how do i stop panic disorder?

I'm wanting to know how to stop panic disoder rather then why i'm having it. Pretty much all i hear is why i'm having it and i think thats just making it worse because it's getting me more aware of the symptoms. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Maybe see a therapist or psychiatrist? They would probably help a lot more than I could. I've read that anxiety disorders are often accompanied by a mood disorder like depression. Is it possible that you may have depression?

I've read that yoga can reduce stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which induces stres relief.

You should really see a doctor about this. Low doses of antidepressants can help both depression and anxiety disorders. Here's a quote from Mark Epstien, a Buddhist psychiatrist about medication "Whatever alleviates suffering is what the Buddha was after." If you do need to take medication to fix the problem, remember what the medication is doing: balancing your brain chemistry. That's all that panic disorder is, a chemical imbalance. Drugs alone won't fix the problem, but combined with a healthy lifestyle, I am sure you can live a productive life minus panic attacks.

((HUGS))
Peace and love

 

I used to suffer badly from panic disorder, more so have it controlled now.

What worked for me was yoga and learning different breathing techniques for when an attack was starting. Then to somewhat meditate on the spot while breathing for a minute or two.
Also some lavender can help to calm you down.

You probably should see a doctor if you feel its uncontrolable.
Like hippie_chick666 said above, anti depressants will help but wont cure the problem. You need to work on it and identify the situations that trigger the panic attacks.

If you do go the anti depressant route, I'd suggest trying St.John's Wort over
your conventional SSRI anti depressants.

 

The only problem with St. John's Wort is that you have to drink a shit load of tea (4-6 cups per day) for at least a month before you see any results. It would be better to see a doctor and let him/her decide what is best for you.

((HUGS))
Peace and love

 

Pill form takes effect much quicker for a less intake amount than tea.
At least for me it did.

Yes it would be best to see a doctor. Just was a suggestion the person may find beneficial.

 

I've seen a psychologist and she has prescribed me lexapro but it really fucked with my head. I think it's the reason for why i'm so overly fucked up in the head now. I can't take any drug without getting sick, not even that much sugar. The only reason i can think that this would be is because of my nerves. My doctor basically said that it's all in my head. Just because "it's all in my head" doesn't mean it's easy to fix. She didn't even have any advice or anything that might fix it. Sucks. I'm not going to go to her anymore because it's just a big waste of time and money. Also i feel really mentally ill when i'm in there talking about my problems.

 

You cannot cure panic disorders with pills, all that does is repress the physical reaction to the panic. Do not see a psychiatrist all they will do is throw drugs at you. You need to seek therapy truly getting to the base of the problem and what is causing the anxiety is the only way to get over it. Relaxation techniques are good in helping here is website that gives some good examples.

http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/ANXIETY/treatment/relaxation_therapy.asp

 

What kinds of places/situations/colors/sounds/sights do you find to be the most comfortable and relaxing? What makes you feel the most at home? If you start having a panic attack, change your environment/surroundings and get to something that relaxes you. I used to have panic attacks - bad drug use caused it (extacy). Knowing what caused it, and what sets it off helped immensely. The color white, lots of it like being in a white room, or out in the snow would bring one on. Snow relates to cold, and so the colder it got the worse it got. Bathrooms tend to be white, which is where I had my first one, and they tend to be small, so small places didn't help. But I knew it was all in my head. So every time I started feeling that way I headed for a place with EVERGREEN trees, or natural wood like the barn or the forest, or even the haymow. Something to do with the hay bales. Earth tones breaking up the white. It even made me feel warmer somehow. The bad feelings would just evaporate. Also playing some of my favorite new age music would help. Once I found I was capable of controlling the things, they pretty much stopped happening. The fear of them only makes them worse. I still get slightly claustrophobic when I'm in a close space, but fresh air is all it takes to fix it. And when it's extremely cold out, but I can stick my hand over my mouth and nose to feel the warmth from my breath and that takes care of it. Or get busy having fun like going sledding or making a snowman. The trick is to get your mind off whatever is bothering you, and onto something else. Try some of these kinds of things and see if it works for you.

 

Just stop...as cruel and oversimplified as that sounds.

Therapists are full of it, and most 'doctors' of the mind will simply give you drugs that will do you no good.

 

Sorry, but you don't "just stop" having panic attacks. The mind is a tricky thing and it wears itself certain grooves that you can't "just get out of" any more than you could "just get unstuck" if you were driving down a bad road and your car suddenly fell into a huge rut. You have to figure out the why of it and then trick your mind into something different. Retrain it. Half the battle is finding out that you can. Actually it's very much like training an animal...

Yea, I agree, stay away from the drugs unless all else fails. And I do mean ALL else. A good therapist would probably try to help you retrain your mind... But try it yourself first.

