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Author
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Topic: Panic Attacks
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Gooberzlostlovefound
unregistered
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posted May 18, 2002 01:44 AM
 
Does anyone know of ways (besides medication) to deal with panic attacks? Everyone on my dad's side (actually my dad's mom's side) of the family has had them, including my dad. I seem to have the genes cause I have them occasionally, too. It's really a very physical thing. It must be a chemical imbalance because my adrenaline is just rushing through my veins and I have the most incredible feeling of impending doom. My heart races, I can't breathe, I sweat, etc. They're horrible, and anyone who's ever had one knows how *physically* real they are. Anyhow...does anyone know how to cope with them and treat them? Right now I take fifty milligrams of zoloft (an extremely tiny dose), and it works well enough, but I'd like to be able to get rid of them w/out meds. ------------------
There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on. IP: Logged |
Pisces Moon
unregistered
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posted May 18, 2002 02:38 AM
Gooberz, I have never had a panic attack, but I know loads of people who have. They seem to accompany many chronic illnesses, especially of the endocrine system. Getting your general physical health in order is probably a good start.Although I am not an anxious person, I do worry a lot, and feel generally fretful, as well as mood swings. I've found putting a small amount of rose oil on my wrists, breathing regularly and saying a prayer or affirmation very helpful in the short term. Some people swear by lavender, but rose oil interacts with the female hormones (mine are frankly a bit of a mess) and I've found it far more helpful. Most people would recommend a healthy diet, possibly with supplements, relaxation such as meditation, psychotherapy, exercise such as yoga or tai chi, herbal teas, massage, aromatherapy and so on. It's a bit of a "give it a go" approach (or as we say here "Suck it and see"!) Here are a few links:
http://nd.essortment.com/naturalanxiety_rcxq.htm
http://www.healthwell.com/delicious-online/d_backs/Sep_98/expert.cfm
http://www.healthmeds.com/healthcontent/AilmentsandDiseases/panic_attack.htm IP: Logged |
Gooberzlostlovefound
unregistered
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posted May 18, 2002 02:44 AM
Thank you so much, Pisces Moon. You are such a sweetheart, and always there for me.  ------------------
There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on. IP: Logged |
Gooberzlostlovefound
unregistered
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posted May 18, 2002 02:45 AM
Another thing...you mentioned problems with the endocrine system...I have hypothyroidism, so I guess that could be part of the problem. What do you think?The websites were great, by the way. Like they said, it comes totally out of the blue. It's so weird! ------------------
There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on. IP: Logged |
Pisces Moon
unregistered
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posted May 18, 2002 04:00 AM
Gooberz! You're kidding! My husband has hypothyroidism, and panic attacks are a definite symptom. Most people with hypothyroidism suffer from anxiety and/or depresion at some stage.Do you have Hashimotos? And do you belong to a support group? They could give you further advice. My husband is a thyroid counsellor, and he may be able to give you more information. Are you on T3 as well as T4? Because some people really find relief from anxiety with a small dose of T3, or tablets that combine both hormones. My best friend has mild thyroid failure, and could not tolerate anxiety medication. Her anxiety was so acute that a psychiatrist told her she would have to have electroshock therapy (this suggestion made her even more anxious!). On T3, carefully administered under medical supervision, the anxiety became greatly lessened, to a level she could cope with using natural methods like yoga and massage. Here's an article on the psychiatric effects of thyroid problems. It's fairly technical. http://www.drrichardhall.com/anxiety.htm IP: Logged |
Caileah
unregistered
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posted May 18, 2002 11:09 AM
Gooberz~ I empathize, my youngest son doesn't have any chronic illnesses but used to suffer anxiety/panic attacks when he was younger (not that he's old now - he's only 25), it was just horrible for him  But, he learned to control his thru meditation techniques he learned reading Paramahansa Yogananda's books. He doesn't have them anymore  ------------------
. * + . + * . Caileah . * + . + * . The Knowflake formerly known as Princess IP: Logged |
Gooberzlostlovefound
unregistered
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posted May 18, 2002 07:29 PM
I used to be on T3, but I went off it. It didn't really seem to help. I don't really do anything about it...especially because the symptoms are so much like my Fibromyalgia that I never know which is the which!  And about Hashimotos...I've heard of it but I don't believe I have it.I haven't gotten the panic attacks too recently, but I'm learning to drive and when I'm driving I feel like one's coming on so I stop. I asked my mom about it and she said my dad went through a phase where he got panic attacks when he drove on the highway...and...his mother (my grandmother) had so much anxiety when she drove that she REFUSED to take left turns!! LOL! She had to make these complicated routes just to get to nearby places.  My dad and I aren't *that* anxious, but as you can see we definitely share this problem. I don't know if I should take more zoloft or not. I don't really love medicine but I've taken more zoloft before when my attacks were worse and I don't have any bad reactions. It just seems to be the best way to handle it because I don't want to live my life like a nut who's afraid to drive. ------------------
