxiety after having my son (who is now almost 3). For the longest time I tried to deal with it without medication. I actually did try Buspar in the beginning, and that made it worse, which is probably why I became so anti-med. Finally, about 2 months ago, I decided to try meds again because my disorder was getting progressively worse. I started on a low dose and Zoloft, and it has been a life changer for me! I still get the occasional panic attack, but they're not as strong and don't happen nearly as often.

wgn4166

I get panic attacks a few times a week. I am on Xanax 2 mg. I take a whole tab to sleep, but half if Im having a panic attack. they suck

LorinaLynn

I don't get them much anymore, and not as bad as I used to, but right after my Mom died (she was hospitalized for 4 months, mostly in ICU) I would get them seemingly randomly. I've come to realize that there's certain things that trigger them in me. Kind of like a PTSD response. Mostly noises that sound like hospital monitors or alarms, like beeping. Even the beeping of a truck backing up bugged the hell out of me. It still affects me, but instead of a full blown attack, I get intensely irritable.

Strangely, recognizing it as anxiety is what helped me a lot. I'm able to convince myself that it's my condition that making me feel that way, not a real stress, danger or threat.

And regular exercise. Running is my Xanax.

sueannerojas

bump

Goal_Seeker_1988

I had them back in 2006 which lasted for about 6 months. Worse 6months of my life was in and out of the doctors every week dealing with them. They tried putting me on meds but I ended up getting anxiety from taking them. Finally in Dec. 2006 I refused to allow myself to start 2007 suffering from anxiety so everytime I'd have an attack I talked myself out of it. Till finally I stopped getting them.

Meggles63

I started getting them when I was pregnant. I assume that it was hormonal, because they went away each time after my last 2 babies; however, I occasionally feel like I'm getting one....I'm close to menopause, so that may again mean hormones. I'm not on any meds now; I find that running helps me get my mind back together.

I feel ya, hon! If someone has never had an attack, they can't understand the agony...I literally felt like I was going to die!.

Good luck...I hope you get some relief soon!

jonesygetshealthy

i do low carb. it has helped immensely with anxiety. (and insomnia for the most part!)
st. johns wort may help.

i wish you luck.

Hmm, now that I think about it, lowering my carb intake sort of has a correlation with my panic attacks decreasing. Maybe give it a try?

d5d14m66

I've had panic attacks off and on since I was 12 (I'm in my mid-40s). At one point, I was having them weekly and each episode lasted an hour and a half. I have low-dose Xanax, but have learned to deal with the symptoms and rarely need the pills.

One thing that helps me is to move around, to work off the extra adrenaline that's rushing through my system. Since many of my attacks come in the middle of the night, I usually jog in place while watching TV.

Another thing has helped me tremendously is to go to this site and read about the symptoms. It sounds funny, but it calms me to see in print that what I'm experiencing is normal: http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/articles/symptoms/

Prayer doesn't hurt, either -- not just the desperate "help me not die" kind, but praying for others -- anything to get my mind off me.

Good luck!