Panic attacks and dissociative symptoms

zebasschick · March 2023

i used to have horrendous panic attacks. i would wake up in the night repeatedly, dry mouth and heart pounding and overwhelmed with fear. i developed fear when walking up stairs, which i was unable to do for some time, and at one point, i was unable to drive due to an overwhelming dread.

i tried supplements, which didn't help for a while, i used valium or xanax to take the edge of, tiny doses. they did work to some degree, but what really helped was treating myself better. i dumped the job that was burning me out past human endurance - they needed 3 people to replace me! - and dumped my drama ex-BF. but what improved for me was taking more time to relax, listening to relaxation recordings - after finding ones that worked for me. learning to be very kind and very gentle with myself, avoiding high-stress situations that weren't actually needed. spending time reading for the joy of it. watching non-dramatic shows, particularly i couldn't handle suspense during those years. just nurtured myself till i was happier and have done my best to keep doing so.

everyone is different, but a friend recommended me these books, and the one that really helped me was "Facing Codependence" by pia mellody although "Codependent No More" by melody beattie was also helpful. i cried when i started "facing codependence" - i had never heard of codependence (which wasn't a thing back then), and so much of it hit home for me. it was - for me - a life changer, and i mean that literally. it helped me find a path that has changed my life.

good luck to you, and i hope you find relief.

DecryingShame · April 2023

siberiantarragon wrote: »

clairrob wrote: »

I suffer from CPTSD, I found that EMDR therapy worked best for my trauma symptoms.

I'm reading a book by the doctor who created EMDR but the book makes it sound kind of BS to be honest. It sounds more like some magical faith healing thing than an actual therapy. And if you're already aware of what your traumas are and discussed and processed them a million times I don't see what extra benefit doing some eye movements is going to do. I also don't understand how it would work if the trauma someone experienced is pervasive, ie. growing up in an abusive environment where it not only caused trauma but also affected your entire development so that you didn't learn certain skills. So far I am not convinced enough to spend thousands of dollars on it. (EDIT: I looked it up and it says the doctor who created it does not recommend using it on patients with pervasive developmental trauma because it could make things worse. Also 30% of people who try it get new or worse dissociative symptoms.)

TBH it annoys me because people keep suggesting EMDR and it just makes me want to bash my head into a wall because I wish they would suggest something, ANYTHING else. I've never even come across a therapist in real life who even does it so where are people even finding these magical therapists.

I've been doing EMDR for the past 4ish years and it has greatly helped. I have CPTSD from pervasive developmental trauma as well as a handful of acute traumas.

I had been in therapy for a while doing talk therapy and felt like I hit a wall. I couldn't move forward anymore using the executive function in my brain. EMDR seems to be able to access deeper parts of my brain that don't process speech as well.

Before I began EMDR, I did at least a year of DBT (Dialectic Behavioral Therapy) which taught me a lot of coping skills. I believe this was vital in my success using EMDR so that I was able to cope effectively when it brought up distressing emotions.

My therapist also goes extremely slow. We do maybe 10-15 minutes of EMDR each week, which from what I understand is far less than the norm. I've heard that 90 minute sessions are recommended which may be why many people with CPTSD get overwhelmed. EMDR does dig up traumas and can lead to overwhelm if you aren't careful. My therapist is very sensitive to this and makes sure we don't push too hard, which is why we end up doing so little each time.

As for other recommendations, I highly recommend DBT. It teaches an extensive set of skills to help you work through emotional distress and develop skills to help you lessen triggering situations. It was very helpful for learning to manage my emotions.

I have also found a little relief from herbal supplements. They aren't as powerful as pharmaceutical drugs but each provided a noticeable amount of positive change. The ones that have helped me are blueberries (1 cup each day), holy basil, and of course cannabis. Magnesium also helped, as did eliminating wheat from my diet.

EricExtreme · April 2023

I used to deal with anxiety, depression, DP, and DR years ago. I didn't overcome it with medication, supplements, or therapy. I overcame it by learning to treat the anxiety and DP/DR as a best friend instead of an enemy or attempting to fight it, as I realized I was just fighting myself. I began to invite it in like a close friend who I was looking forward to spending time with. This taught me to not react to it negatively and once I stopped fearing it or pushing it away it went away on its own. Also some of the medication that you are on can cause DP/DR symptoms.

hoarc1987 · May 2023

siberiantarragon wrote: »

People who get panic attacks and/or dissociative symptoms: what works for you? I've been trying to get a protocol going that can get rid of these issues for good. I haven't had a full panic attack since November but I do have depersonalization and derealization on a pretty much daily basis. I started having both of these issues in July (although I have dealt with DP/DR on and off in the past). I would like to get over it and move on with my life.

