Panic Attacks and hypoglycemia - a Link?

[peter_griffen]

Hello Folks

I have suffered PA for approx 9 years, as a result i became agoraphobic. Recently i started to go out nearly everyday, at first it was very difficult, but after awhile it became more easier. I always thought that it was being out and seeing people that caused my PA (ie: Social Phobia).
However, i only have the urge to go out in the evenings after i have my tea, the reason for that is when i feel light-headed my sugar levels drops, therefore this causes me to panic, then i end up having a panic attack.

Due to my Father being diagnose with diabetes a few years ago, in which now it has being delevoped quite badly, my mum suggested that i should take more exercise (although i do eat healthly etc) as quite often diabetes runs in the family.
So i started to go round on my bike, and use a rowing machine. While on the bike for no more than 2 mins, i instantly felt light-headed, and caused me to have a PA. The PA was not because i was out, it was caused by the sugar levels dropping. I quickly went home and test my levels on a machine that my dad uses and the results were not too good.

The interesting bit:

I just did some research for the words "panic" "light-headed" and "sugar-levels", and all the diagnostic's seems to point to "hypoglycemia".

Ask yourself these questions?

1). Are you a "morning" person? are groggy, grouchy, sensitive, and lethargic?
2). Are you a little chubby? (sorry, could not think of a kinder way of saying it)
3). Do crave high sugar foods such as Chocolate, Coffee etc?
4). Does your Panic-attacks start when you feel-light headed, and feel that your sugar levels has dropped?

If so, then perhaps it might be worth reading the following article which i found. The article relates to me, and is could be of benefit to others:

http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/hypoglycemia.html

Let me know your thoughts to the article?

[Southern_Belle]

Hi Peter,

Interesting article. I know that caffiene makes my heart race so I try to stay away from the stuff yet my son who does not have anxiety can drink it with no problem. I do go through periods when I crave sugar but have not been on antibiotics for perhaps 2 years. I do have thyroid disease which wrecks its own havoc on the body. I would be interested in knowing how you feel after cutting out all the "whites" out of your diet. Please let me know.

Take care,

Laura

[Moob]

I suffer with hypoglycemia.. and have done ever since i can remember.
With out doubt it affects my anxiety and panic attacks.
I find eating every couple of hours.. and also combining carbs with protein in a meal helps.
I always carry a snack round with me to stop me going into one.

[Meltdown]

Hmmm...

Whilst I am sure that people with Diabetes or hypoglycemia can suffer from panic, I'm not sure that it is at all helpful to suggest that there is a link between the two! - we have enough to worry about without worrying about diabetes!

I tend to feel more panicky when I am tired, or have a cold. however I am 100% certain that the common cold does not cause panic attacks.

The article quoted is more than a bit cranky.

1) Groggy in the morning? - yes I always have been, even as a child
2) Overweight? - yes, slightly, but then so are 1000's of others!
3) I am quite partial to chocolate - so I must be hypoglycemic, then!
4) Does your panic start when you feel lightheaded? - No, I feel light headed when I have a panic attack - so does everyone else!



Overall, I think that it is quite dangerous to suggest other health problems to people who are already struggling with panic disorder!

Panic disorder comes from within, and the cure also comes from within. The problem is that it is easy to associate panic with particular places, and activities, all of which are illusory (i.e a particular place does not cause a panic attack, but our thoughts about it might). The last thing we need is a new association with a different illness!

[peter_griffen]

Thankyou for your comments meltdown, although i think you have taken it out of contents completely

Im not saying that hypoglycemia causes panic-attacks, im asking if there is a link.
You are forgetting that a panic attack is a wave of panic that is released from your brain (to put it in a simple way). The idea of getting over a panic-disorder to to find what makes you have a panic-attack (ie: what triggers it). For some its being in a car on a motorway, other is being in a crowded place. What triggers mine is when my sugar levels drops to a certain level, i become light headed - this causes me to panic, which equals a panic-attack.

This is why im only ASKING if there is a possibility of a link?

