Panic Attacks on Rides?

[WHIT1]

I was diagnosed with Panic/Anxiety disorder 16 years ago and had no problems with any of the rides.Like others have said on here,breathing exercises and picturing your happy place work great .But its also important to getting plenty of rest and limit your caffeine intake (being tired and caffeine are both irritants for anyone with panic/anxiety).
A good distraction for me while standing in crowded lines was to concentrate on finding hidden mickeys.

thank you for that idea never looked for any but will this trip.

 

[whitneyv]

It is possible to get hooked on Xanax just like most mood stabilizers. This may sound weird, but my doc gave me some liquid xanax because even the smallest pill dosage made me too sleepy to function - with the liquid you can take a teeny-tiny amount (equal to 1 milligram) and pills don't come that small. Any Paxil takers out there? I've been on this for 5 years now and I'm a little scared of the withdrawal symptoms that I've been hearing about.

Also, anyone get panicky on Soarin?

 

[WHIT1]

I have secretly been reading posts on here for months, wondering how i will manage at the parks and hoping i will not have a panic attack. I have not been on a disney ride in over five years. Hopefully the exciting atmosphere will not be overwhelming. I want to fully enjoy my disney experience and plan to start slowly, perhaps tea cups and take it from there. It's calming to see others have similar anxities as i do. I plan to relax poolside at POR. I'm traveling Oct.8-15, cant wait

i will be there oct 2-4 and 7-9 and i will send you positive thoughts and pixie dust for you to enjoy.

 

[WHIT1]

It is possible to get hooked on Xanax just like most mood stabilizers. This may sound weird, but my doc gave me some liquid xanax because even the smallest pill dosage made me too sleepy to function - with the liquid you can take a teeny-tiny amount (equal to 1 milligram) and pills don't come that small. Any Paxil takers out there? I've been on this for 5 years now and I'm a little scared of the withdrawal symptoms that I've been hearing about.

Also, anyone get panicky on Soarin?

i take 1/2 of a 0.25 the smallest dose. my son takes a 1/4 of a 0.25 and it helps him. i think its in the head if you say it works then it works. don't want my brain to know this.

 

[WHIT1]

I just remembered this... when I first started having attacks (and thankfully I haven't had one in a while, but I still worry about them anyway), my psychologist suggested mentally going to a 'happy place'. A place where I felt totally happy and calm. My place is Main Street USA. It took some practice, but after I while, I could hear it, feel the ground under my feet, and just connect with the feeling of happiness I get when I am there (and I am sure you fellow Disney fanatics know that happy feeling). Now when I start to get worked up over something and anxious, I stop for a second, place myself on Main Street in my head, and I feel the anxiety fall away a bit. It's amazing the little mind tricks you can use to calm yourself down. Remember, you are in control, don't let the anxiety get the best of you.



Ack! I know! It's so tight in there! I have to find a corner and just reassure myself in there when it's really crowded (and hot!). So glad to know it isn't just me!

hey thats what i did. a year ago in oct i was in the big black hole.i would be all knotted up when i went in for my session and as soon as i started talking about my trip to disney the stress melted away. my social worker pointed out you should see your face when you speak of disney. so thats what i always focus on when i feel them come on.disney has always been my physiologist.

 

[disneyfan3]

I guess I didn't clarify my question the right way. I asked if xanax was addicting. I am sure any drug can be addicting but I meant if you just have to take it once in a blue moon because you are going on a plane or having an MRI . I would only use it when absolutely necessary.
Thanks for your imput.

