please help..panic attacks

[ality]

prob not the place for this but iam having daily panic attacks on diazepam but not much help very scary 4 just me just me and my son at home any help or ideas to help or stop them ..thank you

[northy]

There's a program on channel 4 in the evening I think its on about 11oclock it is about a woman who is trying to come off diazepam after being on it for 30 years, you might find that watching this could be helpful.

I suffer with depression and panic attacks myself so I know how your feeling please try to be strong. I am sorry that I don't have any answers for you.
I'll be thinking off you. I am hopeing that time is a good healer.

[Spirit]

Speak to your GP. Ask for advice to overcome these attacks and a referral to your mental health team for therapeutic help.

Best Wishes
Spirit

[feelinggood]

There are two online courses you could try:
http://www.moodgym.anu.edu.au/
and
http://www.livinglifetothefull.com/index.php

They are both based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and they are both free.

I've not tried Moodgym, but I have used the Living Life to the Full site, and I found it very helpful for my depression and anxiety.

How long have you been on diazepam, and have you been refered for any therapy or to see a specialist?

[mae]

On my way out now but just a quick bit of advice is to slow your breathing down which in turn will calm you. There is a technique called the 7-11 technique which basically means you breath in for the count of 7 and then breath out for the count of 11. The importance is that the out breath is LONGER than the in breath.
7-11 is easy to remember and you can do it wherever you are without much fuss or people noticing (if that bothers you).

It is improtant to know that you cannot die from having a panic attacks (some people think they will) and you are not having a heart attack (although it is best to always have a check up to make sure there is nothing medical going on and then when you know the facts about panic attacks you can start tackling it head on).

During a panic attack while you are practising the breathing you need to tell yourself that this always passes and you just have to ride it through again. That way you are taking a little of the panic away if that makes sense.

I did a presentation on panic attacks so if you would like me to dig and some of the info then I will, just let me know.

Good luck.

[ality]

that would be good thanx need all the help i can get.i have been on diazepam for 4 weeks and the doctor wont prescribe anymore.it gets so bad my sons woke my neighbour up in the night and they ended up calling an ambulance cause i was in sucha state.they have refered me to have a brain scan only cause i go to the docs or hospital daily and i dont think they no what to do with me.

[mae]

that would be good thanx need all the help i can get.i have been on diazepam for 4 weeks and the doctor wont prescribe anymore.it gets so bad my sons woke my neighbour up in the night and they ended up calling an ambulance cause i was in sucha state.they have refered me to have a brain scan only cause i go to the docs or hospital daily and i dont think they no what to do with me.


I'll try and dig any info that will be relevant to you when I get chance. Its not unusual for people to go to the docs and casualty thinking they are suffering a heart attack etc so don't be hard on yourself.

Personally I think one of the keys to panic attacks is education. Understanding what is happening to your body, the physical and psychological symtoms, is very important as it takes some of the fear away if that makes sense.

[BigMummaF]

One thing that helps is to imagine your ideal place. It can be somewhere real or a place you have invented. I found it most useful to jot down different things as they came into my head, then made a 'story' to help me remember them.

As an example, let's say you like snow scenes on christmas cards....just looking at them makes you feel good so your ideal place would be in a log cabin on a mountain. Now you:-

have to look at the snow; is it smooth or rough; pure white or shaded; drifted against the trees or nothing but snow.
decide if you're inside the cabin or out; warm or chilled; skiing or sledding.
notice the clothes you are wearing; colour; texture; smell.
recognise the smells of food/drink being prepared in the cabin; hear the birdsong/ fire crackle/ footsteps in the snow.Build your own paradise & when you feel a panic attack begin, try to breathe slowly & 'go' to your special place. You can use this method anywhere; pick up a packet of whatever in the supermarket & people will think you're reading the label; look in a shop window; study the bus timetable.

I hope this helps in some way & I wish you well.

[Terrylw1]

Sorry to hear that, I know what you mean.

1 thing on top of what Mae has said, make sure you continue with any asthma medication. Whilst panic attacks cannot kill you, they can cause asthma attacks in asthmatics so make sure you have discussed how you should treat your asthma medication...if you do suffer from that.

