OT- think i had a panic attack? help!

[dana1003]

i was reading the paper yesterday morning and all of a sudden my heart starts racing, i get the chills, i went ti the bathroom like 4 times, i was shaky and i felt like i could lose it at any minute. i didnt know what to do..was gonna have hubby take me to the hospital but it passed after like 30 min..my dr is on vacation so i was gonna wait till he got back. any one ever experience this? please any stories would help right now. BTW- im a 35 yr old female, dont smoke, stay at home mom of 2 kids w/no known med conditions?

 

[Disney Pal]

Yes I have been there done that! I am 36 and I experienced it for the first time three months ago and it was happening ever 7 - 10 day and I had the same thing heart racing, jittery, kinda freaking out. My doctor said it was probably some stress in your life that your having a tough time dealing with.
I am usually a very laid back, happy go lucky person but.....sometimes it happens. When your doctor comes back go get checked out. They checked my heart, breathing, blood pressure just to make sure it was nothing medical.
So I did start a low dose of medication and so far I've been ok! It is so scary and you almost anticipate them. Which I don't like to live like that. It only happened at night-Go figure? A friend of mine went through a tough divorce and she had them also.

 

[mamaloya]

Did you have caffeine before this incident? Caffeine can sometimes cause that reaction. If you took a pain medicine like anacin or pamprin, they have caffeine. If you couple that with a cup of coffee, it can trigger that incident. Diet pills can also cause that reaction as well.

 

[cinderella73]

I have had them and they can even make you feel like you are going to pass out. I used to get them randomly but very severly to the point where it would disable me to do anything till it passed. Try to remember that it WILL pass and do whatever you can to calm yourself. Instead of waiting to see if another happens be prepared. Here are some non medicated things you can do. Some people think it can be related to the seratonin (spelling?) levels in the brain. Certain foods and activities can help stabilize your levels . Certain foods like warm milk and turkey and also potatoes can help calm you. I know there are more I will look them up. Exersize and sun also work well. I go tanning sometimes in the winter to help keep myself from getting to depressed and anxious. It really does release a calming chemical . Turn off Tv and night. I thought tv helped me sleep. I swore it did. But in fact when I tried this it really did help. And try some hypnosis tapes during a attack. Check amazon online or your local bookstores or even a christian bookstore for a great calming CD. And I must also reccommend " The Secret" DVD. Its not a religous thing but a self empowering message that anyone can benifit from.

Lastly these are hard to get a doctor to give but ativan is a great help during a attack. They are extremely addictive so most docs will not give it out unless they know you very well. Or consider your stress situational. My dov gives it to me because I have a full bottle every year now and only use it maybe 1 or 2 times max in 12 months. Just knowing I have it helps.

Try everything above. When it hits you feel very out of reality and its hard for anyone to help you because you feel like they cant understand . The worst thing about anxiety is that its so hard to describe.

By all means avoid caffine. Even chocolate. And THAT is no easy task ! But when you notice stress going on or yourself being restless thats when you know to take it out of your diet. You will feel better!

 

[dana1003]

wow! thank you so much for replying..im actually crying right now becuz someone out there understands what it feels like..as far as caffeine..yes i had been drinking allot of coffee lately and someone gave us a huge bag of LINDT choclate..well i dont have to expalin..

there have been some stresses lately...we are looking for a house and having problems w/our realtor, we also had company staying w/us all week, my kids have really been acting up...etc.

yes i can know what you say about feeling one about to come on..im afraid of being alone w/my girls when one happens..does the medication have to be taken right when i feel one come on..and what do i do if im alone? sorry for the questions

 

[SharkyGoddess]

The only time I have ever experienced them was when in high school during finals. THANK THE GODS!!! That has to be the most horrible, helpless feeling ever! For me, I went completely deaf, my vision was very blurry with black spots, I became extremely hot, even to the touch according to my gf's who always seemed to get me to the bathroom, and I felt like I had burning coals in the pit of my stomach. It only lasted for a short while, but seemed like forever. I feel for anyone who suffers from these on a regular basis.

 

[ADisneyQueen]

I think you should also be tested for hypoglycemia and diabetes. Had you eaten before this? When my blood sugar is low, I get shaky, nervous, hot, can't think straight, sometimes even nauseus. Just a thought.

