View Full Version : Just started having regularpanic attacks :(
Hi
I'v just started having regular panic attacks and i'm scared witless of having another as soon as i wake up and of course this in turn makes me have one. The last few days i'v been having at least 2 a day lasting for upto 2 hours and afterwards my head feels so aches alot and i can hardly walk. I have been diagnosed as having depression and been prescribed Citalopram for this and i'v been given Diazapam for my panic attacks. I'v never been so scared in my life and really hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel as i'm not sure if i can cope with this for long. Guys is Diazapam gonna help me out with my panic attacks? I'v always been very worried about taking pills. I have had panic attacks in the past but never really knew what they were before. And they only occured maybe twice a year.
Thanks
Ken
Hi Ken
Welcome to the forum.
Try not to fight the panic attacks, the fighting and fearing is what is feeding the panic. When you feel that you are about to have one , welcome the fear, and say well you have arrived do the worst to me that you can.
By doing this frightening thing you will realize that it is you that is driving the panic. When you recognize this the panic will subside and become less and less of a problem. Believe me it works, It stopped mine.
I hope this helps
Ron
Hi Ken
Welcome to the forum.
Try not to fight the panic attacks, the fighting and fearing is what is feeding the panic. When you feel that you are about to have one , welcome the fear, and say well you have arrived do the worst to me that you can.
By doing this frightening thing you will realize that it is you that is driving the panic. When you recognize this the panic will subside and become less and less of a problem. Believe me it works, It stopped mine.
I hope this helps
Ron
Thankyou for the reply
I'm just so scared, i'v always been a worrier. I have been refered to a counciler for life issues my dr seems to think is fueling all of this.Last september i came home from work to find my Grandma who raised me from a baby for 27 years had passed away. Before that she collapsed and was diagnosed with Dimensia. I'v also had a hell of alot of work stress and other big issues to deal with in the last few months.My grandma had always been there for me and i dont really have much of a support network around me bar my girlfreind, but i dont think she understands. But like i say i'm now panicing about panicing if that makes any sense which is making it worse. I'm so glad i'v found this Forum for info and help. has anybody found diazapam helps?
Sorry for sounding so pathetic but i feel like i'm in such a hole at the moment and theres no light.
Thankyou
Ken
Hi Ken,
I too am relatively new to this forum but I have found it a tremendous help. I suffer badly with panic attacks, so bad that I get afraid to go outside in case I have one. Mine are worse in the morning. I wake up and after a few peaceful seconds panic hits me and I begin to shake and hyperventilate.
Panic attacks are terrible things but the people on here really do understand what we're going through as they are going through exactly the same thing.
I'm so sad to hear about your grandma. My grandma bought me up to and sadly she passed some years ago. I was devastated, so I can understand how you must be feeling.
Diazapam will help calm you down, Ken. I am on them too but I have only been prescribed enough to take them occasionally. They can be addictive. Citalopram I take too. 40mg per day. I don't find them very helpful actually but don't know what others the doctor can prescribe. He told me they were the best tablets for panic attacks.
Anyhow, Ken. Come here and talk when ever you feel like it. No, you don't sound pathetic at all. We're all in the same boat here and will understand just how you're feeling.
Take good care of yourself.
Sunny.
Captain America
26-07-08, 22:57
actually never used diazapam but did take xanax (same family...all benzos). i ended up taking them daily for a few months, and did struggle getting off them but that could have been just because i read online how hard it was to do. my sister took klonopin for a year and had no trouble getting off them. depends on your personality i think. but when i was acute i did feel they help.
i went from having 2 attacks a day to once a week to now not having had one get real bad on me for about 2 weeks or so. they start, and i stop them doing exactly what ron says. it works! once you get used to doing it it gets easier. believe me there's light at the end of the tunnel.
exposure therapy has helped me too in just a couple of weeks. it's where you recreate panic attack symptoms by spinning, hyperventilating, tensing your body, etc, and you keep doing them until you're not afraid of them. then when the attack comes your body doesn't freak out as much by the symptoms. the first time i hyperventilated myself in my therapists office i nearly had an attack right there! but she made me keep doing it, and as i did the physical symptom stayed the same but the fear level kept going down. by the time i left and even since last week when we did it, i can hyperventilate myself dizzy and don't feel panic when i do. next week i'm doing another 'exposure'...spinning i think.
good luck. it defnitely gets better, although i won't say i'm 'cured' i at least know now that the attacks aren't permanent. i used to think with each one that i'd be shaking forever. i learned they end eventually. there's great tips on this site on how to get through an attack too that i'm going to try out when one starts on me again. i used to just lie there, but on this site i learned that that's probably not the best thing.
good luck! you'll get there.
