Dealing with panic attacks?

[drenalin'junkie]

PTSD, mild long covid and who knows what else seems to have triggered panic attack.
Initially a month apart now 3-5 weekly even with SSRIs.
Doing breathing exercises, CBT, meditation and therapy in addition.
Already changed diet and added exercise.
Physically, a little round but extremely fit with an active lifestyle.
Absolutely flummoxed, doc reco'd antihistamines to replace a benzo that was begging to concern us for it's addiction profile.
The antihistamines just further fueled the pressure, in the ER now after 30 hours of discomfort.
I have a new respect for people going through anxiety, it's not how I want to spend my nights.

 

[Threehearts]

I developed panic attacks almost 2 years ago. I tried everything you can imagine and nothing really worked.

What worked the most for me was finding a specialist who exclusively worked with people who had panic around driving and heights. That (LiSW) devised a therapy program that was life-changing. Within 3 months, I was well on my way. As a companion to the therapy, she suggested that I hire a mentor who would go out with me in the car 3 times a week. Finding that mentor who was so experienced and reassuring got me back to my old self.

I found the transportation therapist when I read about her practice in a national newspaper. She just happened to be in my area.

Do a deep search to see if you can find a specialist that deals with what makes you most anxious.

 

[LiDa]

PTSD, mild long covid and who knows what else seems to have triggered panic attack.
Initially a month apart now 3-5 weekly even with SSRIs.
Doing breathing exercises, CBT, meditation and therapy in addition.
Already changed diet and added exercise.
Physically, a little round but extremely fit with an active lifestyle.
Absolutely flummoxed, doc reco'd antihistamines to replace a benzo that was begging to concern us for it's addiction profile.
The antihistamines just further fueled the pressure, in the ER now after 30 hours of discomfort.
I have a new respect for people going through anxiety, it's not how I want to spend my nights.

Oh, dear. I'm so sorry! And hope you're feeling better. The ER is its own ring of Dante's Inferno, isn't it?

I used to be agoraphobic -- so, panic attacks led to agoraphobia. I could tell you stories, but I'm sure you have your own. And I managed them & now it's mostly a very bad set of memories.

Anyway, what kicked my butt into gear was ... a trip to WDW! LOL. I was going to a joint trip to the national figure skating championships & WDW & there was no one I was going to miss this trip. I went to a new MD who gave me Xanax, which I fought against. My adrenaline level was so high that I didn't even feel it, but it, as my doctor put it, knocked me on my butt so I could grab some perspective. Now, if I take the same dose, I fall asleep for half a day. It was, for me, a radical intervention.

And I read a book about relaxation - I wish I could remember the title! (Something like One Minute Relaxation, it's a very old book) Essentially, you breathe in slowly for about 30 seconds, pause & say a word like "peace", "quiet", "calm" - you could say "puppy", it doesn't matter, just a word that is calming. Then you breathe out, taking twice as long, so 60 seconds. I thought it was the dumbest thing I'd read & I read a lot of books about anxiety attacks, but I was desperate. It was miraculous & I still do it sometimes.

When I am in the throes of an honest-to-goodness anxiety attack, I use another simple tactic that short-circuits the brain. You look around you & describe what you see, completely without judgment: "There is a wall with red bricks. The trim on the window is white. The mailbox is painted like a flower with a ladybug on it. The car is silver with New Mexico plates. The license plates are teal with yellow lettering." And so on. Once you are focusing on this sort of minutaie, you will have less attention & energy for the physical manifestations of an anxiety attack & they subside.

These tactics are not about delving into why you're experiencing panic, although that can be very valuable, too. If you cannot control them in the moment, thinking rationally is just a nice treat. These are about stopping the attack as it happens so you get that perspective.

I hope they help. You will get better -- I promise!!

 

[DLgal]

Ask your psychiatrist about adding Gaba or Ashwaganda to your protocol. Both are said to help with anxiety and panic attacks. My husband's psychologist suggested them to him.

I have suffered from panic attacks and low level anxiety for over 10 years. I finally had a heart rhythm issue pop up and was prescribed a low dose of a beta blocker. Never. Felt. Better. If really took the edge off my anxiety/panic attacks and now I only have them when I experience a VERY stressful event. I used to have numerous attacks per week. Beta blockers sort of take the edge off and slow down your heart rate, and prevent it from racing. They are not addictive and can be taken long term with no side effects. My heart issues started after covid as well. This medicine has made such a huge difference in my quality of life.

Also, eliminate all caffeine. It really helps. Take your workouts down a notch if you exercise. Switch to moderate workouts where you don't get your heart rate too high. That causes an adrenaline rush that makes you more prone to a panic attack.