You need to address the root of the problem here. The information Mae is providing is excellent for those suffering with them.

I would say that it may be possible they are a symptom of something else such as depression. If thats the case, there may come a time when techniques may seem to not work. If thats the case, speak to your GP as you may need treatment for the depression. Once you are on that, the techniques will definately start to work again for you.

You need to find out what causes them and build coping strategies.

The internet is a good place to start for this as there are lots of sites with advice.

It would also be worth getting something off your GP's CPN.

GP's don't like prescribing over 30 days as they are "habit forming" and you don't need that. However, if you only use them on and off say a few days aprt, your GP may be more obliging as he/she knows you are not on them daily.

They also tend to last a limited time so Mae's advice is best as it will help you not depend on a fix from the pill and start to build your own confidence.

Try and find out what causes them, then you can build a oping strategy.

Also, don't think you are being silly at all. Doesn't matter how big & bad you think you may be, we all have our breaking points and panic attacks are very common. People don't realise they are having them if they are slight, tey do when thet reach your stage though.

[ality]

thank you all for all your advice and replys going back to the doctord tomorrow to see what else they can do .thank you again .

[pumpa]

it may be worth asking about beta blockers which slow the heart rate and adrenaline flow if the pa's come from nowhere, if they have a 'cause' then i'd agree with the cbt route, the problem is with valium is that although in most people it works really well to start with, you get tolerant to it really quickly and gp's are under guidance not to prescribe it these days for longer than a month.

[Curious George]

you guys sound like you might be able to help me...
its never happened before but during this pregnancy ive had two severe palpitation 'attacks'
they were bad enough that they made me weak and dizzy and i had to get on the floor through fear of passing out and hurting the baby (or myself)
both times my heart was beating so hard the force of it was moving me, and my OH could see it pumping from the other side of the room,
it was really scary and i thought i was going to have a heart attack and drop dead!
luckily my OH is really calming and got me deep breathing and more relaxed and all of a sudden about 20 mins to half an hour later they just stopped and i was instantly fine,
we went to the doctors and he said it was possibly supraventricular tachycardia (the heart condition that Tony Blair had surgery to correct) and ran loads of blood tests which all came back fine, the midwife was a little stumped too,

do these sound like panic attacks to you?
the first one was in june in the morning of the day we were going on holiday, and the other was last week, the morning after i was told im going to need a c section to get this breech baby out.... does this seem significant? two quite stressful situations (even though i didnt feel particularly worried or stressed until my heart started beating 20 times faster than normal)

[Terrylw1]

Hi CG,

Sorry to hear that.

From what you have said, it does sounds like panic attacks. You have them occurring after 2 potentially stressful events.

The effects you describe are that of panic attacks. You can have anxiety attacks as well which are more like feeling sick by something, as well as then suffering the panic attack that comes into it.

Panic attacks don't always relate to such an obvious stressful situation. You can have them when you are asleep!

I don't want to say something that contradicts your GP because I would have throught he/she would have considered that before tests. So, maybe worth discussing that with them just incase it's something else.

Honestly, you can't be harmed in anyway by a panic attack. However, they can make other conditions worse e.g. pre-existing heart conditions or asthma. However, even then the actual conditions can be treated.

There are techniques you can do such as visualisation or muscle contraction which are supposed to work if you do them intensly for 3 minutes or so. Controlled breathing is one of the best as you are over brathing or hyper ventilating. So, sometimes controlled breathing into a bag can help.

It sort of depends on how the attack is effecting you. Some may make you more nervous & dizzy whereas as sme make your heart race and hyper ventilate.

Maybe if you are having a very busy time it may be a sign to slow down a bit. The more stressed you are each day, the more likely you could have them.

I have never had panic or anxiety until I literally snapped from overworking over a period of years. I used to thrive on stress, but we all have our limits and it can happen to anyone.

Some people get them a lot and others get them when something stressful pushes them over their limit.

You can get info off the NHS about coping strategies and the internet is full of info on them.