 

[cinderella73]

wow! thank you so much for replying..im actually crying right now becuz someone out there understands what it feels like..as far as caffeine..yes i had been drinking allot of coffee lately and someone gave us a huge bag of LINDT choclate..well i dont have to expalin..

there have been some stresses lately...we are looking for a house and having problems w/our realtor, we also had company staying w/us all week, my kids have really been acting up...etc.

yes i can know what you say about feeling one about to come on..im afraid of being alone w/my girls when one happens..does the medication have to be taken right when i feel one come on..and what do i do if im alone? sorry for the questions

The medication is very fast acting and you can take 2 tiny pills . They dissolve in your mouth . They can make you drowsy but have never made me incapable of taking care of my 3 kids. I am still able to stay awake fine. However if you can nap it can help.

Something to remember is that you can even have them when you dont "think" you are stressed. Your mind is going on half the time about stress even when you dont realize it . My 13 year old starting having them last year. She had a lot going on. She had a rough year and even when everything was calm se could have them just watching tv. We even ended up at a cardio doc to be certain and she wore a event monitor. I had her watch " The Secret " video with me and it helped her a lot. She also listens to her soundtracks like her Disney ones that help her. She has been doing great since we implemented everything.

My point is that just seeing the doc and ruling things out will help allay some of your fears so that you know that what is going on is nerves. You dont need to worry its something more serious on top of the attack.

If you are alone when one strikes put on a radio maybe or ( ok I know this sounds geeky , but it works) put on QVC. Its something thats brodcast live. I know this sounds weird. But hearing live human voices can help you feel less alone. Or even the Podcast! It can make you laugh and you feel like they are in your living room with you. Or come on the Dis boards and tell someone . I am on here way to much you can message me anytime. Odds are that I am not doing dishes or laundry like I should be!

If its daylight just step outside and make yourself beathe deeply and slowly. Bright bright sunlight can help calm you a lot. Everyone can react different. I cant stand my husband trying to carry on a conversation when I am having one. But I like to hear people talking.

And invest in some great funny movies. I love my BBC shows . Things with no violence and DVD's are good because there is no commercial interruptions. I watch my " Keeping Up Appearances" box set. Its just goofy humor and makes me smile.

When you do ask your doc about the meds he will no doubt direct you toward many other things instead. BUT let me tell you that choose well because I have had some severe reactions when this started to the wrong meds. One Buspar I think it was made me almost insane! I was ready to check myself in! Never had anything like that before. There are some long term meds that are ok. But avoid antidepressents if you can. Serzone I took for a few years ok.

But if you dont want to be on drugs all the time tell your doc that you really want to try Ativan ( atavan?) and use the words " My stress is situational" . You might need a few at first but afterwards just knowing you have it will keep you from needing it. I havent had one in 2 years! And I have suffered for 10 years now from anxiety.

Feel free to Pm me if you have any questions or ever just need to talk. Heck I am way out here in Pa living in the boonies. Sometimes I think I can go crazy just from being so far removed from the real world. Funny thing is NYC is only a hour and a half away! But to get to a grocery store is 45 minutes! And winter is coming. Ugh! I hate when it gets dark early! Hehe sorry for all that. But yeah, I understand.

 

[cinderella73]

I think you should also be tested for hypoglycemia and diabetes. Had you eaten before this? When my blood sugar is low, I get shaky, nervous, hot, can't think straight, sometimes even nauseus. Just a thought.

Yes! Do that as well. Get a full check up. It will ease your mind as well. If racing heart is a regular symptoms you vcan even get a event monitor. Ten when you have a episode you can record it and they can determine if its stress or not. It helped my daughter to know that her racing heart was stress related. Now she can calm herself down .

 

[hipporina]

I have had some problems with anxiety over the past year and it is really awful. When I get panic attacks, my heart races, I get hot and shaky, and I feel like my throat is closing up a bit. The most frustrating thing for me is when I know that is what it is, but I can't stop it. Fortunately, I haven't had one in 4-5 months and I hope they don't start again. It is really not that unusual and you will be okay.