And in the land of star-crossed lovers
And barren hearted wanderers
Forever lost in forsaken missives and satan's pull
We seek the unseekable and we speak the unspeakable
Our hopes dead gathering dust to dust
In faith, in compassion, and in love IP: Logged |
gooberlily
unregistered
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posted May 19, 2002 12:05 AM
My dad gets panic attacks too, GLLF. He can't drive over bridges because he gets most of them while driving. He's on Zoloft too, though it doesn't seem to help too much with the panic attacks Love and light  IP: Logged |
Pisces Moon
unregistered
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posted May 19, 2002 12:39 AM
Goobz, most people with hypothyroidism have Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Also, feelings of nervousness and jitteriness can be a side effect of thyroxine supplements. Maybe you could talk to your endocrinologist about it?Also, you are more vulnerable to panic being a teen, as your hormone levels are still getting adjusted. Hope something works for you soon! IP: Logged |
Gooberzlostlovefound
unregistered
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posted May 19, 2002 01:47 AM
Thanks ------------------
And in the land of star-crossed lovers
And barren hearted wanderers
Forever lost in forsaken missives and satan's pull
We seek the unseekable and we speak the unspeakable
Our hopes dead gathering dust to dust
In faith, in compassion, and in love IP: Logged |
Elaine
unregistered
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posted June 09, 2002 01:39 PM
Hi, Panic Attack - I have had clostrophobia for most of my life - learned from my mom and grandma. I started feeling panicky and went to a psycologist for help. She told me about EMDR - stands for eye movement desensitization and recharacterization. Long name for somehting that really works. The therapist whom you chose to go to uses a light bar that is horizontal and placed in front of you as you sit comfortably. You then describe the way that you feel when you get a panic attack. Then you describe the way that you want to feel. The therapist starts the light bar, you watch the lights go back and forth and with the help of the therapist, the eye movements change the way that you feel. It takes about an hour and a half for the treatments and IT WORKS!! And it is an ongoing process that you can do anytime with other feelings.
Look for a therapist who had been trained to use EMDR and give it a try - it is like magic!! Good luck------------------
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Gooberzlostlovefound
unregistered
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posted June 10, 2002 01:29 AM
Elaine~ I ahve never heard of that! I'm going to go find out about it! Thanks!------------------
Thus we never live, but we hope to live; and always disposing ourselves to be happy, it is inevitable that we never become so. IP: Logged |
MAGUS of MUSIC
unregistered
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posted June 23, 2002 11:29 PM
Hi GooberslostLovefound,If you r the individual GOOBER I think you might be then like I told you{and a few of your responses have sugested}---MEDITATE,evey chance you get.During those dreded atacks and any time you have the chance.If not for the purpose of defeating this awfull syndrom then for a hundred thousand others.
Oh yeah if your not that GOOBER then sorry.Its just that mine{Goober} is going through the same hell rite now as you.
She WILL get through this though and so WILL you.Just hang in there buddy.Youl make it with time patiance and WILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
IP: Logged |
Elohim
unregistered
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posted June 24, 2002 02:01 AM
 MAGUS of MAGIC, welcome to Lindaland! All the best to your Goober, for her recovery.
 ------------------
No one's karma owns them; we own karma. IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 28559
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted June 25, 2002 09:01 AM
Thanks for the information, Elaine!  ------------------
"It is never too late to become what you might have been." George Eliot IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 28559
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted June 27, 2002 07:23 AM
Have things gotten better, GLLF? More and more people are having panic attacks these days. I wonder if it has an astrological link? ------------------
"It is never too late to become what you might have been." George Eliot IP: Logged |
La-Tee-Da
unregistered
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posted June 27, 2002 07:26 AM
Goob: from a physiological standpoint, panic or anxiety attacks have a very real root in hormonal imbalances. The thyroid gland is the prime player in the hormone cycle of the body. If yours is off, that could be the causative factor. I would advise not to get off any medication without talking to your doctor first....have the appropriate tests run and see where you stand.
