Do you ever know when you’re about to have a panic attack?
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.
Comments
Comment from carolinaschick
Time January 17, 2010 at 11:16 am
yes, I can feel it coming on.
But thats bc I have a heart problem and it effectas my
heart too.
So I learned different ways to prevent the panic attack
from happening bc it’s not good for my heart.lol
So yea, I can feel them coming on.
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Comment from Paige
Time January 17, 2010 at 11:28 am
from personal experience
i get this feeling in the pit of my stomach. it’s just like that "oh shit" feeling. and then as soon as i realize what’s about to happen i start sweating profusely. and my breathing gets quick and rapid. It then becomes even worse if your in public and everyone is like HEY are you okay? Right before I have one I normally get very on edge and moody, like sudden changes in emotion and stuff. My panic attacks usually end with my body shutting down and me passing out, but that’s only in worst case scenerios. They last any length of time, depending on how nervous I am.
Hope that helps!
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Personal experience
Comment from Becky
Time January 17, 2010 at 11:54 am
My panic attacks usually last anywhere from a minute to a couple hours. I can tell when they’re coming because I start to get light-headed and my hands and arms feel kind of light and weird. I used to get them so bad that people would call 911 and they’d give me oxygen. Now they’re more under control and I don’t get them as bad, but before they were really intense. It was like having an asthma attack and a heart attack at the same time. I’d sweat, my heart would race, my hands would shake, I’d get really hot and weak in the knees so I’d have to lie down.
Anyway, those cues let me know they’re coming so I can take a Xanax.
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Comment from Yoshi
Time January 17, 2010 at 12:19 pm
depends on what ur panicking about.. i had a panic attack when my fiance and i broke up. at first you start feeling tight, then you start feeling shortness of breath, then your heart starts pounding erratically and it hurts SO much. it lasted about 10-15 minutes. i walked around and got a cold shower and it went away. im not sure if it was a panic attack, but it was surely frightening.
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Comment from Amanda L
Time January 17, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I feel it coming. It always starts with a very uncomfortable situation.
My last one was at an interview. I was nervous about it and by the time it was over I was shaking, breathing hard and almost in tears.
Thank God my husband was there to drive me home… That would have been hard.
I went home and all I could do for the rest of the day was just curl up on the couch and sleep.
And I didn’t get the job. LoL
I also haven’t gone to another interview yet, but will take my Zanex before-hand next time to prevent it.
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Comment from FgtBecca
Time January 17, 2010 at 1:09 pm
No,it comes suddenly and for no reason at all.
Usually my palms are sweaty,i feel dizzy and nauseated,
and my heart races REALLY quickly.Feels bassically like im dying.
Usually for about 5-10 minutes,depends.
Why do you ask?
Project?
You should go on webmd.com or something like that.
Forgot what the websites called but they have a lot of information on metal issues.
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I have panic disorder.
Comment from labdogs4me
Time January 17, 2010 at 1:54 pm
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.
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Comment from Karrie C
Time January 17, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Um I think i can tell when I m about to have one because my head starts spinning and my thoughts go haywire, about a minute before I start loosing my breath and getting dizzy. My eyes water and I just feel like the world is crashing around me. It s scary specially because I start hypervenilating and I have asthma. Mine usually last about five minutes or until I can get out of the circumstance that set it off.
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Comment from Al Coholic
Time January 17, 2010 at 2:20 pm
That is the problem, most of the time it comes on quickly without much warning. With practice and with help, the signs can be recognized though and techniques applied to limit them or cut them off before they take ahold too strongly.
I’ve had them last for 3 hours before but am pretty good at cutting them off now. Trying to think positive keeps them in check for me.
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Comment from ashnarf
Time January 17, 2010 at 2:40 pm
usually I hypervenelate… and I don’t know I’m having one untill I have one… I just feel stressed, or upset, or whatever.. and then that emotion just explodes, and I get very faint and start breathing really fast and really deep, and start to feel sick… I hate having one when I’m alone… I have to say to myself.. Ashley… Breath.. in your nose… and out your mouth… slowly.. you have plenty of air and your just fine… breath…just breath slow… They usually last as long as it takes me to calm down… the worst part is I also get colon attacks.. so after I calm down… I sometimes get sick to my stomach, and have labor like cramps… It sucks… : ( and then I panic about having the colon attack… so Im usually ok if I can just Breath really slow and curl up into a ball on myside….. I know I’m sad…. lol
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Comment from scorpio-dee-nee
Time January 17, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Yes I unfortunately do know when am going to have a panic attack. It usually starts with wet palms, migraines, and a very fast heart beat, and sleepless night(s). It usually last for 15 minutes if am on a date. At least two days prior to a job interview, and before my flight takes off.
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Comment from Randa
Time January 17, 2010 at 3:25 pm
I’ve had a few severe panic attacks and went to a professional about it and was put on meds. Eventually I went off of them I reminded myself everything would be ok, it was hard and it still is. I get little ones here and there, I think I can feel them coming on. It depends what situation I’m in.
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Comment from Destiny
Time January 17, 2010 at 10:50 am
no warning whatsoever
you can be happy, laughing then boom
can last for me 30 minutes
feels like i’m going to die
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