Panic Attacks

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getslimandconfident
getslimandconfident Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone suffer from panic attacks and if so do you find that if you don't eat carbs they seem to get worse?? Any advice would be so appreciated!!
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  • humanreplica
    humanreplica Posts: 13
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    I had anxiety disorder for years. Unfortunately, cutting carbs or adding carbs to calm it really didn't do much. It was my own OCD that was making me eat carbs because I thought I was starving my body of them, in turn, setting off an attack. Generally as a rule I don't eat carbs after noon. I'll eat carbs at breakfast and lunch but at dinner I lay off. I know I've had enough carbs for the day and dinner doesn't require it. But thats just me.
  • graelwyn
    graelwyn Posts: 1,340 Member
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    I get panic attacks and used to be crippled by them, but I never associated it with carbs.
    I have to avoid caffeine and any high emotion situations, and I also think my underactive thyroid, undiagnosed at the time, was a contributing factor.
  • kanmuri
    kanmuri Posts: 112
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    I used to have panick attacks but I don't think it had anything to do with food. For me it was reverse cultural shock that was the issue.
  • cornfritter22
    cornfritter22 Posts: 230 Member
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    I suffer from anxiety and sometimes get major panic attacks. I've never heard that carbs had anything to do with it, but that's interesting. I do find that caffeine has a direct impact on me though. I limit myself to only two cups of coffee, if any, because of this. Right now, I really feel like I need a third, but it will only hurt me.
    Also, I cut down on my alcohol a lot since starting calorie counting. When I do drink now I find that I have a lot of anxiety the day after.
  • original_cake_face
    original_cake_face Posts: 131 Member
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    Like someone else said, I have to avoid caffiene oftentimes.. I'm not sure if it sets them off or makes them worse, but I know it doesn't help. I've never noticed a correlation with carbs.
  • Brandongood
    Brandongood Posts: 311 Member
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    I pray that you all can have peace from your panic attacks. Jesus heals!
  • crystal_loga
    crystal_loga Posts: 106 Member
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    I've never had panic attacks until I started MFP. My doctor thinks it could be a sugar issue. I've drastically reduced my sugar intake to help out with my PCOS and stay in line with what MFP suggests, and most of my attacks come late at night. She thinks that my body is just low on fuel/sugar at that point and it flares up my anxiety. I try to take a few sips of something sweet or have a small snack when I feel my anxiety levels rising. This usually helps, but sometimes I still have to take some meds to help me get through it. She said that hypoglycemia can mimic/cause anxiety. You may want to watch your sugar intake as well as your carbs.
  • _Iffer_
    _Iffer_ Posts: 13
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    I have/had panic attacks. I found that carbs did help with them, but then again panic attacks are "all in your head" So I don't think there is a connection in eating carbs to help decrease panic attacks. Carbs do help with the increase of serotonin levels therefore causing a calming effect. I found that since I realized panic attacks are caused by me, that I don't have them as often or actually hardly ever now...


    Mine used to come late at night or at bed time too...
  • Pookylou
    Pookylou Posts: 988 Member
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    I've had panic attacks and the only thing that affected them was medication. They were brought on by anxiety, not food (though food often made me anxious!)

    edit: affected as in made better, I was on a mild antidepressent for a while to level me out!
  • leshinsa
    leshinsa Posts: 1
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    I have had panic attacks for over 30 years.. See a psychiatrist. A prescription for a mild depressant coupled with a tranquilizer will cure most panic attacks.
  • SilentRenegade
    SilentRenegade Posts: 245 Member
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    When I dropped my carbs and took gluten out of my diet my panic attacks actually subsided almost completely... I think it depends on the person. I still have one every once in a while, especially if I have too much food.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    I suffered panic attacks for nearly 20 years. I had gone to the ER several times over that period, convinced I was dying, only to hear it was a panic attack. Mostly I would get them when I got in the car after work, if the car was hot inside. There were also other various activities that would trigger them. After all those years, suddenly I just "got it". I would stop what I'm doing and breathe deep breaths and hold them for just a few seconds and slowly let them out. I did this almost every day when getting in the car after work when I felt one coming on. Eventually, I didn't get them anymore. They went away. Go figure.

    In my opinion, dieting is probably causing stress and carbs is usually the one thing people miss when changing to a healthier way of eating. Are you hungry? If so, I would re-assess my calorie intake and food journal. I believe if your tummy is satisfied, the lower carbs won't be as stressful. I do know that if I am hungry a lot during dieting, my blood pressure is consistently higher, which indicates a little stress from the dietary limitations.

    Edit (again): Oh, and when you breathe; make sure you completely empty your lungs. Point your chin up as far as possible and exhale completely through pursed lips. Sometimes putting your hand on your stomach and pressing just a bit helps empty your lungs. If you breathe shallow, you are not cycling the air. The depleted air is hanging out down in your lungs, preventing the new from going in. I also learned this from attending Respiratory Therapy sessions with my ex-husband, who I have been taking care of for the past 7 years because of COPD.

