Panic Attacks

[Alison]

I know this is rather personal. But I was wondering if anyone on the Ledge suffers from panic attacks. I do really bad. It's come to the point that I can't sleep. I don't know if my rapid heartbeat causes it, or it comes on it's own.

How do other people deal with panic attacks?
Is there natural ways to treat it?
All the Dr wants to do is give drugs that have such strong side effects.
I need help and suggestions.
Thanks

[DrummerDeanna]

Sorry about the panic attacks...I am lucky enough not to experience those - my mom does though.

I don't have any suggestions though - she pretty much just breathes through them I think

Hope you get the answers you're looking for.

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by Alison

I know this is rather personal. But I was wondering if anyone on the Ledge suffers from panic attacks. I do really bad. It's come to the point that I can't sleep. I don't know if my rapid heartbeat causes it, or it comes on it's own.

How do other people deal with panic attacks?
Is there natural ways to treat it?
All the Dr wants to do is give drugs that have such strong side effects.
I need help and suggestions.
Thanks

I suffer from panic attacks. They come out of the blue. For instance, I was watching a movie having a good time not a care in the world when I started sweating and my heart started pounding and all of a sudden I started thinking about everything I needed to get done, bills, money, school, etc. and it drove me nuts. I was on medication for it and for my obsessive list making habits, but got off of it and just this week decided I need to get back on it. It's scary and I hate it. Natural ways? I don't know of any. I've tried the whole, I can deal with it, but the truth is, I can't. The stigma surrounding anti-depressant/anxiety drugs is stupid. In my case, at least, it really was the only thing that helped. It's just depressing...

[ThePenguin]

This sounds stupid but I sometimes get panic attacks when I have to make phone calls. I used to stutter as child and making phone calls bring that all right back.


Unfortunately life does entail having to make calls now and then, and I despise them. I just had a panic attack last week when I had to call a guy back re: a job I applied for. sweating, heart racing, dizziness, queasy, the whole nine yards. I wish I could hire someone to make all my calls for the rest of my life. If i'm just calling a friend etc it's okay, but to call to make a dr appmt, call the kids' school etc, really sucks. Either I go in person or I let marty do it. kind of pathetic.

it runs in my family...my mom and grandmother both get them. They are both very anxious people; I'm in better shape but the phone call thing is a pain in the *ss. it limits my life...what jobs I can do etc.

So anyway i guess this is just a' me too' post. sorry you are dealing w/ them.

-Lis

[SuzeQuze]

Compared to Lux and others I am hardly qualified to talk about them since I only had them for about a year and I don't get them anymore. Talk therapy helped me plus Paxil. I guess I'm one of those that it helps. My thing is social anxiety so Lis I can totally identify with that phone thing. I've mostly overcome it but I often put off making calls still because of the anxiety, although it is not as severe as yours. It also runs in my family, my Nana won't even make a single call!

You know, there is a drug out there called a beta blocker that works for a short time for anxiety and is not a downer. I wonder if you could get a perscription for that and just take one before having to make a call. They aren't supposed to be addictive or have many side effects. Just a thought.

Anyway, I think the only way to deal with panic attacks is to get treated so find a good psychiatrist, its very important to take care of your mental health. Good luck and I hope you find a good one. You can also find a psychologist, actually if you are concerned about drugs they can be better because they can't even prescribe them. Plus, psychiatrists aren't so good with the talking stuff, they're about the meds. You can see both, the psychologist like weekly for talk therapy and then a psychiatrist if you need meds, and that would be much less frequent.

[Lisa1769]

I can relate to some of these experiences. Everything Lis mentioned is me to a tee. I have anxiety issues too. I could not pick up the phone for the life of me. Something so simple was a dreaded nightmare. I was on Zoloft for a year, been off for 5 months. It worked wonders for me. The only side affect was night sweats. I'm finding myself pacing the floors again. Need to go back to the doctor, but then I'd have to pick up the phone.

I can sympathize with all of you.

[The Tower]

I didn't even know what anxiety was until I got promoted into my super-stressed out former position at my ex-employer. Then I knew what they were.... sucks ass.

Xanax helped, but it wasn't a permenent solution- only a band-aid. Anti-depressants are nasty as all hell. Effexor and Lexapro nearly ruined my life. My advice is to find a good therapist and get to root of what causes the panic. For me, the panic came because I could see no way out of the situations that I was in. After a good year of therapy with an awesome therapist, I was able to see a lot more clearly.