[tayside lassie]

i can honestly say ..i do not have a clue why i take anxiety/panic attacks ..my G.P and 2 councillors have asked what sets them off and i really dont know ..it started with a fainty/dizzy feeling 5 year ago and it has now ruined my life ...over the last year it has now been put down as menopause ..but i know a few women who are going through menopause and theyare able to go out work day to day things ..it takes me all my time to go to the local shop ..i have accepted my way of life but i would like the old one back but dont know how to find it .

[madinmayo]

Peter...I agree with your theory. In fact I have a book by Shirley Trickett called Coping with Anxiety and Depression and there is a whole chapter in it dedicated to hypoglycaemia and nerves. She believes that you can control some anxiety by controlling your blood sugar through diet.

[Meltdown]

Thankyou for your comments meltdown, although i think you have taken it out of contents completely


You are forgetting that a panic attack is a wave of panic that is released from your brain (to put it in a simple way). The idea of getting over a panic-disorder to to find what makes you have a panic-attack (ie: what triggers it). For some its being in a car on a motorway, other is being in a crowded place. What triggers mine is when my sugar levels drops to a certain level, i become light headed - this causes me to panic, which equals a panic-attack.

This is why im only ASKING if there is a possibility of a link?




Peter, I don't think that I am taking your comments out of context at all. By suggesting a link, you are suggesting a cause-effect relationship. You are suggesting that hypoglycemia may be a trigger for panic, at least in your case:


"The idea of getting over a panic-disorder to to find what makes you have a panic-attack. (ie: what triggers it). For some its being in a car on a motorway, other is being in a crowded place."

This implies we find out what triggers our panic, and avoid those triggers, we will be cured! To use your example, by avoiding car journeys on the motorway, we will avoid panic attacks!


Nothing could be further from the truth!


In my case, one of my (many) triggers was being stuck in a traffic jam. I have now overcome this fear completely. How did I do this? By gradually exposing myself to more traffic jams! Instead of taking the "rat-run" to work (which doesn't really save any time, because of the extra distance), I chose to sit in the jams instead. Did I have panic attacks? YES! and they were horrible! but after a few days of doing this, I lost my fear of those situations, and they no longer bother me.


People with panic are always looking for the magic cure. If we avoid all the situations which make us feel panicky, we will feel better. If we can attribute our symptoms to an illness, and take a pill, we will feel better. Gradually, we avoid more and more situations, until we become agoraphobic! This is not the answer!


"You are forgetting that a panic attack is a wave of panic that is released from your brain (to put it in a simple way)."

- No, I'm not forgetting that at all. But it is a wave of panic (adrenaline) that is released because of our thoughts about a particular situation, not because of the situation itself.

Being low on blood sugar doesn't cause panic (otherwise everyone would suffer from it when they are hungry!) However, the thoughts you have when you feel this way DO cause your panic. Once you have an association in your brain, the same situation provokes the same response (until you re-programme your mind otherwise).




Sorry if this all sounds very preachy! that is not my intention. I am to a large extent repeating what I have learned from my CBT sessions, and from reading Claire Weekes' book, in the hope that it can help other people. It has certainly helped transform my life!

[reallyfedup]

I read the original post on Thursday when I was feeling anxious dizzy and lightheaded. I then told myself I could have hypoglycaemia.I ate and drank something and the feelings got worse so I became totally out of control! I had a tranquilizer which then made me drowsy. However I could not settle as I thought if I fell asleep I would go into a coma and die!?! I lay awake on the sofa frozen with fear and feltbthe worst I have been in weeks. You wanted comments...these are mine. (As someone who feels they are looking for answers.......)
My anxiety is still very high but I have started to believe again it is not diabetes related.

[andie73]

Hi

I have felt for a long time that there is a link between low blood sugar and my panic attacks. I too have read Shirley Trickett's book, whiich is excellent and it does have a whole chapter dedicated to this.

I agree with the things Peter has said. Low blood sugar makes you shakey, and light headed and in some people this can start a panic attack. I suffer terribly when I don't eat regularly enough and I take care to eat the right things. Bananas are excellent to eat as they are slow release, chocolate is the worst thing to eat as it gives you a quick sugar rush that soon plummets. What your body actually does when the sugar levels drop is release adrenaline to give you an energy boost.......so there IS a link between low blood sugar and panic.


