Any panic attack sufferers out there?

My chick has had them since she was really young, like 3 years old. Medication + meditation have helped the frequency, but she has seizures from them sometimes too, and it's some real scary stuff. She's not allowed to have a driver's license because of the seizures too. Has to go 6 months without a seizure to be able to get her driver's license, and the closest we've come ever is like 4 weeks. So yeah I feel you.
 


I have never had a panic attack, but I have experienced high anxiety and felt high stress before. I dont believe in taking medication for mental issues, I taught my self to suppress it, I rarely feel any type of stress and have not felt any anxiety in a long time and it is great. I would consider trying to conquer it yourself before taking any meds.
 
People who haven't dealt with this can't possibly imagine what it's like to lose control of your body when there is nothing physically wrong, but I hope some of you have some thoughtful advice to add.
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If you lose control of your body, then there is pretty clearly something physically wrong.

Basically, if you go to a doctor, they are going to prescribe you shit like xanax and klonopin and all sorts of other brain chemistry destroying drugs. They mask the problem but do not solve it's source, and I highly recommend against it. Klonopin actually makes you more anxious over time.

You just need to chill the fuck out. I have stage 3 adrenal fatigue and basically the prescription to curing this kind of stuff is to fucking relax. First off, stop drinking caffeine. If you need that kind of buzz in the morning, try Yerba Mate tea. It's a much healthier alternative.

Go outside and take a walk. Sit down in the woods or some shit, listen to some chill music. Just get out of your house and out from in front of your computer. If you're smoking cigarettes, stop that shit.

There's a lot more in depth shit you can do in terms of your diet and whatnot, but really, the biggest thing is to just relax. Don't worry about shit you can't control, etc etc.

Also, sleep. That's really the biggest thing. Try to get to bed by 11pm at the latest and wake up at 6 or 7pm. Getting on a good sleep schedule is HUGE for this kind of shit.
 
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turbolapp said:
This may be different than what I'm talking about. (or maybe not) but when I was waking up to an alarm, back in the JOB days, that thing would almost give me a heart attack every morning. The sudden adrenaline and panic would actually end up making me nauseated for like a half an hour. Finally, I switched to one of those soothing alarms that slowly and gently wake you up. I've also been blessed with a husband that gets up immediately as soon as his alarm goes off so I never hear it.
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yeah, I definitely went through that. I went through about 2 years where I would wake up every morning and throw up a couple times right after. definitely was not a fun span in my life, lol. tore up my stomach.
 
IMHopeful said:
I'm 33 and my stress level has never been higher. I've been working my buns off writing and managing my two virgin campaigns. The last couple of weeks I've been experiencing some mild chest pain and what I can best describe as being unable to control my heart-rate.

Last night I completely lost control after smoking a little weed with a buddy, who suggested I just needed to let go and relax; a few minutes after smoking, my heart started to beat uncontrollably and felt like it would explode at any time.

I went to the hospital and had an emotional breakdown when the emergency room nurse took my vitals and said everything was borderline normal (even though I felt like my heart was pounding out of my chest!)

As I sat waiting for blood tests and ECG results I began to realize what a downward spiral I've been on (smoking, excessive espresso intake and stress from a rapidly changing life). This attack mimicked the exact warning signs of a heart attack and I thought I was a goner.

I personally have never lost control in my entire life and this was a real eye-opener as to how I will deal with stress from here on in. I'm sure there are hundreds of people on this forum juggling much more than I do on a daily basis -- given the stressful and reclusive nature of our work.

Blah, blah, blah -- just thought I would start a discussion for anyone who may be experiencing panic control issues, or who have suffered through it and found a way to cope.

People who haven't dealt with this can't possibly imagine what it's like to lose control of your body when there is nothing physically wrong, but I hope some of you have some thoughtful advice to add.
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I had a similar kind of attack before a few years ago, though probably less mild than yours, i didn't end up in hospital. I pretty sure it was a combination of things including coffee, no exercise, bad diet and weed (as well as some other stuff). That was a few years ago now and I am pretty much changed my tune when it comes to keeping my body and mind healthy. I still find I need to drink coffee, but i keep it to one cup everyday (also it is light stuff) and I quit drinking espresso altogether. I had smoked weed for years, but it got to the point where it started to make me paranoid and nervous, so I quit it too. I also stopped smoking cigarettes, that was much harder than stopping weed.However, the best thing I find that really helps keep your stress level down is exercise and eating properly. I am running 10 km a day now and it makes me feel good and helps me have a good night sleep.

Hope this helps bro, stress is a killer.
 
I feel for ya, I went through years of that shit, though it's mostly over now, just a little background anxiety going on. Things I would tell myself if I could go back in time to when they first started happening would be:

1. Cut as much sugar out of your diet as you can, that includes soda. The post sugar rush crash can trigger anxiety feelings or leave you feeling wired. ditto caffeine and alcohol.

2. Eat when you are hungry, for some reason I would delay eating and misinterpret the hunger as anxiety.

3.Even though it really really really fucking feels like it those sensations do not mean you are going to die/go crazy/have a stroke/collapse/[insert other catastrophic event here]

4. Having this shit happen means fuck all about you, your life, your character or your future, your body is just overeacting to stress and will take it's time to re-calibrate, help it do this by learning to relax, exercising and modifying your diet.