[eclipse]

Alison, and Lux and to all who this may apply:
Ok depression sucks- we can all agree on that.
Panic attacks are unpredictable, frightning and as you never know where they may come from or where they may leave you, very unsettling so we can all agree, they also suck.

I don't usually post anything personal about myself, but you really sound like you need some help- with that in mind, I will share my experience with Depression/Anxiety/Panic Attacks with you and anyone else that has experienced that crippling fear...

There are LOTS of diffferent medications out there that can help you deal with depression/anxiety/panic disorders and I whole heartedly suggest you find a Doctor that you like and can REALLY talk to- try different meds until something works. I have been anxious my entire life, I am lucky about depression, it just comes and goes, but when its here-Yikes!

So I take a medicine that allows me to function and HONESTLY feel like myself. I don't feel drugged or spacey, I like myself again and honestly, for me, it has been my saving grace. My Doctor explained it to me this way: If you have had major depressive episodes 3 times in your life before the age of 30, then your brain is literally hard -wired for depression. It is just the natural path for your head to take. That is why they (The medical field), has come so far in researching how these meds work on different parts of your head ,with differnt types of SSRI drugs, they work on different chemicals in your brain. She also matter of factly told me that if I had diabeties (sp) that I would not think twice about taking insulin, if I needed to...Nor would other people look down on me for taking a med for a chemical problem in my body. Same thing for the depressive/anxiety disorder medications. No stigma attached to it. You have this inbalance-you take the medicine- you don't have the inbalance.
It is a medical condition, perhaps influenced by emotions but not necessarily an emotional problem! What works for me is Zoloft and ativan.

I don't mean to make this sound too glib, but you sound very upset that you cannot deal with it "naturally" or by yourself. That's because you really can't. At least I tried for years and I couldn't and I know of other people that have tried self help tapes, to npo avail. However, you can try Yoga- and meditation to help alleve some of the anxiety, they seem to be having success with that as a theraphy for mild sufferes.

But you know when that panic attack starts.....nothing is going to stop it..It's like a locomotive and you have to wait for it to pass by...and it will, it just doesn't feel that way when you are in the middle of one. I know.

Since I have been on the meds (about 2 years) I haven't had one panic attack, haven't been depressed (Sure, I get the blues now and then, but that is normal), and my anxiety is more controlable. I do tell myself to breathe and relax when I start to get anxious, and that helps too. I am not a Doctor or an expert in this field at all- I just want to share what has helped me and suggest that you Please get yourself to a Doctor and don't be embarassed about asking for help, that is why they are there.

You do not have to suffer these devestating attacks alone-
Plus there are always people here willing to help

With wishes of calm...for you~~
~~eclipse

[Lisa1769]

Originally Posted by The Tower

I After a good year of therapy with an awesome therapist, I was able to see a lot more clearly.

I know this would help immensely. But it's just getting myself there. I just cannot visualize myself having the nads to do this. It's exhausting. I hate this disorder!

[ThePenguin]

Originally Posted by Lisa1769

I can relate to some of these experiences. Everything Lis mentioned is me to a tee. I have anxiety issues too. I could not pick up the phone for the life of me. Something so simple was a dreaded nightmare. I was on Zoloft for a year, been off for 5 months. It worked wonders for me. The only side affect was night sweats. I'm finding myself pacing the floors again. Need to go back to the doctor, but then I'd have to pick up the phone.

I can sympathize with all of you.

it is oddly comforting to hear that others have phone anxiety! Such a simple thing to do and yet nearly impossible for me. The beta blockers SuzeQuze mentioned sound interesting.

Part of me is just used to 'being this way' , I mean, others have more serious problems to deal with...but part of me would love to just not stress over the phone anymore.


-Lis

[Lisa1769]

Originally Posted by ThePenguin

it is oddly comforting to hear that others have phone anxiety! -Lis

Yeah, maybe this could be our talk therapy, right here on the Ledge. But, for me, it's just as hard for me to post as talk on the phone. But it is comforting to read about others with the same problem.

[The Tower]

Originally Posted by Lisa1769

I know this would help immensely. But it's just getting myself there. I just cannot visualize myself having the nads to do this. It's exhausting. I hate this disorder!

