My Panic Attack Solution

Okay I’ve had anxiety & panic attacks before. Well 8 days ago I had a REALLY bad panic attack and went to the ER. they said it was just a panic attack (which I knew logically it was too..but physically I was scared and went to the er) Okay I have meds and stuff I take regularly for depression & anxiety. Here is the thing. Ever since that last panic attack I had 8 days ago (dizzy, smoothering feeling, felt lump in throat, felt as if I couldn’t breathe) I have felt okay. The thing is I’am now really afraid that I will all of a sudden have another attack. And I try not to think about it. Ok here is whats going on… I have been breathing in really deep every so often to make sure my lungs are working. I know that sounds silly, but for some reason I have been doing it. I’m just afraid that I’m not getting enough oxygen. My Question is….. has anyone who has anxiety or panic attack afterwards for an extended period of time felt the need to inhale DEEP to make sure your breathing?? I do try not to do it but I think I’m still a bit anxious. I’ve been taking my Xanax & Klonopan (cant spell) and I still do it. Thanks!

I have the same problems. I went to the ER 3 times during the summer. I worry that I will overdose on my medicine and die. I take 8 different meds at night. I can explain it to you in an e-mail. i know what you are going through. Please maybe we can talk. It helps that I know we have the same problems.

Just a month ago I was told that I may be suffering from panic attacks. The doctor prescribed lorazepam…my condition seemed to worsen. (Dizzyness, fatigue, rapid heartbeat)

This past weekend they switched me to Citalopram. This landed me in ER with stomach aches, an urge to cry, laugh, fight and vomiting all at the same time! They recommended that I stop taking the medication. Now what?

I’m completely drained by this ordeal…and sick of crying and feeling so confused! (((I ‘m freaked out))) I know this isn’t going to help my condition.

Now I’m feeling like I can’t trust any of the meds out there…something else to panic about! ( the side effects)

Are there any meds out there…that does not come with such long term side effects…harsh addictions?

Is the tingle in my legs, nervousness, feeling of excitment in my stomach,muscle spasm, just a part of having panic attacks?!

Are panic attacks life long conditions….I can’t deal with this! sob

I’m so sorry you are going through all this! I know first hand that panic attacks can be so crippling, I’ve had them off and on for 30 + years. There is medication that can help, don’t give up trying to find it. In the mean time, you should consider seeing a therapist and get a recommendation from them. While a therapist cannot write you a prescription, a psychiatrist can and they will have the medical background to help you find the right medication.

Please, don’t give up, help is out there!

I was just wondering whether this was a panic attack. It has happened 2 times. I get really angry because I think no one understands my point of view and then my breath starts to shorten and then I can not breathe at all and I am gasping for air and I panic and freak out because I think I will not be able to get my breath back. It only lasts about 30 seconds and then goes away and I feel fine. Don’t panic attacks last longer than this? Is this just a really short panic attack?
What exactly is a panic attack?

a panic attack is exactly what you described. there are a lot of different types. in my experience, im not a counselor or anything but ive had anxiety for about 3 years, sometimes panic attacks start out less serious or scary, then get worse. depending on how to take care of it. sometimes panic attacks are really bad the 1st time. sometimes people start to worry about the next time they will get an attack, this causes more attacks. all in all its a lot of stress you dont need. heres the thing though. you cant really get over or resolve something before understanding that its a problem. when something interferes with your normal way of living, then you know you have a problem.
my advice to you is to go to a counselor to figure out what could be causing this. try to figure out the root. medication…im a natural medicine type of nut…so most people disregard what im going to say. that being said: medicine is good for people with severe cases of anxiety that they cant control any other way. if takin for a less severe case then its more of a symptom…solver instead of figuring out what the root is.
theres not one type of anxiety attack.
a lot of people experience the same thing you are. youre not alone.

i hope everything works out, good luck

The instructions say it can take 4-6 weeks, but after about 2 weeks, I was feeling so much better. And after 4 I don’t think I had any more. (Unfortunately, that 1st week really wigged me out, I just wasn’t used to the feeling of medication…but it went away really quickly for me) Good luck and I am so sorry you are going through that!

My daughter had to be put on it for depression and panic attacks. How long does it take to kick in? Anybody here on it?

Im not on that specificly, but the genral rule with most psych meds is you start feeling some benifit around 2 weeks, and full benifit around 4-6 weeks on full dose.

look up the specific med on crazymeds.us
always a good site to look up info on psych meds

Actually to add from crazy meds
"How Long Lamictal Takes to Work: Like all anticonvulsants it works best once you reach the proper dosage, but the proper dosage is especially variable with Lamictal (lamotrigine). Its antidepressant properties will kick in somewhere between 25 and 100mg a day, depending on what other meds you might be taking. Its mood stabilization and anti-epileptic effects will take place between 100 and 400mg a day, again depending on what other medications you’re taking. So it all depends on the titration schedule you and your doctor work out to reach those dosages."