Firstly thankyou for the replies.
Been having a few bad weeks after my first post. At one point i would not go outside as i was to scared. Been to the drs numerous times since and clapsed and was taken to hospital. I do seem to be getting a little better on a daily basis and i'v now come to accept that i do have a mental illness. I'v still not started the Citalopram as i'm still very worried about taking them, mainly due to the fact that i'm scared of the side affects or going cold turkey coming off them. Felt ok yesterday, not 100% but fairly level headed until about tea time when my head felt ingulfed by such a rage. I really felt so badley like lashing out on someone or something and to be honest it scared me. I then took some Diazapam to counter the effects. I'm finding this so blumming hard at the moment i dont know what to do. All i want from life now is to be back to how i was before these anxiety attacks and depresion.
Thanks again for your replies and the time took to do so.
Ken
Hi ken
I did great on Citalopram = please remember that it is mainly the people who have had bad experiences of Citalopram probably post on here. Their experience is very valued but please do not let it detract from the many thousands of people Citalopram have helped.
Citalopram for me gave my body a much needed break from the PA and all the physical symptoms. I was suffering from depression as well.
I came off them no problem with minimal side effects.
I went through a good phase but now unfortunately due to a lot of stress at the moment am suffering anxiety at the moment (worse at work). BUT now I know what it is although the symptoms are horrible I am managing kind of. BUT I would not hesitate to use Citalopram again if I get too bad :-)
Hi Ken
Sorry to here about your life problems, Unfortunately beating anxiety is a rollercoaster ride. You must get one thing straight though, you do not have mental illness, what you do have is a behavioural disorder which is changeable with time and exposure with or without the help of medication. PM me if you want especially at your low points if you just want somebodyto talk to
All the best Ron
Thankyou once again for the replys.
I think your right Allye i need to give them a chance, i'm at the point where i'm just so fed up of felling like this its worth a shot trying the pills. Thankyou for that offer Ronski :) I'm finding this site a great help in so many ways. I havnt been near the computer for a couple of weeks i'v been that bad i'v pritty much remained in bed all day. I just wanna get back on my feet and get back to work. Been having a lot of cold sweats too and had a raised temprature. I thought it was another illness but it would seem that its just another symptom of where i'm at now. I'v also pushed my self a little to get out. I went round asda with the mrs late at night. I was feeling fuzzy light headed al the way round until i came out of there and i felt so proud i had done it when i came out. I'm determined not to let this beat me but like you say its one hell of a roller coaster ride.
Thankyou for your replies and support, it means alot to me :)
Thanks
Ken
Alright kenboon,
I know exactly how you feel mate. I have panic attacks an depression and I am a worrier too.
Mine came on about 4 months ago and for the first 2 months I thought I was going to die every single day. Mine lasted over an hour aswell. I'm still here. You are NOT going to die from it. I promise!
I am also on Citalopram (20mg a day. I find the best time to take it is in the morning at around half 7 to 8 and have breakfast first. It doesn;t say they upset your stomache on the leaflet, but they do
in my experience.
I was given diazepam aswell until the citalopram kicked in and took it for about 10 days, 5mg tablet 3 times a day. It helped a lot, but you don;t want to get hooked on those things mate trust me. 2 Weeks max mate.
You might want to add gaviscon to your prescription too. It is meant for indegestion and heartburn but I find it helps a lot with that strange feeling in my abdomen also. The rumbling feeling (tremors I think it`s called).
I'm starting to feel a lot better now and I think it is the citalopram that helped me. It takes time and you have to just hang in there and it'll go away.
A few tips from my experiences:
1 - Tell yourself you are OK, over and over again or "I am not afraid" (Sounds nuts but it helps.)
2 - DO NOT DRINK OR TAKE DRUGS it really really will make you worse, both panic and depression. I have not drank for over 3 months now and I'm starting to feel (more) normal again.
3 - Try to occupy yourself with something when you feel one coming on and don't focus on it if possible. It is impossible not to when they are bad, but after a while you start to realise you won't die and you can play a game or something. If films set you off then you're still in the bad bit and it'll only get better from there on in. A few months ago I tried to watch pitch black and got 10 minutes into it and started freaking out like I was on the crashing ship with them. lol
4 - DO NOT DRINK! lol I say it again as I really really mean it. It will mess you up so much you wouldn't believe.
5 - Eat regular meals. Breakfast around 8, then lunch at around 12 then evening around 7 and have a sandwhich and hot chocolate before bed.
6 - Get some lavender or incence. It sounds silly again, but it helps, really.
I used to be an engineer in the Royal Navy and I have lavender by my bed like a menopausal woman ahahah but I don't care because the smell is relaxing and at the moment that's all that matters to you and me.