 

[QueenGoblin]

Just want to jump on the solidarity bandwagon and say I'm right there with you! What you described is a classic panic attack. You've gotten great advice so far (go to the Doc for piece of mind/advice and baseline measures, look for triggers like stress, caffeine, etc.)
For me, I think hormones play a big role. I seem to be more prone to these kinds of sensations when I am in the last two weeks of my cycle. Another one of my triggers is my heartbeat (I get benign PVCs which is a premature heartbeat that causes that heart skipping a beat sensation.) It really helped to have a cardiologist evaluate them and tell me they were normal and in no way harmful to me since I have a normal heart. I used to get very stressed whenever I felt one (which would bring on more stress, which would make me have more of them....)
I was on a very low dose of an anti-depressant for a while. I'm not sure if it really helped physically, but it seemed to give me some perspective. I also had some xanax that I could take to control a flare up (I think I took maybe 10 total over the course of a year). I think what the drugs did was give me some time to come to terms with what was going on. Even though I am still prone to this kind of thing, I don' worry about it quite so much. I used to worry every night!
Good luck!

 

[3jsmommy]

Cinderella73 is so right about the antidepressants, doctors prescribe them for anxiety all the time, these drugs can be very harmful & are definitly not something to be taken lightly. I don't want to go into it but I lost my sister due to a side effect of Paxil. I have attended many FDA meetings & congressional hearings on this subject & it is really scary that these drugs are out there.
That being said, I have had panic attacks before & all of the suggestions here are great. If you have a health food store nearby they can suggest alot of teas & supplements, you would be suprised how potent some of them can be. Sleepy time tea is a favorite of mine. Talk therapy & Yoga are also wonderful ways to combat stress & anxiety. You are definitly not alone, anxiety can be horrible & everyone has an overload at times. You are gonna be O.K.

 

[dana1003]

just an update..went to the dr today and did a full exam, blood work, xrays,ekg..told me i most likely had a panic attack(like all of you have told me already) he prescribed ALPRAZOLAM ORAL..only to be used during an attack..i have to call back in 2 days for my blood work. has any one ever heard of theis drug?

oh my god- and losing your sister to PAXIL..im so sorry..this is a good board to get useful info like this , finding out your stories, side effects etc. thank you all for being so open

 

[cinderella73]

just an update..went to the dr today and did a full exam, blood work, xrays,ekg..told me i most likely had a panic attack(like all of you have told me already) he prescribed ALPRAZOLAM ORAL..only to be used during an attack..i have to call back in 2 days for my blood work. has any one ever heard of theis drug?

oh my god- and losing your sister to PAXIL..im so sorry..this is a good board to get useful info like this , finding out your stories, side effects etc. thank you all for being so open

Are you sure its not lorazepam? Either way I think what you have is a generic for avtivan , the drug I was telling you about.

Oh wait.. Just found this what you have is Alprazolam, also known under the trade-names Xanax and Niravam, is a short-acting drug in the benzodiazepine class used to treat severe anxiety disorders and as an adjunctive treatment for anxiety associated with depression. .... Basically Xanax is the name most people know it by. Less addicting than ativan (but still addictive) and a lot of people like it.

Here is the link to get some more info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alprazolam

I think you will be doing MUCH better now.

My mom takes this when she goes on planes. She thought it worked well.

As far as some antidepressents go I myself had a very close call years ago after my first child ( I agree with other posters about hormones as well) . I was having attacks and they put me on some antidepresents and I almost did the unthinkable . The medicine made me feel worse and I knew it was amplifying my anxiety! Who would have thought? Turns out in some people those kind of drugs make things worse. Thats why they are so weary of just giving them out to teens after so many suicides happening with them. I have heard so much about all this in the news in the last few years. Its a tragedy.



What you have is good though ( works much differently!) and you will be so much better and knowing you have the stuff .It just makes you a bit calmer and just drowsy enough to slow your mind down. Dont forget to try warm milk before bed and turkey for lunch on stressful days. It really does help.

 

[QueenGoblin]

You definately want to read up on anything they prescribe to you. Some docs are really casual about handing out anti-depressant and anti-anxiety meds, and it is powerful stuff. They are useful medications for some people in some contexts, but not one size fits all as other posters have already pointed out.

What really helped me was keeping track of when it was happening on a calendar. That way I could see the correlation (for me) with my cycle. That helped to keep me calmer when it happened, because I understood that I wasn't dying, this is just how my body deals with hormones/stress/etc. If your bloodwork checks out (and I am sure it will) just eat right and exercise and next time it happens imagine you are riding Dumbo (or Soarin', or Peter Pan's pirate ship...)

 

[dana1003]

i will still try the warm milk and turkey..im also going to try and go to the health food store and find natural stuff..im not big on meds but im glad i have it just in case..

