Panic Attacks

[Muh and me 18]

I was just hospitalized for pains in my heart and heaviness in my chest. All my test came back fine, heart , lung, blood work, everything. Allahumdulilah.

The doctor said he is not sure, but it could be panic attacks. I am fine at times, then I get this really bad heavyness in the top part of my chest, I sweet, and just feel out of breath. Its not my asthma. He gave me xanax to take, which only knocks me out.

Does anyone have any suggestions for me? I'd really appreciate it. My psychiatrist knows what is goin on and says just to take the meds .

I hate this, now when i go out of the house I feel pressure and don't want to go anywhere. I just do'nt want to be a prisioner in my own home.

Help if you can! Thanks!

[Malrothien 6]

That most definitely sounds like a panic attack (I have them, too). The best idea is to take your medication and also practice meditative and/or relaxation techniques. Breathing techniques also work.

[Peikko 1,575]

You can go back to the Dr and ask for something different to Xanax - not every medication is right for every person. If it's not right for you, there are alternatives. Discuss it with him/her.

Oh, and try to take any pressure off yourself for feeling you have to or you can't. Panic attacks love pressure

[SMOKE 1,426]

take 1/2 the dosage of the xanax prescribed if it knocks you out.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Talk to the doc and mention the attacks. She might want to swith you to a different prescription.

Meditation is amazingly helpful indeed. Take it from me.

[lgg 2]

I had one once -- I spent 6 months thinking I had a heart condition no matter how many times the doc said, 'you need to relax, you're too stressed...'

The overwhelming feeling of fear that goes along with a panic attack is quite something.

Had one. Learned to relax. End of story...

Best to you, it's a pretty rough go but you'll get through...

LGG

[Nagishkaw 510]

I have panic episodes. You best described that that is indeed what you were experiencing. For me, I feel all closed in, that I'am even going to die. I sweat and have S.O.B. I see a shrink, but refuse meds. I simply talk myself out of it or pray. Courage, Sister....you CAN overcome this.

[muñequita linda 0]

Try yoga. Pretty sure this will benefit the respiratory system.

[Krikit 1,164]

Exercise and avoid caffeine and alcohol. Hope you're feeling better soon.

[almaty 19]

always remember panic attacks seldom ever last longer than 20 minutes..and of course, those 20 minutes are hell...it is caused by unresolved stress..or an stimuli in your enviroment..take your meds..buspar is non addictive but takes longer to be effective....ativan..xanax are quicker....but .....

see a therapist too...to get to the root

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

The following is based on my own personal experience dealing with panic and anxiety disorder for about 15 years. It's opinion and conjecture, but it has explained a lot for me.

What often happens when people have a panic attack is that the brain is telling the body to react as if a life or death situation existed - the "fight or flight" response. The initial symptoms are physical, and they are very real. The problem is that there is no life threatening situation. The brain's threshold for triggering the response is too low. You feel normal right up until you reach that threshold of stress, and then BOOM - you're overwhelmed with the physical symptoms of panic and anxiety. The symptoms are terrifying, which only increases your stress level, which further increases the symptoms. The cycle feeds on itself.

There aren't really any medications that address the cause - an abnormal panic response threshold. Medications like Xanax try to manage the problem indirectly by tranquilizing the patient, thereby lowering the natural stress level. If it can lower your stress level below the panic threshold, then you'll feel a lot better. If it doesn't lower your stress level enough, you'll still feel the symptoms, and won't feel like the medication did much good at all.

The reason there aren't any 100% effective meds is because nobody really understands what causes the problem, and the cause could be very different in different people. There have been a lot of interesting theories, such as malfunctioning neurotransmitter receptors, brain chemistry imbalance, etc. Some of these have led to treatments that have had mixed results, but no "breakthrough" yet. So doctors continue using what is known to work for many people, and that is tranquilizers and anti-depressants.

Ok, the first thing you need to do to get a handle on it is to understand what's going on, and stop being afraid of it. Anxiety symptoms won't spiral out of control into a full blown panic attack if you don't allow yourself to be afraid of the symptoms. Fear of the symptoms raises your natural level of anxiety, which adds to the physical response and symptoms. You aren't dying. You aren't going to lose your mind. Just think of it as a chronic inconvenience, like a bad knee. It sucks, but you learn to live with it. Once I came to understand this, my panic attacks stopped. I have anxiety symptoms every day, but I haven't had a full blown panic attack in years.

Second, as has been recommended, find a way to relax yourself. Meditation, yoga, warm milk - whatever works for you and gives you comfort.

Third, avoid stimulants. One cup of coffee in the morning to help you wake up, but no more. Accept that the one cup of coffee is probably going to cause some anxiety symptoms, but it's a reasonable compromise for not feeling groggy for two hours. Avoid chocolate, or other foods that contain stimulants, and moderate intake of sugar. Many people with anxiety disorders also have digestive problems which may be related. Digestive pains can easily be confused with anxiety related pains, and trigger an anxiety response. Help your digestive system by making sure you get enough natural fiber in your diet.

Fourth, work with your doctor to figure out which of the available meds works best. Accept that there will be times when the meds are not 100% effective because you're under stress, and you'll have to go through your normal daily routine with some level of anxiety symptoms.

Fifth, try to stay abreast of ongoing research. If something looks promising, talk to your doctor about it.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Sorry you are going through this.

[Niels Bohr 72]

Hmm...Did you see Ophrah's Episode yesterday on Prescription Abuse?

[Peikko 1,575]

Hmm...Did you see Ophrah's Episode yesterday on Prescription Abuse?

You watch Oprah?

[almaty 19]

#######/ i find that very disturbing......brother c'master ..call me and intervention is in order..