 

[MamaQuack]

disneyfan3,
The way our doctor put it was this: if you just take xanax for crisis or acute situations it will not become addictive - it does not get you high (at least not me or ds14) - it just levels you out and removes the anxiety. Now, if you take it 3 times a day everyday then I think those folks do get addicted to it. It helped us a lot - a script for 40 pills lasts a year and we too took the smallest dose. Better living thru pharmecuticals

 

[disneyfan3]

Thank you for your reply. I am flying to Maine next summer and I want to be prepared early. Preparing myself and knowing I have what I need with me helps alleviate some of my fears. Stay safe from Dennis. thanks again

 

[Grumpy'n'Goofy]

I guess I didn't clarify my question the right way. I asked if xanax was addicting. I am sure any drug can be addicting but I meant if you just have to take it once in a blue moon because you are going on a plane or having an MRI . I would only use it when absolutely necessary.
Thanks for your imput.

Just to echo what MamaQuack said, as long as you only use it when you really need it, you won't have a problem. I track how often I use it, and reward myself w/ a small treat (dvd/game rental/pizza, etc.) if I go a certain amount of time w/out having to take it. Started the reward process w/ 1 week, kept increasing the time between rewards, I'm now at 5 months...come to think of it I'm overdue for a reward I think I'll save the next reward for something special on our upcoming trip to WDW, maybe rent a water mouse or something...

 

[disneyfan3]

It seems to me that if you know you have a solution for your anxiety and you have confidence that the xanax will work, you are probably able to work out your anxieties knowing that you ultimately have the power or control over it by taking a pill. If you know you have a way out of your fear that helps to alleviate it. If I am in a show and the doors close and I start to panic, I just look over and find an exit door or a way out and then I can relax when I have found it. The panic gets out of control when you can't find a solution to stop the "TERROR" going on in your brain. Even though you know it will stop eventually it sure doesn't feel like it. Thank goodness for a drug like xanax when we can't find a way out of a situation. Those situations thank goodness don't come around that often. thanks for the helpful replies. It really helped me.

 

[snappy]

I know this doesn't apply to all posters here, but to all of us who have our panic attacks associated with menopause, I'll offer some advice that was offered me. With both panic attacks and hot flashes (mine were always associated with each other), don't think of them as panic attacks...think of them as "power surges". I swear this helped me overcome that awful feeling of helplessness.

Great tip!!. Thanks. I get them, but only when driving either approaching or driving over fairly elevated bridges. I am ok if I am a passenger. I can't take Zanax, don't want to further complicated things by being sleepy.

I really did not associate it with menopause, but it makes sense.

 

[minijeanie]

It is so good to read all of the posts on panic attacks....now I don't feel so different..

I left TOT 3 seconds befoe the doors closed...I yelled...WAIT WAIT>>>let met out!!!


my DH and kids were moritified,,,,but for me I think I would of went beserk..

It is the waiting...just the waiting that does me in..can do RnR at MGM because it happens so fast your done before you even realize to be scared..
but wth TOT it is the total anticipation that puts me over the edge...

that is why I do NOT do roller coasters with BIG drops......

maybe we should start a club?

 

[colleen costello]

I really want to try "Soarin" but I am afraid I am going to LOSE IT once that thing lifts me up! I am terrified of heights and would NEVER ride a thrill ride -- I think knowing one's limits is a GOOD thing! -- but I really want to try Soarin'. I think I am going to take a dose of my Ativan before I enter the line and see how I do. Worse thing that can happen is I will scream bloody murder to be let down and embarass all my family and come home and read it on the DIS!

I used to have terrible panic attacks but antidepressant meds have been a miracle. I also have Ativan for use as needed, and a wonderful psychiatrist who feels that ANYONE going to WDW in the summer probably should be medicated! I use the Ativan when we travel and to sleep at night in hotels. A wonderful counselor also reminded me that when we die, they don't put "Didn't use too much medicine" on our tombstones... Panic patients are notoriously obsessed with becoming addicted to meds, because that would be one more loss of control. As the years have passed, I am realizing that the medicine is there to help me AS NEEDED... Would you tell a diabetic to "tough it out" and use less insulin? Of course not! Now everyone take your meds and have fun!

 

[whitneyv]

Yes, let's start a club! We should write a book "The Official Panic Attack Sufferer's Guide to WDW"! LOL

It is so good to know that we are not alone. So, do we have a list of rides/attractions to avoid?