    Good luck! I sure hope you find a solution soon. I know how terrifying it can be.

    Oh, one more thing. A good workout will do wonders. After that 20 year mark, that's when I started "getting healthy". It was the time when I just started seeing a few pounds creep up on the scale. That, along with the breathing exercise, probably had a lot to do with my panic attacks going away.

    And, when you first start noticing that little niggling stress in the pit of your stomach, check to see if you are unaware that you are holding your breath.. and breathe! When I started forcing myself to be aware of what my body was telling me, it was the beginning of the revelation of getting a grip on it.
  • YogaLife4me
    YogaLife4me Posts: 31 Member
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    I suffer from anxiety and sometimes get major panic attacks. I've never heard that carbs had anything to do with it, but that's interesting. I do find that caffeine has a direct impact on me though. I limit myself to only two cups of coffee, if any, because of this. Right now, I really feel like I need a third, but it will only hurt me.
    Also, I cut down on my alcohol a lot since starting calorie counting. When I do drink now I find that I have a lot of anxiety the day after.


    ^^^ This is exactly what happens to me.
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
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    The last one I had was about 12 years ago in college in anticipation for an exam. I had been drinking too much coffee, I wasn't eating, getting too little sleep and I felt the weight of the world on me because my folks were getting divorced/.... yadda yadda... I was in a really bad place and the exam put me over the top.

    So when the exam came, I was frozen. I actually didn't remember anything and couldn't see straight and my friends tell me that my hands were shaking the whole time and I was sweating like I had a fever or something. I did ok, i think, and I ended up sleeping in for the next two days and I took a break and got away for the weekend..
  • kjensen15
    kjensen15 Posts: 398 Member
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    That's an interesting question and would be an interesting study. There are so many possible mental side effects when you go low/no carb it could possibly trigger panic attacks in someone that had a history of them.
  • getslimandconfident
    getslimandconfident Posts: 6
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    Gosh mine of got that bad since I started trying to cut back then at times I didn't think I'd get into work and was in the toilets in tears, if anyone has any advice on anything at all I can try I'd so SO appreciate it....I don't now drink, I have lots of water, tried breathing exercise and also theanine which didn't help........I'm at my wits end and don't know what to try next x
  • dhencel
    dhencel Posts: 244 Member
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    go to your doctor and have your glucose tested.....
  • getslimandconfident
    getslimandconfident Posts: 6
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    I did and got the results back today and they’re fine, apparently I need to stop getting so worried and relax more!! Easier said than do and still doesn’t stop the attacks – thanks everyone!!
  • BurkeshireFarms
    BurkeshireFarms Posts: 45 Member
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    Tunnel vision, rapid heart beat, shortness of breath, dizziness....

    This has happened to me a lot over the years and I never really understood the reasoning behind it. Typically I can quickly regain controlt by stopping and focusing on my breathing. This can usually be done in under 5 minutes.

    Because heart disease runs rampid in my family, I have gone even as far as admitting myself to the ER. I have talked to doctors and even a cardiologist and none have ever mentioned the term panic attack to me. However, several negative test later (to include a stress test and an echocardiagram) I was left scratching my head. Doctors didn't seem to be too concerned, said I was realtively healthy (with the exception of being a few lbs overweight)...so I just wrote it off and dealt with it as it came.

    But now, as I read this thread, I'm left wondering if this might be exactly what is happening to me.

    Most times this happens to me in the car in traffic.

    The last time I had an episode was week 1 on MFP. I was in the gym, mid-workout, by myself, and had one of the worst versions that I can remember. I was able to reel myself back but there was a long moment there when I wasn't sure if I needed to call 911.

    I always have coffee before and after my workout to sustain a larger burn. After reading comments from several posters, I may now adjust my caffeine levels. I rarely drink sodas these days but coffee is my morning crutch.

    So for you knowledgeable experienced panic attackees, what exactly casues this? Is this stress compounded by caffeine compounded by over stimulation? Does anyone have any sound documentation that might give me more insight?
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
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    I used to have pretty bad panic attacks.
    I did find that low blood sugar, or not having carbs throughout the day, was one of my triggers. I'd get dizzy or shaky and from there, my anxiety would get worse.

    Being consistent in the gym has all but removed my anxiety. Haven't had a panic attack in a long time, and I'm much more comfortable in public.
    I think you gain a lot of self belief when you put in hard work on a regular basis. And I've learned that sometimes you are going to be uncomfortable, but I face that with an attitude of acceptance now instead of trying to escape it.
    When you get dizzy as hell from squatting on a regular basis, some head spins in a public place aren't nearly as frightening as they used to seem.

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