new to panic attacks. someone help!

[jessica41481]

hi there everyone out there who is dealing with this. i see that i am not alone. i had my first panic attack last week. and what triggered it was my mom who has health problems. i am her caregiver and i guess the past two years of taking care of her had finally taken its toll.

so last wednesday after trying to prevent her from ending up in the ER (which i did), about a few hours later, i ended up in the ER instead thinking that i was having a heart attack. pounding heart, short breath, numb arms. lol i mean everything. freaked me the hell out.

and ofcourse doctors told me that i am a very healthy 26 year old woman with no health problems at all.

but what sucks is that, since last wednesday i have been having attacks everyday. but i have learned to not let them take over. as i feel this sudden rush that wants to come over me, i just sit quietly and make myself breathe normal. not deep in hales or paper bags. just breathe normal and tell myself that i am not having an attack,

but what sucks is that i still feel like garbage even if it doesnt over take me. and i also realized that even the smallest thing can trigger it now. like a sudden cough. or a today at a daycare i was working at a baby startled to choke on its milk, right there i felt an attack coming. I felt an attack coming atleast 5 times today. it sucks.

my doctor put me on xanax, and it doesnt prevent it. actually i dont think it does a damn thing. he is alo going to put me on an antidepressant. what is that going to do? I have no clue.

if anyone out there has any advice do share them please, i am desperate. i cant even drive. i probably wont be able to work until i get this under control.

my doctor told me that it is cureable with treatment. but it is like six months long. anyway, i have nothing else to say.

i mean meditating and staying calm still doesnt prevent it. Praying to god or reading the bible relaxes me, but i still get them. even last night as i was trying to sleep. i had to tell myself that panic attacks are fake.

all i want to know is, do they last forever, and how the heck do they go away!

and how in the world can one night of horror cause this terrible thing that affects you everday. its crazy!

 

[dottie]

i have experience with anxiety attacks- not sure if there is much of a difference between anxiety and panic attacks but in my experience the thing for me that works is to not even allow myself to zone out into having a anxiety attack. sometimes i feel myself slipping into one and i just have to cut it off immediately. maybe that comes with experience. i guess i focus on something else (external, totally unrelated to the attack) and let it wash over me without letting it *get* to me. i experience the initial feelings but as soon as i recognize this, i don't let them totally overwhelm me. i have to distract myself from the feelings. this allows it to pass very quickly, within seconds even. when you are having an attack, the more you think about the feelings, the more the panic will consume you. if you aren't seeing one already, i would recommend getting a psychologist to discuss ways of controlling them.

 

[jessica41481]

thanks

today was one of those days that could have really made me suffer, but i really made myself relax and told myself everything was fine. it usualy relates toward health problems with my mother. but she is fine. so i really focused my mind on something different, while taking care of my mother. really trying to look at the positives, and it helped alot. so thanks for replying!

 

[Danfalc22]

I really havnt got alot of decent advice to give you im sorry.I would really try therapies and stuff like that before you consider taking medication especialy anti depressants Unless you feel that you cant cope and ya moods that low you need them defo avoid the anti depressants.. i might be being a bit cynical but doctors do tend to throw them about alot as a cure all.. and im not sure they are the answer for you.

Xanax should help,tho your probaly not having a high enough dosage,maybe a beta blocker would help aswell? because in small doses they can slow down your heart rate ect and might help.I really dont know what else to say i wish i could say more... id cruise more sites and just see what advice you can pick up and self help books ect that sorta thing,hope things work out for you.But yeah hopefully fingers crossed meds will help you controll them untill you can get in therapy you can find out the cause of them and hopefully learn to beat them.


And i think therea difference between anxiety attacks and panick attacks aswell... with panick attacks you think your gonna die or somthing or your hearts going to burst out of your chest :? where anxiety attacks are overwhelming anxiety to the point you loose controll and feel like your going mad... neither of them are nice but yeah theres a difference.

 

[morbidangel]

its pretty natural...or rather not natural...but yes panic attacks might start if u face somthing really big in ur life...like a death or a BREAK UP

like i had...i was madly in luv with a guy...we were so perfect for each other....what to talk about fights..we never even had an argument!! and one day he told me hes found someone else...and he does not think we r fit for eachother...it was so sudden...yet i tried to overcome it...went out with my friends to chill....but the moment i got home n i was alone...i had the attack...and it never stopped...

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fighting panic attacks

 

[DillJenkins]

Panic attacks suck. There was a point in my life where I would have multiple panic attacks daily. I have literally had thousands in my life.

One thing that helped was learning that I wasnt going to die and it was just a panic attack. This thought alone lessened the severity of it. I just realized that I cant really control having the panic attack and its not going to kill me and the best thing I can do is accept it and let it pass.

Another thing that helps is to practice proper deep breathing. Make sure your posture is good and breath from your belly with slow, regular intervals. Tell yourself its just a panic attack and that it will eventually pass.

I take Xanax and this has helped me to not have panic attack in over 1 year. I suspect your dosage is low if it is not working for you. I would say a good amount for a full blown panic attack would be .75-1mg with no tolerance.

Antidepressants can help with panic attacks but unless you also have constant anxiety or depression I am not sure if its needed. A good antidepressant medicine is Celexa. It is very cheap and very effective for most people and it has some of the fewest side effects of SSRI's.

hope this info helps...

 

[jencrippen]

My panic attacks started when I was a teenager but two years ago they became relentless. I was lucky to find a few doctors that looked beyond the "mental" aspect of it and found the physical causes. They ran tests to determine my neurotransmitter levels (feel good brain chemicals) and found they were very off. Amino acids were prescribed to fill in the deficiencies. Then they found I had severe blood sugar issues that would trigger the panic attacks also. So I have to eat for blood sugar balance. These two things worked for 95% of the panic attacks but once in a while when stuck in a major traffic jam or airplane I get panicky but I can just come out of it really easy by relaxing into it. I feel this is residual after having relentless attacks for months on end.
I talk about some of this stuff on my blog because I feel it's so important for people to know it's not all in their head! Can be nutritional deficiencies, blood sugar issues, adrenal fatigue, etc. http://www.naturalanxietytherapy.com
Hope this helps!
Jen

 

[Diklah Xenon]

The very first thing you should do is concentrate on your breathing. It's important that you take slow, deep breaths from your TUMMY because that triggers a calming response. DO NOT take deep breaths from your chest. Chest breathing triggers the "fight or flight" response that will make you more panicky and you could also hyperventillate. Then, as someone mentioned, try to desensitize yourself to whatever it is that is giving you the panic attack. Consult a Dr. about this. Don't worry love. keep in mind every thing will be all right. you'll be ok. good luck