 

[dana1003]

You definately want to read up on anything they prescribe to you. Some docs are really casual about handing out anti-depressant and anti-anxiety meds, and it is powerful stuff. They are useful medications for some people in some contexts, but not one size fits all as other posters have already pointed out.

What really helped me was keeping track of when it was happening on a calendar. That way I could see the correlation (for me) with my cycle. That helped to keep me calmer when it happened, because I understood that I wasn't dying, this is just how my body deals with hormones/stress/etc. If your bloodwork checks out (and I am sure it will) just eat right and exercise and next time it happens imagine you are riding Dumbo (or Soarin', or Peter Pan's pirate ship...)

funny you should say "cycle"-mine is just starting now..and i did feel tense a few days before

 

[Keara'sMom]

Hi!
Thought I'd weigh in as a fellow anxiety manager! A couple of years ago, I had a panic attack--tingling in hands and feet, racing heart, etc...The doc prescribed Alprazolam for me, and it made me sleepy, but when I slept, I had very odd, disturbing dreams. It wasn't comfortable for me at all, and I only ended up taking one. Everyone is different, though, and I hope it works for you!

I haven't had problems with anxiety like that for a long time, but I do get very anxious when I fly. Then, I take an Ativan, as it really takes the edge off. Yes, it is very addictive, from what I understand, but I only take it to fly, so it's maybe one or two little pills every year.

Good luck with everything! I'm glad you're pursuing it, and I think others are on to something when they talk about hormones...

 

[lighttech]

Cinderella73 is so right about the antidepressants, doctors prescribe them for anxiety all the time, these drugs can be very harmful & are definitly not something to be taken lightly. I don't want to go into it but I lost my sister due to a side effect of Paxil. I have attended many FDA meetings & congressional hearings on this subject & it is really scary that these drugs are out there.
That being said, I have had panic attacks before & all of the suggestions here are great. If you have a health food store nearby they can suggest alot of teas & supplements, you would be suprised how potent some of them can be. Sleepy time tea is a favorite of mine. Talk therapy & Yoga are also wonderful ways to combat stress & anxiety. You are definitly not alone, anxiety can be horrible & everyone has an overload at times. You are gonna be O.K.

I'm SO sorry about your sister. I can't even imagine dealing with that kind of loss. I certainly don't want to press you into discussing details, but I have a family member on Paxil. You sound very well versed on information that is available. Could you point me in the direction of some informational sites? I know the family member is VERY cautious and does a lot of research involving their health. This is a situation where, although they very much dislike chemical intervention, it was a severe enough scenario that it was a best case option. But, I'd like to be aware as well.

Please don't feel pressured, I'm going to do some research on my own as well. And, if you would prefer to PM me, please do. Also, I don't want any personal info that you are not comfortable sharing... Just a direction to start research. Thank you.

 

[lighttech]

OP - I just wanted to offer my support as well.

I've definitely had stress and anxiety issues too. Although, the panic attacks have been few and far btw. I generally fall more into the depression side of things. If we were all truly honest w/ one another, I think we'd all be suprised by how widespread so many of these issues are.

And, so many Moms too. Not that men and husbands are immune, far from it. But, I know that a lot of mothers tend to put their health and well being last. I've certainly done it.

Kudos to you for heading to the doc and getting out and getting info. If you keep doing that , you'll be back on track in no time.

I won't repeat all the wonderful advice that everyone has already put forth, but I wanted to weigh in on the hormone thing.

I've always had a rough time just before my cycle w/ anxiety and depression. Being able to identify that has helped me deal w/ it. I don't get quite as frustrated w/ myself when I know there's an indentifiable trigger. But, recently it started getting worse, and I was cycling in a bad way (being depressed that I was depressed... I had worked really hard to get it under control.) I mentioned it to my Doc, and he told me that PMS symptoms can really kick in for women in their 30's. (I just hit the big 3-0). So, you mentioned that you were in your 30's and hadn't ever experienced this b4. It definitely could be a one time thing brought on by stress, caffeine, whatever, but you might want to note when you feel particularly anxious if you do again. If you notice a pattern that correlates w/ your cycle,you could discuss it w/ your OBGYN as well as your regular doc. I won't take hormones or birth control due to a history of cancer in my family, but my OBGYN told me it was an option to help with emotional stress brought on by hormonal influences.

Otherwise, prayers and pixie dust. And know so many of us have been there too! You've got support.