Panic/Anxiety Attack

Only once ever came close to an anxiety attack. Not long after I got off drugs, I was walking through a shopping centre, around easter time, and it was really crowded. People everywhere. Suddenly I seemed to be hearing every sound really clearly. Everything seemed to be moving at fast speed. I recognised what was happening, and knew I had to get out of there and get some breathing room. It was close, but the feeling has never returned.

Portal, don't worry yourself, your post here, now, has started what I think of already as a classic thread, no matter how many more post. The responses have been extremely useful, this thread is a saver.

A friend of mine experienced these, not as a young woman, but in menopause time. I don't think she was helped at all in her visit to the hospital, except that she learned that she had been hyperventilating. I am grateful for all the information here.

Personally, I have only had something similar to this when I
went into some kind of tharn, well, really wishing to fly away, when I found myself on a narrow mountain road not being able to see the edge, on, gads, a curve. Well, I guess that is regular old ordinary fight or flight syndrome, not really inappropriate in that circumstance - or was at the time. It turned out that people had gone over at that cute little curve. However, the repercussion of that experience is that I am inappropriately chickenshit in some driving situations. This is tangential to the main discussion, but not completely outside of the ballpark.

I just had my first panic attack a few weeks ago. First My hands were tingling for a week and then it stoped. Then a couple months later, for no reason at all, my heart started racing, hands tingling, felt like I couldn't breathe. Now, sometimes when I get one my hands start tingling and nothing else happens. Is that normal?

update:

Hi everybody. I've been feeling much better lately. Although I still get anxious, I dropped one of my more taxing jobs and am only taking 12 hours this semester. Also, I've been swimming which really seems to help, it makes me more energized for the day and tired at night.

Some of these stressors are things I can get rid of immidiately and some are things I'll probably have to deal with most of my life (behavioral patterns and certain family members...) But I have been doing my best to make calmer what is in my control.

Morgan, I don't know anything about hand tingling. You should ask your doctor. Is it both hands, or just one hand?

I hadn't seen this before... but I'm glad you're feeling better (((( Portal Star ))))... and I hope you are soon too (((( morgan19 )))).

Morgan, I too wonder if those symptoms relate to panic attack. Please see an m.d. to clarify this, they could be symptoms of something else that is important to find out about.

(Hi, Bill...)

And Portal, I'm happy for your new tools to beat this stress.

(Hola Osso!)

Tingling or numbness IS common in panic disorder.

Might be worth just getting that checked out when you next see your doctor, though - just to be quadruply sure!

Weird, isn't it? I discovered the other day that I often get a really sore throat when I am anxious - I had to have an intensely difficult discussion with a friend - and had waited a couple of weeks, until I was really calm, to have it. Felt fine before, and during - as soon as it was over, I got an intense sore throat (and headache, of course) - I had been noticing I had been getting sore throats prior to the discussion - and, when I thought back, I often do when I am really stressed.

I have a few great anxiety site tucked away on a thread here - and on my normal computer - I will access them for you when I can and pop them on here (if remember!!!)

I've been to my doctor and the emergency room a couple of times. They said that my heart and lungs were fine and they also did blood work, which they said was fine. I am under a lot of stress - I teach first grade, just moved, and my fiance is bipolar. I try to make everything perfect for him - like having dinner ready, cleaning, things I know that will set him off if I don't do - so he won't get mad. I am currently taking Zoloft and Valium when I one starts. I don't like taking medication, but I get so scared when I get one. The Valium does seem to help the racing heart and tingling and the unsecure feelings, but it gives me the worst headache the next day. I am going back to my doctor tomorrow for her to check my medication and do a complete physical.

Unless you have kids together, why not get a divorce? Your partner should be your friend and confidant, not someone you have to tiptoe around, and especially not someone who adds a great deal of stress to your life.