 

Maybe you need to see a different doctor? I had to see 3 before I found the right one. Finding the right doctor is like finding the right shoe, you have to try them on to see if they fit. If they don't fit, find a new one! Not all doctors will pump you full of drugs, but you need to talk to them about your concerns.

Panic disorder is very serious and hard to "stop" without outside help. You need to build a support system and find a good doctor, preferably one who has a lot of experince w/ the disorder, as well as a therapist. Otherwise, the disorder will probably get worse.

((HUGS))
Peace and love

 

I tried to "just stop" and it did dick all.
My doctors gave me meds that -gasp!- made me feel BETTER! Wow! What a concept.

Anyway, start talking to your doctor about it.. he/she might help you get a psychiatrist or psychologist or whatever, and they'll help you from there.

 

I went through two doctors, two psychologists and three psychiatrists before I got better. It might take a while (took a few months for me) but with the right "support group", you'll start feeling better.

 

Emboldened the part where you just nailed it bang-on right.

The downright surprising way to eliminate Panic 'attacks' is to practice trying to willfully have them.
Try causing them.
It will work the first few times so fair warning and that will actually be a good sign.

Wierd isnt it!

 

That is an answer from someone who has no idea about psycholigical problems. Willfully causing panic disorders is the worst thing I have ever hear. You just don't do that. I can only imagine all the extra problems that would cause.

 

I don't know. It seems to help because my mind works weird. Whenever i don't want something to happen, as far as bodily functions go, it does. But sometimes when i say fuck it, bring it on i don't care anymore. Then it stops. I've been using this technic alot lately and it really has worked. Not all of the time but mostly.

Now it's not so much the anxiety itself causing my problems, but nausia. I've been getting really nausiated around people. Especially in school in fourth block. I'll start to feel light headed at first then nausiated. Sometimes i really think i'm going to through up. I know it's all in my head because it only happens when i'm around people.

I think in general i'm being way to sensitive toward every little thing that goes on in my body, and i expect the worst so much that it actually becames reality. I think i need more testosteroin (sp) in my body. And no i'm not talking about taking steroids. I think it's as simple as this. I just need to quite being a pussy and be a man.

 

I've found that working out helped, probably that testosterone you are talking about.
the thing is, are you going to work out for the rest of your life? once I quit things went downhill.

 

No,
Its an answer from someone who experienced PTSD and virtually eliminated panic attacks by practicing this technique of 'trying to' have a panic attack.
Willfully trying to bring on the symptoms.

Its true that you are only imagining the problems that could cause because you have never been through this psychological problem and used that technique.

Its is also known as the 'Panic Eliminator' or another expert has actually trademarked a name for it: The One Move Technique.

By all means lets hear your advice though since you know so much about stopping Panic Attacks?

 

First, let me tell you that I deal with anxiety and panic issues everyday and there are techniques that help prevent the anxiety from turning into a panic attack. Telling someone how to treat a panic disorder is not easy because the same things do not work for everyone. I use meditating, relaxation and distraction techniques to prevent panic attacks but that does not work for everyone. To treat a panic disorder you have to find out what is causing the fear and deal with that issue, this is hard for most people because it causes so much anxiety that is why it is so hard to treat. Pills help with this because they don’t allow the physical reaction to happen so the deeper issues can be discussed.



I do not mean to negate your problems in any way but PTSD is not a panic disorder. It is an anxiety disorder that if bad enough it can cause panic attacks. I know many people who suffer from PTSD and not many of them have panic attacks.



The programs that you are talking about do not have any background in science or psychology. The people like Joe Barry (who came up with The One Move Technique) sell these programs and have no qualifications other than having had panic attacks themselves. To me this is like saying that someone who had surgery can go out and start performing surgery. Just because a person has dealt with a disorder does not make a person qualified to treat it. If this worked for you that is great but I have seen more harm than good come from these things.

 

To me, taking the advice of Joe Barry, Charles Linden or Lucinda Basset is like taking advice from someone who built the actual bridge they crossed.
Advice from someone who studies the theory of building bridges is a good thing too but given the choice Im going with the former.

Having said that, they have to be proved out themselves too.
The technique of willfully 'trying to' have panic attacks does indeed work for a whole lot of people including me at one time.

Like I duly warned - it may very well work and work well the first few times you try and have a panic attack on purpose.
Try and fuel it.
Try and make that heart rate go faster, try and make the vision narrow, try and bring beads of sweat.

I do have a bit of a complaint about Barry and Linden though - I think there could be a bit more walk thru on this.
Its something that requires some skill and fine tuning and they do tend to gloss over the nuances of the technique.
I had to take it and sort of 'develop' it along as I tried it (which is good but still).