It is very, very scary- I totally agree. I was very lucky to find the therapist that helped me out. One thing that can make it easier is to start with a referral service that you would feel comfortable with- something that relates to your life. I went to the Gay and Lesbian Center in Hollywood and got my referral and went from there. It helped to know that I was talking to people that could identify with where I was coming from.

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by Lisa1769

I know this would help immensely. But it's just getting myself there. I just cannot visualize myself having the nads to do this. It's exhausting. I hate this disorder!

Is there someone you are close to that would place the call for you and take you there? Would that help?

[SuzeQuze]

Originally Posted by eclipse

...
So I take a medicine that allows me to function and HONESTLY feel like myself. I don't feel drugged or spacey, I like myself again and honestly, for me, it has been my saving grace. My Doctor explained it to me this way: If you have had major depressive episodes 3 times in your life before the age of 30, then your brain is literally hard -wired for depression. It is just the natural path for your head to take. That is why they (The medical field), has come so far in researching how these meds work on different parts of your head ,with differnt types of SSRI drugs, they work on different chemicals in your brain. She also matter of factly told me that if I had diabeties (sp) that I would not think twice about taking insulin, if I needed to...Nor would other people look down on me for taking a med for a chemical problem in my body. Same thing for the depressive/anxiety disorder medications. No stigma attached to it. You have this inbalance-you take the medicine- you don't have the inbalance.
It is a medical condition, perhaps influenced by emotions but not necessarily an emotional problem! What works for me is Zoloft and ativan.

...~~eclipse

Very well put. The stigma around these issues is terrible. Yet the incidence of depression/anxiety keeps growing and growing. Another analogy besides the diabetes one I heard is you would not walk around on a broken leg and expect it to heal! How can you think yourself well when it is your thinking that is ill? Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to fix yourself or will yourself to be different. If what you are doing isn't working why would it suddenly work in the future?

Another thing that helped me alot was reading Web sites about this. Particularly reading about other people's issues with it. Statistically 10% of people are depressed/anxious, however I believe it is more like 20%, it seems so prevalent everywhere I go. Therefore you are not alone. If there are 300,000,000 Americans then 60 million people are going through the same thing, or, more conservatively, 30 million. That is alot of people!!! You are not alone.

[reebokandlace]

Originally Posted by Alison

I know this is rather personal. But I was wondering if anyone on the Ledge suffers from panic attacks.

I suffered with panic attacks for two years until I found a cure. My panic attacks were so bad I could not drive alone or be alone for any length of time. I refused to take drugs to help me get over them. In my opinion taking drugs only adds to the problem.

I went to a Buddist Monastery to visit a friend and I met a woman who told me to press on the nerve directly between my eyebrows for a few seconds (kinda hard, hard enough to feel that you are touching the nerve) next time I have a panic attack. I thought to myself "Ok, thank you for your granola eating, burkinstock wearing advice! SURE!!!, press a nerve and it will go away. ummm uh huh."

Well while I was still at the monastary I had a panic attack. My friend said to me PRESS YOUR BUTTON...PRESS YOUR BUTTON... ... I did, and my heart slowed instantly, my breathing was normal and it passed while holding my finger on the spot. I was amazed. I was still skeptical. I thought, ok its psychological. I was hoping it would work, therefore it worked because I wanted it to, but it will probably never work again. BUT now when I start to have a panic attack I press the spot between my eyebrows and it goes away. After some research, it is my understanding that the nerve is the autonomic nervous system nerve and there is validity to pressing the nerve and calming the heart rate and breathing rate.

Every now and then I will be driving (my biggest cause of panic attacks) and I will call a friend saying "I am having a panic attack!!!!" and they will tell me "press your button" For some reason I forget to do it in the middle of a panic attack. But when I remember, it works EVERY TIME.

Try it. I have told everyone who has every told me they have panic attacks and it has help EVERY single person I have told. The body is an amazing thing. It doesn't "cure" panic attacks, but it ends them instantly when they begin. There is no cure for panic attacks. It is the minds way of reacting to a stimuli, almost like a muscle memory. Something sets it off. It can be more than one thing. But the mind is powerful, and as you begin to control the panic attacks with this nerve therapy, they will happen less and less.

If you have any questions please feel free to IM me. I hope this helps you as it has helped so many others.