Panic disorder also responds well - usually - to therapy with a good therapist who is skilled with cognitive behavioural therapy. Some of the sites I WILL try to find for you detail the process of this well. (I can't afford to get my normal computer back from the shop this fortnight - but I think I can rustle them up for you anyway.)

The key is to stop fearing the symptoms. Has your doctor explained what and why they are? They are your poor body's normal protective functions responding to general anxiety (which is why they do not make sense to you - why NOW? Often happen when you are calm) and scaring the bejesus out of you - so you end up in a sort of vicious cycle - cos when they scare you, your body reacts to help you more, and this makes you feel worse.

The feelings you get are harmless - though unpleasant - the more you can not let the bastids worry you, the less panic you will have.

That is a "quick and dirty" explanation - I will come back and talk more.

A lot of them come from hyperventilation by the way - which we usually do without realising - we end up with too much oxygen in the blood - which, paradoxically, means our cells can't get their normal supply - hence some of the weird feelings.

An old remedy for this, which is coming back into fashion, is breathing in and out of a paper bag for a while, which means you re-breathe your exaled carbon dioxide, and this balances your blood oxygen again.

Also - slow breathing - into the "tummy" (ie the bottom of your lungs - which stretches your diaphragm - which has a calming effect, it seems) - exhale gently - just let your lungs empty naturally. Put hand on tummy - you will feel it rising when you are doing it properly - breathe in deeply but gently to the slow count of three - hold for three - gently exhale - hold for three - inhale slowly but deeply and so on. This corrects hyperventilation and actually acts to calm you.

And - you ARE under lots of stress - a good therapist can help you explore this and mebbe change some stuff.

(I hav eprolly told you stuff you have heard a million times - sorry if this is so!)

I have had panic attacks off and on for 20 years, one of my symptoms during an attack is my hands and feet get extremely cold, it's a lack of blood fllow to the extremities. That happens to some people when the body goes into panic mode, the blood is going to the vital organs, so I was told.

To help combat the attacks I would suggest learning meditation, instead of medication. Valium is addicting, and a person dosen't have to have an addictive personality to get accustomed to taking it.

I am so in favor of support groups, for any battle a person is fighting. Your local newspaper will more than likely have a list of self-help meetings.

I am so glad to see this thread pick up again. I haven't had much in the way of panic attack myself but did have one real doozy driving situation that caused immediate situational panic, and I remember it well. So, listening here...

Part of my weaning from booze years ago was orchestration of NOT HAVING panic attacks anymore. As a life response Ive followed what Deb has espoused in the first pages of this here thread. That is , the relaxATION RESPONSE.
I am so mellow at this point in my life that Ive actually have been dropping my blood pressure meds.Most of my BP meds were begun while I was drinking heavily
I have a family history of essential hypertension and a predeliction to a THIQ (genetic) alcoholism. I handled the alky with rehab and coaching (no AA), but the hypertension remained and increased until I was taking bout 1 of everything made and still only holding at about 140/90.
Using a TM and exercise approach has dropped me to all but one med and its a channel blocker (I had malaria from jungle work and my blood vessels are pretty roughened so I expect that I will be taking channel blockers all my life)
BUT, the anxiety and panic disorders have disappeared and my BP is waaay down (for me) so my cardiologist says I have BP under control.
I cannot say enough good about relaxation responses and TM. I always thought it was a "new age" Dr Weil kinda bullshit that only beatles fans did. However, Im a real devotee and take my "OHHMM time" in a daily dose.

It helps my normally excitable me think more clearly also. I do a TM gig anytime Im in depositions or testifying. It gets me centered and able to concentrate on the entire range of the questions and makes me aware of their different levels of significance.
I strongly urge that you go back and read Debs wonderful relaxation response post and follow it. I started with deep breathing but wasnt made aware of the gradual shut down of sense stimulation until I signed up for a course.