Current protocol I am trying out:
Morning:
1300mg inositol, a natural supplement that helps with anxiety and dissociation. I think this has helped me a lot because it seems like a couple of weeks after I started taking it my panic attacks went away.
1200mg fish oil. In the past this seems to have helped me with brain fog, not sure if it does now.
2000 IU vitamin D3. I only take this every other day, unless I'm sick and then I take it every day -- this is mostly for my immune system but it's also supposed to help mental health if you are deficient, which I was.

Evening:
5mg Lexapro. I tried to go up to 10mg last week but that just made me depressed. I recently switched taking this from morning to evening on the advice of my psychiatrist. However it seems like it's not really doing anything. I might switch to Buspar in a few weeks.
650mg inositol
1.5mg melatonin. I have to cut the 3mg pills in half because the 3mg ones make me exhausted the whole next day. This is supposed to be to regulate my sleep cycle because it's really messed up right now. My psychiatrist says that's probably making things worse.
250mg magnesium. This is only before/during that time of the month for PCOS related symptoms, but might take it every day if it helps sleep.

As needed:
0.5 to 1mg Ativan for panic attacks which works for those about 80% of the time.
Hydroxyzine for anxiety -- still figuring out the dosing on this one. I took 5mg last night but I'm not sure it did anything besides make me drowsy, but I also wasn't particularly anxious.

Other habits I'm doing:
Trauma therapy weekly
Limiting caffeine (I only drink decaf coffee, mostly drink decaf tea, and limit full-caffeine tea, chocolate, etc.)
Limiting alcohol
Going out to parties, meeting new people, going out to clubs, etc. (for some reason this really helps)
Learning new skills such as languages
Exploring spirituality for my fear of death because when I have panic attacks or DP/DR I feel like death is coming for me.
I was trying to run and lift weights every day. However, it weakened my lungs and I got some respiratory illnesses so now I'm scared to try it again. I actually really miss working out though. I still walk every day for about an hour. I might go back to just the weightlifting part of it and avoid the cardio.

So what works for you guys? Any advice?

You can try a swing or salsa dance if there is one in your area too instead of going to nightclubs. Nightclubs are fun but you can’t do them forever as you get older. You can social dance until you are in your 90s.

I tried Lexapro while being addicted to coffee and not eating.. it did some weird stuff for me. One thing I hear online is to taper off very very slowly for months and even a year or more to avoid damaging your body somehow with Lexapro. Me briefly taking Lexapro really changed me, but I wasn’t taking it consistently either.

Depersonalisation might just be your natural state. Fear of death is something that will go away when your biology and lifestyle is better. Weightlifting does wonders too.

westrich20940 · August 2023

I have experienced a handful of panic attacks in my life (luckily not for a while, and it was never a daily thing - I'm so sorry you are going through that, it must be so hard) -- one where I experienced dissociative amnesia (only for a few minutes, but I was driving and I didn't remember like, where I'd turned and whatnot and it was extremely uncomfortable). I have also experienced derealization as well. I also get serious physiological symptoms (which are normal for many people, but I had never known others to talk about them) -- like extremity and face numbness during high acute stress/panic.

During one example of that I was at work and numerous co-workers would see me and ask how things were going and I remember distinctly - looking at them and saying very deadpan "I'm having an anxiety attack"...and their response was more-so like, "Oh, haha, yeah everything is crazy!"...so I felt really invalidated with my experience (I know they were not trying to do this)...so I texted a friend who lived in a different city. I knew he couldn't help me but I simply said to him "Long story short... I'm having a full on panic attack and I don't feel like I'm in my body. I know you can't do anything and I don't need you to call or anything, but I just wanted to tell you". And he did great. Responded to me by saying something like, "That really *kitten* sucks and I'm sorry you're going through that. I believe you, please let me know what you need or what I can do..keep texting if you need". That was extremely good for me in that moment. I also do tend to try the whole...name one thing you can see, name one thing you can smell, name one thing you can touch (and then do those things). That seems to help me be able to stay in my body a bit more. Another tip I can give is - immediately when you notice you are having/going to have a panic attack...repeat and remind yourself that it will not last forever. They are short. It'll pass.

As far as Rx, therapy stuff --- I don't know that I have any advice. Somatic therapies are evidence based - but obviously new. I see a discussion here re: EMDR...but you'll have to look into stuff like that with your doctors/mental health providers. Good luck and I truly hope you find a way to get some relief.

Edit: practicing breathing exercises and progressive muscle relaxation - can be helpful too. Not in the moment of a panic attack but as a general practice daily. Basically - your nervous system is always ON and there are definitely somatic/physiological ways to try to calm that down.

davert123 · September 2023

I've just posted on another thread but simple carbs / sugar can trigger my anxiety. If I keep away from sugar then I tend to have less symptoms for sure. My panic attacks are not caused by eating sugar but sugar affects my beta-endorphin system which acts as a natural damper for panic and anxiety symptoms.

Panic attacks and dissociative symptoms

Replies

Categories