7 - If you are like me, try not to focus on all the negative things happening in the world. Internet news is bad when panicking. If you follow "alternative" news sites then stay away from all that until you feel better. Trust me. ;)
Good luck. Hope it helps. Take it easy. You won't die. :yesyes:
Tweek Thankyou very much for that.
I dont drink at all tbh, i used to drink a fair bit when i was younger and unfortunatly used to take certain drugs too. I think alot of the anxiety is down to the fact i dwell to much on it and im sure its the same for others too. I'v finally got my head around that its anxiety and depression and not something else and i'm determined to beat this beast. It certainly is scary though and as i said before this place has helped me understand so much about the condition. I really can not thankyou all enough for taking the time to reply to me and help support me, it really has helped a great deal.
Thanks again to all
Ken
Always glad to help mate. :yesyes:
Liverbird67
21-08-08, 20:45
Hiya Ken
You are not on your own mate you have had a helluva shock with your grandma dying like that, also stress in work can build up, keep chating and posting on here when you feel like you need to let off some steam, and listen to tweek I remember him when he first started posting (love the statement about the Lavender it really made me smile)
Lots of hugs to the pair of you and everyone else.
Liverbird
Yeah I was a mess a few months ago mate and I'm almost "normal" again now.
Just stick with it and you'll be fine. Trust us. :yesyes:
...just remember it cannot kill you...not a comfort no.
BUT the reason we feel like this is because of adrenaline...you see our fight or flight was in our primevil days when we needed this response..if we confronted with a tiger you basically crapped yourself to rid you of waste your heart went fast you was primed to fight or flight...nowadays there is no danger so the adrenaline has nowhere to go except make you feel bad and fear breeds fear.....you need to channel it on the right path..imagine goin on a fairground ride...you get the same adrenalin rush as in a panic attack BUT you dont feel bad because you are USING the adrenalin...i cant say enuff you need to take up excercise to use up your adrenalin.
Its YOU making you panic..noone else and only YOU can cure yourself..meds only mask not cure.
Thanks guys
Well i gave the citalapram a shot and 2 hours after taking one i was taken to hospital in an ambulance. I was suffering big time with massive shakes where my whole body was shaking like i was fitting and my teeth were chattering like mad to be honest i carnt remember much of it. I also was suffering from a major nausia when i came round and had such a bad head. I saw my DR the next day and was told not to have them again and that she thinks its best i go the theropy route ie talking to a councilor rather than another anti depresant. Today i woke up and felt well ok not perfect but ok. Been downstairs most of the day which was a big step as i'v been in our bedroom most of the day for a few weeks now. I felt a bit like i was getting anxious throughout the day but managed to control it. But then i offered to take my girlfreind round to tescos i felt quite anxious but i drove there ok no problem and waited in the car. Thats when hell broke loose :( couldnt get my breath, my ears felt ever so strange like a big build up of pressure? never had that symptom before. Also sweating like mad light head, basically a full blown attack :( Its really getting me down at the moment. As i'm typeing this now i kinda freakng out and my ears still feel funny :( I really do hate this, i just so much want to be well again.
I just want to say thanks so much for the replys. You really are helping me out alot.
Ken
Aww Ken, I'm so sorry to hear of your latest setback. Panic is a terrible thing. I suffer like you in that I feel I'm going to die when I have an attack. It's hard to believe that something so physical is merely caused by panic. I get all the usual symptoms, shaking like a leaf, can't breathe, feeling sick, weak legs etc. I really do sympathise with you. My attacks last about an hour too and when they finally receed I'm left feeling exhausted and just want to crawl into bed.
Well done for driving to Tescos. Even if you had a bad panic attack you took the first steps by getting out of your bedroom and going outside. Well done, Ken!
Love
Sunny
Had a bit of an up and down day today. Been out and about a little bit all be it a bit anxious at times. I did manage to do mcdonalds drive thru and poped into focus this afternoon, although i did have to leave the mrs after about 10 minutes to go back to the car, as i was feeling a little like my legs were like jelly and was very light headed. I'm just taking little steps at the moment and although most of the time my ears feel full of pressure and i have a strange headache, i am determined to beat this beast and try and get back to some sort of normality. Gonna try and get a bit more exposure to the world tommorow too. I'm still a bit scared, but i'm just learning to accept it a bit more now and look at the positive steps i'v made in the last few days, all be it little ones. I know i'v still got a good way to go on this journey but i really am determined to get there.
I know i'v said thankyou before for your replies, but i can not tell you just how much it has helped me out and see there is a light at the end of this long tunnel :).
Thanks again :)
Ken
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