Cbt
I used to have panic attacks several days a week until I learned how to counter my thoughts in a tea form with my cbt therapist and the cbt books she loaned me called, Mastery of your Anxiety and Panic-Third Edition by Michelle Craske and David Barlow and Been there, done that? Do this! by Sam Obitz. I highly recommend cbt to anyone who wants to get panic under control. Google cbt and you'll find lots of hits about it.

I had panic attacks for years and they put me on xanax.. helped for a while but i kept getting panic attacks and my heart would race and race... finally they put me on a holter moniter (a 24 hour heart moniter that you walk around with) and found out that I have an abnormally fast heart pace... normal heart beats for an person my age (20) during day 70-80 bpm..... sleeping 60-70 bpm mine was
during the day 120-140 bpm and when I was sleeping 100-120 bpm.... so they put me on atenolol a beta-blocker and even had to up my dosage..... but ever since I have only had maybe on panic attack!! So it was my heart all along and it made me paniccy when It was racing soo face.. one time I had such a bad one that my bpm was over 200.. I thought I was gonna die!!

The only things that stinks about it is that now I can't have any stimulants they set my heart off wicked bad ans I usually end up in the hospital..

The reason why my heart beat soo fast was because of panic attacks it was because my body wasn't stopping the adrenaline flow to my heart and it just kept pumping it in

That's great that they found out the problem with your heart! I can't even imagine my heart beating 200 beats per minute.

Heard a lot of good stuff here. It's important to remember that there is no "one size fits all" solution.

I had been having panic attacks for years, not knowing what they were. For some reason I saw these attacks as a moral issue (I should be able to CONTROLL this dammit!) So, I didn't discuss with anyone, I was so ashamed. I just knew others would think I was crazy. Also, I have borderline obsessive compulsive, which I thought of as "control"

Finally, after one of those hard times that come to everyones life, the damn just burst and I started having them all the time, daily.

Unless you have experience a panic attack, you have no idea.

Imagine someone holding a gun to your head, clicking empty cylinders, and knowing absolutely there is a bullet in there. That is the fear you experience.

Finally, I went into therapy, which helped tremendously with working with many issues, but the Panic continued. I capitalize Panic because by this time it was an entity that had a life of its own. No amount of meditation, deep breathing, yoga was going to get it to abate.
My therapist, occassionally brought up the possibility of medication, however, one of my worst fears was taking any type of drugs. I had a fear that I would totally lose controll, and die. Sound familiar to anyone?
Thank God she kept the thought in my mind, because nothing seemed to work.
Here was my watershed moment - A close fried and I have always had a dream of going to Italy together. I realized I would never be able to sit in a tube hurtling through space for hours and hours, probably smoke filled at that.
I realized - this THING is keeping me from living the life I want to live!!!!!

Not many in this thread have mentioned the role of seritonin in panic attacks.
Seritonin gives the body a calming effect, and "normal" people have plenty in reserve, to get over that adrenalin rush because a tiger is chasing you.
Those suffering from panic attacks howerever, have not only guzzled every drop produced by your body, it immediatley grabs out and devours any more your brain manages to eek out.
So much for being afraid of addicting medications - You're body is acting like a crack addict - canibalizing it's own dealer!
At least that how I think of it.
Having made the decesion to start living my life again, and started taking a popular seritonin-reuptake-inhibitor. There were adjustments to the meds over a little time - by I truly credit this to giving my life quality again. Oh, it helped the OCD too.
So - take whatever road you need to get help, but get it.
Panic is a truly awful master - I wouldn't wish it on anyone.
PS
If you think getting whatever help you need will improve YOUR life, just imagine how it will improve the lives of those around you. Being near, and trying to love me was no picnic.

I would describe it as a feeling of going insane, like you have gone over the edge and there is no coming back. the whole room feels as though its caving in on you and you get this uncontrolable stream of thought. I had my head in my hands and just curled up in a ball on my bed, alone which may not have helped, but there was no way I was about to let someone see my like that.