However I also agree with Meltdown in that it is often the sensations that you get from low blood sugar levels that bring on the panic attack NOT the actual low sugar levels. It's the way you interpret these feelings that is important. It is important to try not to associate feeling hungry with the on set of a panic attack.

So for me, on the advice of my doctor, I eat something regularly about every two hours. For me this has helped enormously. I still do get panic attacks but not nearly as much as I used to. I eat a wholegrain breakfast cereal then mid morning I have some fruit. I try to limit my caffine intake, I don't drink coffee and only have three cups of tea a day. This really does help. But we are all different.

[peter_griffen]

Thankyou all for your comments, i think it best if we "agree to disagree". I guess that panic attacks effect people in different ways, so there is no right or wrong answer.
However, before I go, I found this article in the current (January) Asda Free Magazine, under the health matters (Page 33)

"GP surgery Test"

"it seems that more then 10 per cent of patients who are experiencing symptoms of mental disorder, such as anxiety or depression, have a physical illness thats causing these feeling. Conditions such as diabetes, coeliac disease or underactive thyroid can all give rise to symptons of depression, according to Professor Jane Plant. Read more in her book Beating stress, Anxiety and Depression (RRP £ 12.99 Piatkus Books)"

[Meltdown]

"I think we should agree to disagree"

Peter, I was trying to help.

I don't think it is helpful to try to blame panic on some some other illness or disease, as you seem to be determined to do. Perhaps when you have your CBT, you will realise this.

Did you not read the post by "reallyfedup" above? Your initial post caused this person to have a very bad experience, because you gave them the seed of the idea that there may be a link between hypoglycemia/diabetes and panic.

"I read the original post on Thursday when I was feeling anxious dizzy and lightheaded. I then told myself I could have hypoglycaemia.I ate and drank something and the feelings got worse so I became totally out of control! I had a tranquilizer which then made me drowsy. However I could not settle as I thought if I fell asleep I would go into a coma and die!?!"

As for your quote from professor Jane Plant, what is this really telling us? it is telling us that some people who have been diagnosed with a serious physical illness are sometimes anxious and depressed about it! Somehow, but I don't find this particularly surprising, or enlightening.

Good luck with your CBT. Hopefully you will take on board that nothing is "causing" or "triggering" your panic, except your thoughts about a particular subject or situation.

[NervousNellie]

Hi Peter,

I was just wondering....how low do your sugar levels get?

Here in the US, doctors have always told me that it is almost impossible to be hypoglycemic if you're not a diabetic and on insulin. I beg to differ with that!! My sugar levels have been all over the place since I've developed anxiety - sometimes they are high and sometimes they are low. I've been tested for diabetes and all of my results were normal. I had insulin dependent gestational diabetes with one of my pregnancies and had to inject myself with insulin 3 times a day. Although the hypoglycemia that I experience now is nowhere near as severe as when I was on insulin shots, it still makes me feel pretty funny. So if you don't mind sharing, I'd like to know how low your levels get.....

[Phill2]

I can assure from my own experience that they are definitely related.
The easy solution is to make sure you have snacks throughout the day and as much as possible eat low GI foods to keep your sugar levels steady.
Works for me - hope it does for you
Phill :shades:
BTW I have had my sugar tested and am not diabetic

[shabbychic]

hi peter...I am sitting here with tears rolling down my face..You could have been writing about me...I to had agoraphobia and panic attacks for years and my life has been really hard and I am now experiencing some really bad feelings but you have described them exactly..the whooshing feeling through my body has turned me into a wreck and i reluctantly went 4 a blood test to be told that my thyroid level is slightly up and i must have another in 6 weeks but I dont have a lot of confidence in that route and have always thought I suffered with hypoglycemia...for personal reasons i use antibiotics every couple of months ( when I think I need them ) its a hang up from comments made to me by a violent husband...and I have treated myself years ago with three lac cos of candida..but at this moment in time i am soooo lost i dont know where or who to turn to ..i am low..weepy..tired..depressed..shaky and that damm whooshy feeling is scaring me...:scared15: please could you tell me how kinesis helped you
thanx sue

[Phill2]

Apparently low blood sugar produces the same sensations in the body as anxiety.All i know is since I took steps to regulate my sugar with diet I feel heaps better.
Thats proof enough for me
Phill :shades: