what happens during you panic attacks???

aimeek78 · 05-30-2003, 10:34 PM

Can you please let me know what it is you all deal with when you have these panic attacks .. I want to see if mine are somewhat the same..
I went to a theripist today and which all he told me was to go to a help group and try to tell my mind that its not real. I didnt like this doc and will never go back to him.. but it seems that i just cant really eat, im kinda scared i got tinglys in my arms and upper body, im tired scared to be alone. I thought it might be a hormonal thing because it only happens around the end of the month.. Please give me some advice... Thanks amy

Lendi · 06-01-2003, 04:35 PM

I'm sorry. Panic attacks are scarey when they happen, and scarier when you think about them happening again. It's a lot easier to say to calm down and say it's not real during a panic attack than it is to do it. Try to take deep breaths and focus on something pleasant. Have familiar, comforting things around you. Be with someone who can support you if possible. It does sound as though it could be hormonal if it only happens during one particular time of the month. Some Dr.s prescribe anti-anxiety med that can be taken only as needed. You might discuss this with your physician. Your therapist sounds like a moron. I don't blame you for not going back. You can always come here, too. We're all here to help you if we can. Lendi

misty23 · 06-01-2003, 05:12 PM

I haven't had a panic attack for a long while, but I used to get them frequently when I was depressed. I would get to where I couldn't breathe, I got very hystarical and just felt the urge to get out of where I was. If I felt one coming on, I wouldn't leave the house and only certain people could even be around me, like my husband. My friends would never understand why I would break plans with them! We would make plans to go out or go to the bar, and I would either say I didn't feel well, or go and have my dh pick me up within an hour. I am sorry you having a rough time. Mine was definitly hormonal. now that my hormones are in order better, I don't have them. Good luck!

SheriKCMO · 06-04-2003, 02:35 PM

Amy,
I wonder if you're responding to the progesterone in your body at the end of the month. It is not known for being a "happy hormone" lol.

The only time I've had what I'd consider an "attack" has been hyperventillating at the lab when they couldn't get my vein stuck. I've never thought of my little depressions as panic attacks. Maybe I should... They've been coming less often as I've gotten better on metformin.
Best wishes,
Sheri

Mathisk · 06-04-2003, 03:09 PM

I think I have had a few in my life. I don't get them regularly and i have not had one in years but here is what I did. I got real dizzy and I got real achy in my legs where I felt i might not be able to walk. Anyway, I have always read tons of self help books and i remember a common theme that you have to NOT DENY feelings. So..during this attack i would just go with it. I would tell myself that I was scared. I would tell myself whatever it was that I thought I may be feeling at the time and it calmed them down. To this day when im feeling bad i just admit bad feelings ( even if they are about not liking myself) and that always seems to help me.

Louie · 06-04-2003, 03:33 PM

Just thought I'd jump in here too since I've had panic attacks for basically all my life. You can get meds for it, which tend to be the same meds they use to treat depression... but a long time ago, I decided that meds were not for me. I did get a prescription of a great drug called Ativan that can be taken during a bad panic attack to relax you. It's not the sort of drug you take daily, just when an attack hits. I almost never take them during attacks unless it is incredibly bad... but they really do help in those situations.

The advice that I think your doc is trying to give you is to get "cognative" or behavioral therapy. I did this years ago and it basically seemed to be a "cure" at least for several years until I became very depressed and the attacks resurfaced. I find, as mentioned in an earlier post, that attacks are much worse and more frequent when I am depressed and when I am very stressed. So it helps to deal with your depression and feelings... and also helps to try to lead a low stress life and just don't put yourself through stuff that you feel is too much. (ie. I've turned down high stress jobs that require a lot of travel etc, because this sort of lifestyle makes my panic worse).

But anyhow, I do highly recommend the behavioral and cognative approach. Though it hasn't totally cured me, I find that the things I learned in therapy are always very helpful. It basically teaches you about the "fight or flight" response and how panic is a rush of adrenaline that happens after your mind perceives danger. People with panic perceive danger in situations that aren't really dangerous. Lucky us. LOL

Juliekaboolie · 06-05-2003, 02:30 PM

Hi! I've been suffering from chronic panic attacks since last August and I have to agree that they are awful. At first, I would get hysterical (had to go to the ER in an ambulance once thinking I was having a severe asthma attack) but I now can see what they are and what triggers them. I do take Paxil to help control them and use Ativan (as needed) when they are especially bad. Mine are caused by stress (major family issues in the extended family) and I am learning how to deal with this. Part of why I have panic attacks is that I 'stuff' my feelings instead of acknowledging them. You have to let yourself feel your feelings and deal with them. If you're angry: be angry. Sad? Be sad, etc. This is hard for me as I always feel I have to be a brave little soldier. I am doing Cognitive Behavior Therapy and I have to say it is helping me understand myself better and handle the panic differently. I am hoping that one day, I will feel solidly "OK" with myself and not battling these attacks all the time. Until then, I try and learn as much as I can so I can work on being healthier. Good luck to you!!!

Cristy · 06-05-2003, 10:42 PM

I get them at times. I have a hard time breaking, I feel like I'm shaking on the inside, I feel like crying, I sweat especially my palms. I feel like running away from wherever I am and go somewhere I feel safe like my room. I haven't had them lately and I'm so happy about that but when I do get them, I get them pretty bad.

Hope that helps

Suzanne85 · 06-12-2003, 06:50 PM

I've been getting panic attacks for a while now. It happens to me whenever I feel trapped like if I'm shopping and it's crowded, or walking down a busy street, and most often when I'm on a bus and there's people sat behind me and in front and next to me. I feel, as someone else described, that I need to get away; I need to escape from everyone. I get all these thoughts running through my head that someone is going to hurt me and thats why I want to get away, but then I feel like I'm behaving like an idiot (getting myself in a state in public) and everyone's laughing at me so I still need to get away. Depending how bad it is my symptoms change. Mostly its sweating palms, feeling hot flushes, getting a headache, shaking, short breath, dry mouth and beginning to get agitated. I feel scared around people and then when the panic starts I feel stupid for letting it get out of control...

I see a counsellor for my depression which is an ongoing battle for me, but she suggested that so I didn't feel like everyone was staring at me (which is what makes my panic attack go a bit out of control), I take a magazine and a drink of bottled water with me wherever I think I'm mostly likely to get a panic attack. The drink is because of the dry mouth but the magazine is so that when I feel a panic starting I can look through the magazine and try and concentrate on what I see. I don't need to read it, but anyone looking at over at me will just see me as reading a magazine and not as someone having a panic attack, which does make me feel better. Doing that helps me keep it under control and doesn't make me feel as self-conscious.

Take care and I hope that helps.

curvaceous_angel · 06-12-2003, 07:19 PM

I get them every now and then but they are never really bad. I get real shaky and I my breath quickens. I feel like I have got to get somewhere and be by myself. Somewhere safe. They dont happen often but if I am really really stressed I will get them. The last time I had one was the day of my wedding. The wedding started an hour late because of it. Since then I have tried to keep myself away from really stressful situations.