All the best

[Curious George]

I don't want to say something that contradicts your GP because I would have throught he/she would have considered that before tests.


you might aswell.. the man appeared to have been to the same medical night school as Dr Nick Riviera (hi everybody!!)

he didnt even mention panic attacks, that is a conclusion ive come too on my own... just wanted to see if my symptoms sounded right to you good people who know what your on about :D

thanks for your help

[dorry]

ality :wave:

I used to have panic attacks, had about 3, yak :eek: They are really really frightening. The gp gave me beta blockers first then prescribed 3 weeks of diazepam 2mg. They did work and I finally got to the bottom of the problem. It was the start of perimenpause with me, my oestrogen levels dropped and then your body panics, or puts you flight or fight mode.

As soon as I got the oestrogen back up they stopped. Mine started when I was 39, dunno how old you are but it can be linked to hormones changing and flutatating, which might be the cause of CG's palipatiions attacks??

anyway, just becarefull on the daizapam, as they will only prescribe is for a limited time and it is highly addictive:eek:

I did alot of reading about panic attacks and sometimes, they can also be triggered by you not being able to control something or a situation??

just some thoughts anyway,

hth x:j

[ality]

thank you.not sure whats causing them im 30 years old went to see a different gp then the one i saw b4 and hes prescribed 3 more weeks of diazepam.and said could have more if needed completely different response then the other doctor.

[cheerfulness4]

ality - while they don't recommend taking diazepam too long because of the problem of becoming dependant on them, I was actually prescribed them for years, not weeks. I also was given beta-blockers to work alongside them.

My surgery did much more than just dish out pills, tho. They gave me 7 months of counselling (which in my case was the real turning point for me) and they gave me several private sessions at their stress management clinic where they taught me techniques to help my breath, visualisation tech's etc.

Because some of the feelings can be so disturbing and frightening, particularly if you are alone with a young child, I think you would really benefit from reading Claire Weekes book called Self help for your Nerves. Most libraries have a copy. That book never left my side for 2 years, as it describes feelings, pains, sensations, even vision disturbances that you might have very clearly. This kept my sanity to read because it reminded me that this was 'just' panic attacks and not heart attacks or tumours or all the other things that had me rigid with fear when the attacks hit.

I wish you the best dealing with them and can vouch for the fact that things really can improve and you can feel in control again.

[ality]

thank you for that i will look that book out.it is realy hard at the moment like you said with my son hes 7 and been there when ive been in such a state hes slept in my room for the last few weeks cause hes scared something may happen in the night.i feel bad for him i used to be able to take him out which im scared to do now.and even in the evenings after school im constanly cleaning or something cause if i sit down for to long i start to feel odd.

[cheerfulness4]

I was the same ality, sometimes still can be if I'm having a rare bad patch. I found that if I worked through the attack it went far more quickly than if I sat fretting during it.

A really strange thing that I was taught was to pretend I was a ball of red wax. ( I know, but bare with me!) You imagine that you are melting and gradually spreading out. The aim is that while you are doing this that you start to relax the muscles. If you fight the attack it is said to be much worse so you need to let it wash over you. (hard, isn't it? but its does work beautifully for me).

I was taught another less effective (for me anyway) one that was pretend you're a bubble, but I'm not even going to go there. Looking like one is bad enough. :rolleyes:

As regards your little one, if the wax trick works for you then get him to 'play' it too. I used to be honest and say to my little lad that I was feeling icky and needed to play the wax game. He used to lay on the floor and do it too, bless him. Mine were 3 and 7 when mine began and were home all day as I home-eded. It wasn't easy so I feel for you.

take care

[Charis]

[quote=cheerfulness4;6698552]

I think you would really benefit from reading Claire Weekes book called Self help for your Nerves. Most libraries have a copy. That book never left my side for 2 years, as it describes feelings, pains, sensations, even vision disturbances that you might have very clearly.

I also found this a wonderful book, written, I suspect, by someone who had actually experienced the symptoms which can be like a living hell. It might be a a little old fashioned now (written in the '60's) but Dr Weekes' little tips and tricks for dealing with panic attacks are so easy that after a while you hardly realise you are doing them.

