To those of you who experience this..... and have you ever had a panic attack? How many approx.? Have you felt you've gotten better dealing with them? What do you do to prevent them and how do you deal with them when you do get them?
I wish I had something useful to say... I doubt that I've had a true panic attack so my suggestions aren't likely to be very helpful.
Thanks for the reply and honesty, stinky. I hate it when people that have experienced modest anxiety and I've told of attacks that took me to the ER tried to act like they understood and "played up" their mild anxiety... True panics are so bad and so scary.. you know josh though and the biggest one i had recently, him and his rooommate helped me so much. I'm getting better at dealing with them but I still get them and they are still not pleasant. They scare me less then before though- which is good but what if really holding me back is i wasn't expecting the first panic attack-that's why i went to the er, i didn't know what it was and thought it was a heart attack and they had me on enough equiptment that i know my symtoms were real.. saw the heart rate monitor and how many injections it took. I think that's how my panic disorder started- it was so real and so horrifying. I haven't had one since .. not like that I mean. I get mild panic attacks at times but I now can tell myself it's JUST a panic attack...it's still very real but when you know what it is you can get chill pretty fast. I just don't like them and remembering that bad one scares me. I'm scared cause they are speeding up. I don't wanna take meds. but if it don't stop I may. I just really need to fix what is wrong and focus. I do think I know how to deal with them but they suck so much and I am open to any advice.
i have had mild panic attacks in the last 6 months for some reason. meditational techniques like stilling the mind and breathing help. or if i smoke some cannabis it goes away.
too much cannabis and being around people will cause the panic attacks sometimes. just a puff or two is enough to level me out
I have been a sufferer since 1976, it was in1983 and some years after that when the worse ones occured. You do get better at handling it, breathing exercises definately help if you can make yourself keep on doing it and come through it, but thats the problem in the middle of one of those you really feel so out of control that is very difficult. I try to keep my shoulders shrugged and loose and make sure my body is not tense too which can help. When I had them nobody ever discussed them, I had no internet access so it was difficult to know what I was dealing with. I try to think I am just in the fight or flight state but I understand the fear involved with it, goes straight to the solar plexus doesn't it? Hope you feel better soon. Blessings x
They are very scary things to have. Sometimes, if you feel one starting you can talk yourself down a bit and control it. Try conscious breathing. I use the "breathe in Happiness, breathe out a smile" thing. Breathe in slowly saying breathe in happiness then breathe out slowly saying breathe out a smile. Try to identify any triggers. Thoughts of work, certain people etc so you can recognise what sets you off. Its not always possible to pinpoint though. If worse comes to worse you can get some Klonopin from the doctor. Its the stuff they give to you in the hospital to bring you down.
I've had 3 true panic attacks in my life. All 3 were when I was in very scary situations I could not control. Once while I was in the ER for an infection, and the other 2 while I was having nervouse breakdowns. My ex-girlfriend suffered from severe social anxiety and went through attacks at least weekly. She took meds for the attacks and they only happened when she did not take the prescription. I suggest speaking with a professional if you feel it's effecting your daily life.
I'll tell you about the worst panic attack I have ever had. I was in my room, by myself, trying to get to sleep. I started asking myself questions in my head, but I couldn't answer any of them, and they all dealt with what kind of person I was. My mind started racing and I felt like I was going insane, or about to die from a heart attack. I tried turning on the TV but a lot of what I saw made it worse, and I couldn't watch anything that looked wierd, I had to find a neutral warm comedy show, like a sitcom (that 70s show.) The whole thing lasted about 40 minutes, but it was the scariest 40 minutes of my life. I had accepted the fact that I was insane by the end of it. I finally got to sleep later, after all the sweat dried up, and I haven't had one near that bad ever since.
I suffer from really bad panic attacks where I've thrown up for a week. At one time I weighed only 92 pounds in highschool from not eating and getting phycially sick from the anxiety. I haven't been to the hospital because of it, but there were times when I wanted to. I'm a little better now, but I still get them and when I do they are pretty bad. Have you ever had one that lasted a full 24 hours? It's really the most horrible feeling in the world and I wouldn't wish it on anybody. I'm on prozac now which helps and I have xanax just in case I get a severe one. Even though I hate being on medication, it does help but my goal someday is to be able to get off of them. Hopefully that goal can be reached, I've tried to get off of prozac and I'd go a couple months without it and then I'd get a severe panic attack where I can't even function right and I had to go back on, so I'm really scared of trying to go off of it, but hopefully I'll be able to.
I used to wake up in the middle of the night with panic attacks. I couldn't even talk or move my body and I had an extremely overwhelming feeling of fear and intense anxiety. I felt as if something was in the room with me and watching me. The anxiety I get from weed is much different than regular anxiety for me. I don't really feel anxious on weed but more so paranoid and that's only if something triggers it (99% of the time it's seeing a cop car drive by or thinking a car is an undercover.) It always goes away though so it doesn't ruin my high. I feel bad for the people who can't smoke at all due to their anxiety.
luckystripe, i have nothing to add on panic attacks. i have read a few of your threads over the last few days. i hope your feeling better and wonder what would really help you right now/and what other members and friends of yours could do. maybe you could post what you want in point form as for medication, people with any sickness take it, like diabetes take insulin what's the difference with taking meds for your particular need. you probably wouldn't have to take them forever. maybe look into CBT or DBT talk with a good friend, if you don't want to go and see a professional Being in full time therapy for a year,(5h,5daysa week) i saw many people have and recover from panic attacks using meds and adopting skills to recover from them and/or certainly ease the physical and mental anguish they cause sometimes change isn't any fun, but it helps you move forward