Still good to check out that site for other info on the drug

My symptoms: chest tightening, dizziness/lightheadedness (if thats a word ) I looked up normal sypmtoms online and normal lengths. Usually they last for 30 minutes or so but it is not unusually to have short ones. Im a little worried that i enjoyed it.. Im also a little curious
I also have social anxiety disorder, general anxiety disorder, depression/mood disorder, & trichotillomania. Im aware of my symptoms & i know im not supposed to like it. Id rather you not act like i have no idea what im talking about.

I’ve never had a panic attack before.
Sorry.

I experienced a panic attack a long time ago and I called the ambulance because I was afraid I was going to die.. They hooked me up to a machine and my heart was beating at 170 beats per minute.. The ambulance technician looked and told me that people’s hearts explode at 120 beats per minute.. My body was literally losing its life while I was lying in that ambulance.. My skin color was changing, my hair was getting frizzier, and my vision started changing. So I got to the hospital and when I did they hooked my body up my IVs so that my body would get vitamins to support my increased body functions.. It worked and then they gave me a shot to put me asleep. I woke up back to normal but ever since then my body has been getting weaker and weaker again but not as fast as it was like in the ambulance truck.. Im not able to visually see and feel it.. Its getting worser over the course of every 3 weeks.. My hair, my skin color, my vision has all been changing and they arent stopping.. Im also becoming fatigued. I am taking vitamins. I take a bodybuilder supplement vitamin called Universal Animal Pak with over 55 ingredients and nothing is changing… Did that panic attack trigger some sort of other problem in my health?

Oh Lord – I know – it’s horrible. Your heart won’t explode though – although it feels like it. It beats very shallowly although rapidly. You’re actually not in any danger – although I know that seems totally impossible at this point!

Hard to say why you had the panic attack. Could be physical, I suppose – something you took with your weight lifting things which has upset your electrolytes. Or it can be purely psychological. It is unbelievable what psychology can do.

You might be coming out into what they used to call a "manifest neurosis" – not sure what they call it these days. This is where something in your "forgotten"past is pushing it’s way toward consciousness – this seems to cause panic – and about all you can do is talk about it with a good psychologist – takes a while to figure out that you AREN’T actually in danger.

Do you have a period before having a panic attack that you know it’s about to come or does it come suddenly? How do you usually act when you’re having a panic attack? How long do yours usually last?
Also, if you can feel it coming on, how long before it happens do you feel it coming on? Are you ever able to postpone the panic attack? Or even avoid it all together?

I’m asking because I have attacks that are EXACTLY like panic attacks. Everything is the exact same. Except everywhere I read that it comes all of a sudden and I always have strange feeling for half an hour or an hour before that something horrible is going to happen? Maybe I’m finding ways to postpone the panic attack? I don’t know.. Was just wondering if this happens with anyone else.

I know that I’m about to panic when I can no longer control my breathing and heart rate. I first get a thought. If that thought doesn’t go away fast then I start to panic. After many years with this disorder I’ve learned simple breathing techniques that work really well most of the time.

Panic attacks don’t cause heart damage. They acually protect your heart. According to wikipedia web dictionay…here is what your body does…While the various symptoms of a panic attack may feel that the body is failing, it is in fact protecting itself from harm. The various symptoms of a panic attack can be understood as follows. First, there is frequently (but not always) the sudden onset of fear with little provoking stimulus. This leads to a release of adrenaline (epinephrine) which brings about the so-called fight-or-flight response wherein the person’s body prepares for strenuous physical activity. This leads to an increased heart rate (tachycardia), rapid breathing (hyperventilation) which may be perceived as shortness of breath (dyspnea), and sweating (which increases grip and aids heat loss). Because strenuous activity rarely ensues, the hyperventilation leads to a drop in carbon dioxide levels in the lungs and then in the blood. This leads to shifts in blood pH (respiratory alkalosis or hypocapnia), which in turn can lead to many other symptoms, such as tingling or numbness, dizziness, burning and lightheadedness. Moreover, the release of adrenaline during a panic attack causes vasoconstriction resulting in slightly less blood flow to the head which causes dizziness and lightheadedness. A panic attack can cause blood sugar to be drawn away from the brain and towards the major muscles. It is also possible for the person experiencing such an attack to feel as though they are unable to catch their breath, and they begin to take deeper breaths, which also acts to decrease carbon dioxide levels in the blood.

I did see that people take up to 60 mg?

Sometimes it takes two to three days for a drug to get to a therapeutic level in the bloodstream. If you don’t feel any better by the fourth day of therapy then I would talk to my medical provider to look at other options.