Light and Love
P.S. the other advice is marvelous...the meditation and etc, but do check with your doctor, too.------------------
Hugs,LTD ~~The struggle keeps us young~~Daring to make mistakes and knowing there are none.~~DGM IP: Logged |
Gooberzlostlovefound
unregistered
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posted June 27, 2002 01:48 PM
La-Tee-Da~ I have hypothyroidism, so you must be right! I haven't had a panic attack for awhile...maybe it's the medication, or maybe they just went away. Every once in a while I feel one coming on but it never really happens now.I started getting panic attacks when I was around 8 or 9, but I never knew what they were so I never told anyone, fearing that my parents would think I was crazy! Back then they were very mild. Little did I know at the time that my dad used to have them. I continued having them every once in a great while very mildy until I was about 11, and then they just stopped. And then at about 13 they were back again, and very bad. I haven't had one now for a few months, thankfully. I'm learning to drive and sometimes I can't drive for more than like half an hour at a time cause then I feel one coming on. It's really strange. Does anyone know of links to panic attacks and driving? One more thing....Why do I only have them when I'm alone? And usally alone at night, too. It's pretty intertesting. I don't know if I ever thanked anyone for all the good advice. If I didn't, then thank you! It helps a lot. GLLF ------------------
"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strain, we must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be the better angels of our nature." IP: Logged |
La-Tee-Da
unregistered
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posted June 27, 2002 03:50 PM
Goob....panic attacks and driving can be synonymous.....panic attacks can be triggered by intense stress and nervousness cause this causes the body to further destabilize the hormone "machine", hence the attack. As a child you had panic attacks starting cause your little system was already out of kilter in the hormone production cycles. As you got older the attacks intensified cause your hormones "matured" and showed greater gaps of insufficienies....in other words, the hormones were not keeping up with your sprouting new body...increased height, increased brain output, etc. And yes, they can be hereditary.....the hormonal imbalance is the part that is hereditary, but it manifests in the panic attacks. Keep working with your doc and you will eventually even out. Healing and Light to you. Oh!!! Hey I almost forgot.....an ice pack to the head or back of the neck, can abruptly stop the onset of a panic attack. It acts by "shocking" your body into stopping the attack. They do it to little kids in the emergency room that appear normal otherwise,but show increase blood pressure and panic symptoms......it works. It is called vagal stimulation. ------------------
Hugs,LTD ~~The struggle keeps us young~~Daring to make mistakes and knowing there are none.~~DGM IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 28559
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted June 27, 2002 05:36 PM
La-Tee-Da, you are very mysterious! You seem to have a lot of very good information on a lot of things. And I thought you were just a good Lexigramer!  GLLF, if you think about it, driving is one heck of a stressful experience nowadays, or it can be. ------------------
"It is never too late to become what you might have been." George Eliot IP: Logged |
Gooberzlostlovefound
unregistered
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posted June 28, 2002 01:37 AM
La-Tee-Da~ Thanks for all the info! I agree that it must be hormonal. And I will definitly try the ice pack idea. It is good to know there is a way to stop it from happening. ------------------
"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strain, we must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be the better angels of our nature." IP: Logged |
La-Tee-Da
unregistered
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posted June 28, 2002 03:33 AM
 You're more than welcome Goob. I will hold you in my thoughts and send you some white light. Randall...when you are older than dirt, you tend to amass alot of info  ------------------
Hugs,LTD ~~The struggle keeps us young~~Daring to make mistakes and knowing there are none.~~DGM IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 28559
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted June 28, 2002 07:28 AM
 ------------------
"It is never too late to become what you might have been." George Eliot IP: Logged |
Bullymac
unregistered
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posted August 12, 2002 08:26 PM
I am wondering, regarding panic attacks, if anyone (women of course) have noticed a corretlation with their menstrual cycle. I seem to only experience anxiety attacks, heart palatations, etc. after the completion of my cycle, (which are quite erratic anyway). I am currently awaiting results of bloodwork from my physician before starting continuous oral contraceptives.....i.e. taking the pill non-stop so that I do not menstruate. If anyone has any comment regarding this please fill me in!!!!! Thanks IP: Logged |
Randall
Webmaster Posts: 28559
From: Saturn next to Charmainec
Registered: Apr 2009
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posted August 12, 2002 09:24 PM
Welcome to the site, Bullymac!  ------------------
"Never mentally imagine for another that which you would not want to experience for yourself, since the mental image you send out inevitably comes back to you." Rebecca Clark IP: Logged |
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