 

[MikkyMar]

Beta blockers sort of take the edge off and slow down your heart rate, and prevent it from racing. They are not addictive and can be taken long term with no side effects. My heart issues started after covid as well. This medicine has made such a huge difference in my quality of life.

Also, eliminate all caffeine. It really helps. Take your workouts down a notch if you exercise. Switch to moderate workouts where you don't get your heart rate too high. That causes an adrenaline rush that makes you more prone to a panic attack.

These are great suggestions! I agree that watching your diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the best solution here. But I do understand that it sometimes doesn't work so easily. I used to take lexapro, a generic equivalent (escitalopram) from canadian pharmacy online for about two years. It did helped, but I decided try to cope with my anxiety naturally. So no I stick to a healthy diet, do sports, practice yoga, avoid stressful situations as far as possible.

 

[mommasita]

PTSD, mild long covid and who knows what else seems to have triggered panic attack.
Initially a month apart now 3-5 weekly even with SSRIs.
Doing breathing exercises, CBT, meditation and therapy in addition.
Already changed diet and added exercise.
Physically, a little round but extremely fit with an active lifestyle.
Absolutely flummoxed, doc reco'd antihistamines to replace a benzo that was begging to concern us for it's addiction profile.
The antihistamines just further fueled the pressure, in the ER now after 30 hours of discomfort.
I have a new respect for people going through anxiety, it's not how I want to spend my nights.

How are doing now ? I wanted to check in on you

 

[drenalin'junkie]

How are doing now ? I wanted to check in on you

Still on meds but less frequent attacks. Thanks for checking in!

 

[Nobody352]

I suffered from TERRIBLE attacks for 6 years.
Completely changing my diet and doing a LOT of cardio has completely cured me of them.
0 caffeine.. and very careful not to spike my sugar or cholesterol.. and just lots of running on the treadmill. Tried a ton on benzos, psychiatrist, etc.. all junk. I turned to MYSELF to find the cure. Its basically just retraining your brain to not trigger fight or flight responses to elevated heart rates etc in my opinion and a ton of exercise achieves that.

 

[TheBlackBear]

I started having panic attacks last year after losing my job. I couldn't focus on finding a new job because I felt terrible. I tried a healthy diet, therapy, exercising, and medication and things started looking better, but I would still have panic attacks from time to time. The thing that helped me get even better was guided medication. I do it at least once a day and this phone app Calmer is great at teaching you how to do it properly. I still use it to learn about new methods that help with anxiety and panic attacks. You can find thousands of guided meditation tutorials online, but that's the reason why it's hard to find the one that would work. I haven't had attacks for a few months and it's much easier to live without thinking about it.

 

[SpaceMan5]

When I am in the throes of an honest-to-goodness anxiety attack, I use another simple tactic that short-circuits the brain. You look around you & describe what you see, completely without judgment: "There is a wall with red bricks. The trim on the window is white. The mailbox is painted like a flower with a ladybug on it. The car is silver with New Mexico plates. The license plates are teal with yellow lettering." And so on. Once you are focusing on this sort of minutaie, you will have less attention & energy for the physical manifestations of an anxiety attack & they subside.

Excellent advice. It works

 

[Disturbia]

Get your thyroid checked. My initial symptoms were panic attacks and sudden racing heart (slice of dark chocolate cake stopped it in 10 mins). TSH should be less than 2 (not 6!!). Chocolate would help (Magnesium deficiency) but dark is getting a bad wrap with heavy metal contamination.

The other medical reason could be kidney disease. You can buy urine test strips that can check for protienuria. If you need lisinopril be aware it depletes zinc.

Make sure you rehydrate with liquid IV electrolytes (Costco has them; Vit c one is great and has lot of B12) after any high intensity exercise (get enough iodized salt). Magnesium lotion works to relax but for muscle cramps I had to resort to activene ointment (pain cream).

Ashwagandha (Costco has good quality pills or Olly Stress pills) and Organic Tulsi tea helps. Also combine L theanine, Magnesium and Methyl B12 (Ceremonial Matcha is very high in L theanine - use to replace coffee in pm occasionally; tannins can block iron absorption).

Nag champa fragrance.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006FLZXU?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Temple Spa Quietude and Drift Away massage oil or ‘this works’ deep sleep pillow spray.

TheraIce migraine stick helps calm the pounding headaches as well.

Play relaxing music/religious music. I like Jessita Reyes flutes native American Flute & sounds of nature CD.

 

[Disturbia]

For heart issues look into Nattokinaise and Vit K2 after consulting with your cardiologist (they can run a coronary artery calcium score and CIMT test). Dr (chiropractor) Berg has a couple of good videos on why calcium is hardening arteries instead of going where it should (bones).