In need of some help/advice

[SherryG]

Hi guys,

I'm a newbie to your forum :flowers: and I hope it's okay to post a question here. My doctor claims that I am suffering from Panic Attacks and I'm kind of confused about a few things so I thought I would come and ask the advice of people who are going through it.

First of all, I have been feeling jittery/nervous all week long, almost to the point of trembling. Is it normal for panic attack sufferers to feel jittery for this long or all the time? I thought that a panic attack came out of nowhere and peaked within 5-10 minutes and then began to subside.

I was also told by my doctor that just before a panic attack you will have a sensation of impending doom, like something bad is about to happen. I never feel like this at all. I am just jittery.

I did have a weird episode the other night - let me share it with you. I was asleep in bed and awoke all of a sudden. I opened my eyes and saw all kinds of black specs floating around. I thought they were mosquitos. I also noticed that my whole body seemed to be vibrating. It was vibrating so violently that I was about to ask my husband if he could feel it too when everything started going black. I thought I was going to pass out. I got out of bed and went to the window for air. After everything seemed to settle down, I crawled back in bed and tried to fall back asleep. Just as I was almost alseep, the whole thing started all over again - the vibrating and feeling like I was going to pass out. After it passed, I was left sitting in bed feeling jittery. The whole episode lasted three hours.

Does this sound typical of a panic attack?

I am so very sorry for the length of this post but I am trying to determine whether or not I should start on the medication the doctor prescribed. I'm not really big on taking drugs but if I need it then I will definitely take it.

Thanks for 'listening'.

Sherry

[vti2007]

Hi Sherry,

I don't have masses of experience of this having only been recently diagnosed myself but I will tell you what I know.

For months I have been feeling really shaking anxious and shaky, to the point of sitting on the sofa for days on end shaking and feeling as if I have "chills" this has gone with a really restless feeling and not being able to sit still and having to pace about. I also have never had the sense of impeding doom. My panic attacks seems to have consisted of hot sweats, dizzyness and intense nausea/vomiting and generally feeling terrible with a desperate need to get home. they are so similar to a bad bout of food poisioning that is what I thought was going on these "attacks" have lasted anything from 30 minutes to several hours with milder symptoms sometimes going on for days on end.

I have also had the jittery feelings and eye trouble. The conclusion I have come to is the "food poisioning" attacks are a form of panic attack and the shaking and jittering and restlessness are just the heightened anxiety part of it. This had been backed up by talking to my doctor.

I have been on 20mg Citalopram for 3 weeks now and have been doing great on them, I am so much better than I was a month ago. I have had a couple of bad days so the doctor has also given me 10mg of Propranalol as well which has pretty much knocked all the remaining physical symptoms on the head so I think it is safe to say the diagnosis has been correct.

I might well be worth trying the prescription, I was doubtful but it is the best thing I have done. I feel like I am getting my life back after 6 months of misery and wondering what on earth was going on with me.

Hope that helps :)

[Anxious_gal]

that vibrating thing is totally normal! its all part of sleeping and waking up, i dont know if its comman but i read lots about it on the internet so i know thats nothing to worry about. x

[KaylaMarie]

I have never had a panic attack that woke me in the middle of my sleep, but My father has...(Apparently it seems to run in the family...since his mother also had panic attacks)
Anyways, He says that right before he goes to sleep...like while he is laying down...sometimes he feels tingly all over and he feels like nothing around him is real...I asked him about seeing black specs but he has never had the occurance...I would assume it was just a panic attack though.
It does affect everyone diferently.
Hope this makes you feel better =)