Beginning with....

Mission Space!

 

[YourMajesty]

Great tip!!. Thanks. I get them, but only when driving either approaching or driving over fairly elevated bridges. I am ok if I am a passenger. .....

This might be a new problem for me. We had to cross the Mississippi and Ohio river where they meet up near Cairo (not sure what state Cairo is in but it's on the border of Missouri/Kentucky/Indiana). I was drving and about freaked out....they were soooooo narrow. The bridge was packed with a bunch of semi's going the opposite direction with only inches between you the semi's and gaurd rails.... I made my DH go home a different way. We sitll had to cross but at least they were nice wide bridges.

I do have some problems with anxiety. Sometimes I think mine is from a lack of breathing. I will suddenly feel light headed and then I panic. I don't know why I forget to breathe sometimes but I do(during an intense movie or when I'm driving and I'm tense etc). I'm also prone to vertigo which makes me panicky and I fit that description of the person who has major adreneline release to minor events. I have valium for vertigo but I don't take it (only once and it did not make me sleepy like it supposed to). What's so great about the xanax...seems like that is the drug of choice? I think it's nice to have a crutch... why suffer needlessly? I will need to ask about it. I find drinking water (especially out of a bottle) helps bring me back. Good luck to everyone.

 

[YourMajesty]

Yes, let's start a club! We should write a book "The Official Panic Attack Sufferer's Guide to WDW"! LOL

It is so good to know that we are not alone. So, do we have a list of rides/attractions to avoid?

Beginning with....

Mission Space!

That's for sure. I usually do not panic on rides but I do worry about motion sickness!!! I had my DH test this one and when he came out sick I knew NO WAy!

 

[karma3939]

I also get nervous about going to amusement parks, even though I loved all rides up until I started getting attacks. I usually get really nervous in line but then I get on the ride and it's fine. I even survived Superman at Great Adventure in NJ last year where you are on your stomach... don't know how but I did it.

The ONLY ride I will not go on again at WDW is Mission Space. It is an amazing ride and I did enjoy the end but the take off made me very dizzy because you feel like you are on your back staring straight up being launched into space and you are in this tiny space.... I could never do it again. And the cast members give you a lot of warnings before you get on so that had my heart pounding before I was even strapped in. So if you are really worried I would definitely avoid that one. The rest I think you should be fine on. Rock'n' Rollercoaster is so much fun... even though I will be so nervous in line this November I wouldn't miss it for the world. And remember, the only way to feel comfortable in those situations again is to just keep doing it over and over. Oh, and a little alcohol never hurts!

 

[colleen costello]

A dear friend of mine from the Boards went to a fan meet this weekend in Allentown, PA. One of the things discussed was the publication of the new book that deals with "special needs at WDW." I was mentioning this thread to my friend and she says that panic attacks (and how to avoid them?) are going ot be covered in the book... Perhaps there will be info on where to find a quiet, cool place in the parks? I think the book sounds great and will look forward to that section.

 

[LIDisneyFan]

I won't go on Mission:Space of ToT - I also have the fear of being stuck in a ride. 30 Min on Spaceship Earth made me avoid that for years. I know I need to be 'in control', and always try to convince myself that I can be gotten off.

We were stuck in the lightning outside (at the top) of Splash Mountain a few years ago for about 20 minutes. I swear I was about to become one of those stupid people who climb out of the ride themselves. It was only because a man got killed 3 weeks earlier doing the same thing that I didn't.

Generally, I have agreat time at WDW (we're going back this Thurs), and I know what I need to avoid - basically Mission:Space and ToT!

Nice to know I'm not alone.

 

[twojo21]

i have a similiar problem but the only time this has happened to me at disney was spacemountain (dark ride) when i freaked out at the last minute before entering. fortunate for me there is a chicken line where i was able to exit. i've never attempted spaceship earth for that reason also (plus i get motion sick) other than that no problems.