5. Don't take the meds they will fuck with your emotions making it harder to distinguish between what is your feelings and what is the meds.

6. Do some form of exercise daily - I personally prefer chi kung but yoga would be good too. Something that causes you to stretch and relax your muscles so that you can become aware of when you are tense and do something about it. If you do chi kung exercises DO NOT TOUCH YOURSELF AFTERWARDS as you will just be putting the bad chi back in your body (ie dont hold your stomach or rub your head like most systems say to do), instead shake your hands like shaking water off them and imagine it going into the ground.

7. Take timeout when you need to, that means going for walks, getting outside the city, being alone for a while (though don't isolate yourself or use it as a coping mechanism).

8. Don't worry so much about other people and their needs. They are capable of taking care of themselves and learning to accept no is good for them.

9.Find out what you enjoy and do it daily, if you are working a lot then schedule in pleasurable activities - watching a movie, playing pool with friends, skyping a mate, video games, dancing, whatever you like doing.

10.Learn dancing or something physical that takes your total focus. A racing mind can exasperate anxiety so doing something that puts your attention into your body and forces you to be in the now will take you out of your thoughts and lessen your anxiety sensations.

11. If you are in a shitty situation that is making things worse, get out of it, drop the client, quit the job, break the relationship, have the conversation. What ever it is that makes you feel in a catch 22 just do it, the consequences are far far less than your mind is telling you and the positives are huge, staying where you are is not an option.

12. Be kind to yourself and realise things can take time, there is no rush.

13. Learn to accept a slower pace of life for a while.

I hope that helps
 
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untill a couple years ago i thought they were bogus and only "sissies", then i had one a couple years ago, and it sucked donkey dick. haven't had one since, but holy shit that was scary.
 
Sounds like you had an anxiety attack, probably triggered by the weed. I dealt with that shit for years, never knowing what was going on, it can get pretty scary.

Two things. Take notice if you feel the same way next time you smoke. I smoked for years and didnt want to admit that weed was playing a part, but it was. I still smoke occasionally now just dont get blazed out of my mind like before, thats when the problems started to set in.

Try meditation/relaxation techniques. I've tried medication and personally it didnt do anything. But then someone had me try some relaxation techniques (slowing your breathing, relaxing your body, etc) and its made a huge difference.
 
what others have said =
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Maybe you can relate to this. I smoked weed everyday for about 14 years...massive quantities - without even knowing what anxiety was. The ups and downs of being self employed is something you might need to get used to. I never used to understand people that "couldn't smoke weed due to anxiety". I guess you need to experience it first hand to really understand. Years ago this is actually what caused my very first experience with anxiety in my life. Since then I rarely smoke weed anymore because it actually does intensify my anxiety and I have a small script for xanax just in case i feel it coming on which I also rarely take.

Don't worry too much, you will be fine. You just need to get used to realizing what type of business you are in and that there will be highs and lows. This business is always changing so you need to expect that.

Here is a tip - only smoke when you are doing well and your anxiety is low if you choose to smoke at all. Good luck bro.
 
eliquid said:
Im glad you said waking up and falling asleep.

when im waking up sometimes it feels like im having a heart attack and cant move and every fucking doctor I have been to said they have no clue what it is and shrugs it off ( about 7 now )
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my girl friend's dad has the exact same thing.

could be nerves in your esophagus that has been eaten away by acid.
 
This is all good stuff so far everyone. Thanks so much!

I should mention that although I love smoking weed; I'm not a pot-head. Was for years, but it ruins my productivity, so it's only for special times. The doctor said exactly what caspah said: When you're down and the part of your brain that processes emotions becomes weak -- weed will evoke a "fight or flight" response because your brain doesn't want to step away from reality at that moment.

Medication is the last thing I would consider and I'm glad many of you feel the same way. I'm actually preparing financially to start travelling the world in the next year and don't want to be a slave to any drugs.

It feels good to know everyone can contribute to a topic like this without sarcasm and give positive input.

@Turbo: I used to have the same problem with alarm clocks. Trained myself to hate the damn noise so much that my mental alarm ensures I'm up long before the crappy alarm. I also bought a solar/batt powered alarm that makes a pleasant tone, instead of a harsh one to get through the lazy mornings.

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See a herbalist and/or naturopath too. I agree with the others who talked about modifying diet and cutting caffeine. But you also need to up your vitamin B levels too. They'll look at your diet and lifestyle and be able to give you a physiological assessment. Don't feel you're going crazy - I reckon a few lifestyle modifications will help you significantly. Then, if you need to, you can think about drugs and/or therapy.
 
The first panic attacks I ever had were from smoking weed, but they were very short and temporary and never had any lasting effect on my mental state.

The worst anxiety I've ever experienced was from EXCESSIVE DRINKING.

If you drink a lot and your suddenly getting anxiety and panic, there's a good chance it's the alcohol. It took me awhile to figure out, but I had to quit completely. I feel 100% again.
 
Had one a few weeks ago, Started with a pain in my chest due to stress and tiredness, it went on through the day and got worse, to the point where i had to see a doctor there and then. I went to my GP via an emergency appointedment. She thought it was a heart attack. called an ambulance to get me to hospital. So at this point, i was shitting myself and thought my heart was gonna jump out of my throat it was going that fast. Turned out i was fine, was just a panic attack. it was weird, thought they only lastest a few minutes and that was my first one. Bad thing is, im only 22.
 
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