I suspect some of us (myself included) are hard wired for anxiety but reading this book stopped me from becoming totally agoraphobic in the days before panic attacks were recognised and when counselling was unavailable. The advice I was given was "pull yourself together" and I was offered Librium (more like pill yourself together! :rotfl: )

One of the important things Dr Weekes emphasises is giving yourself time to get well. You are not alone in how you are feeling and you are not going insane, it's simply your body overreacting to stress.

[mae]

I like the comparison that panic attacks are like a faulty car alarm.

What I mean is, when we are in danger (say we came face to face with a masked mugger in an alley way) our bodies prepare for 'fight or flight' meaning it prepares to fight or run by pumping blood round out body faster, our hearts starts beating faster etc and this is done automatic by our bodies without us giving much concious thought to it and it is extremely important and helpful that our body reacts like this.

When you have a panic attack your body creates all the symtoms of 'fight or flight' even though you are in no danger.

This is where the faulty car alarm comes into it, a car alarm normally goes off if there is a threat to your car but if it is faulty it can be triggered by a car driving past.

So when you have a panic attack it is a faulty alarm, there is no danger but your body is being over sensitive to something (like the faulty car alarm) and creating all the symptoms of being in extreme danger and fear if that makes sense?

Sorry I probably could have explained that better I hope it makes some sense.

[mae]

Ok I have dug out my presentation on panic attacks.

What are panic attacks?
A panic attack is a sudden, extreme and intense feeling of anxiety. Most of us have experinced anxiety but panic attacks can be far more serious, they can be chronic and crippling and can have a devastating effect on a persons life.
Unfortunately with panic attacks our 'pre wired' fight of flight reaction becomes like a sensitive trip wire and can be set off when there is no real danger.
No one has ever come to any harm as a result of a panic attack but the fear of the attacks can casue people to avoid places, people or situations.

What are the symptoms?

Rapid heart beat.
Sweating.
Shaking.
Dizziness/unsteadiness
Chest pain/discomfort
Choking sensations.
Chills/hot flushes.
Shortness of breath sensations.
Plus many more.

Thoughts

I will go crazy, I will lose control.
I am going to have heart attack.
I will suffocate.
I will make a fool of myself.
I will choke.
I will die.

During a panic attack you tend to over-breath (hyperventilate) and this causes you to 'blow out' too much carbon dioxide which changes the acidity in the blood. This makes your symptoms worse hence the breathing technique I mentioned in an earlier post helps or breathing into a brown paper bag really helps to regulate it too. Its important to remember this.

Ways of working through panic attacks

So you are now armed with the facts of what is happening to your body.
You also know that your breathing is important.

So now you need to know that yout thoughts fuel your attacks. So what you are aiming to do, by understanding what a panic attack is, is to change your thoughts to more realistic and helpful thoughts. When you strat thinking 'oh no this is happening again I'm going to collapse its awful etc etc you are sending signals to your body that something bad is happening so in turn your physical sypmtoms get even worse. If you start breathing correcting (7-11 technicue or papaer bag) and think to yourself'right this has happened before and it always ends/passes so I am going to ride the symptoms out and while I do I am going to imagine a claming/happy place.

All this probably sounds so simple but it is important to somehow break the cycle of a panic attack instead of your behaviour and thoughts sending it into further overdrive.

Root Causes

All the above will help you gain control and understand the panic attacks which, in my opinion, is a massive step towards managing/stopping them, however, there are often root causes such as:
Unresolved trauma.
Childhood experinces.
Stress.
REcent illness.
Bereavement.
Marriage problems.
Bereavement.
Depression.
Alcohol/drug misuse.

This can be worked through by yourself, with a friend, relative or you may need a counsellor but it is possible to overcome them it just takes a practise to learn the techniques of coping with it and also you need to work through any possible triggers/causes.

I hope that helps a little. Sorry for the long post I have tried to chop it as much as I can while still making sense.

A quote that always helps me when I have to deal with something traumatic is "Face your fear and the death of fear is certain".

[ality]

thank you mae for taking the time to do that for me .i will try out the tecnices u have advised and hopefully as you say work through it and not let it beat me .thank you again .