Night time panic

[simon68]

I have had panic attacks for years now. I learned how to control them and keep myself calm, which was good. Then I started having night time attacks.

The night time attacks are a lot worse than anything I'd suffered during the day. Lately they seem to happen every single night which is very scary.
The general pattern is I fall asleep and then awaken roughly an hour later in a mad panic.
On waking, I cannot breathe, feel dizzy and feel like I'm having a heart attack. Often my arms are numb too. After a few minutes, maybe ten, I calm down and lay back down. I feel too scared to go to sleep after though. :emot-crying:

On the nights I am free of panic attacks, I can't sleep and lay awake for hours. I can't win!

Question is, do I see my doctor? I know he'll put me on anti-depressants. Will they help? Can I cope?
So many questions that I don't know the answers to.

I know that depression and stress walk hand in hand, and I know I have both. Sometimes I feel like crying and giving up.

I am going to see my doc this Friday but never know how to explain how I'm feeling.

Does anybody suffer similar symptoms to me, and know how frightening this can be in the small hours of the morning?

Thank God for NMP!

[jothenurse]

I wake up several times at night (usually from hot flashes) - this gets my pulse going and if I don't calm myself, I'll go into a panic attack with tachycardia which is really scary. Plus, I live alone and that makes it worse.
I usually have the tv on, so I watch that for awhile and try to distract myself and then after awhile I can usually fall back to sleep.
I am on ativan, a small dose.

[Vixxy]

Hi theyre called nocturnal panics. I get them too. Once your overall stress levels drop down youll find that you get less and less of these in your sleep.

[heavenly]

Things always seem worse at night, don't they! Worries that may be tiny during day light hours, magnify when you are lying in bed. And if you suffer from panic attacks, then at night, you have no distractions, nothing to keep your brain from working over-time. I really know how this feels. My situation: my GP has prescribed with Olanzapine at the mo, its not addictive, its slow releasing and it keeps me calm, so that, with counselling, is really helping me. Do see your GP if you feel you need to. But for a non-medication route, she told me to listen to the radio, put headphones in if I have an Ipod, listen to relaxing music, or download a book, or a self help therapy book, listen to it in bed. Because when I feel a bit scared at night, I need for it not to be quiet, so I did find listening to my Ipod really helped me. Keep us posted hun. xxx

[snowqueen]

Hello Simon,

Are you sure it's a panic attack? Sounds like me I'm awoken from a deep sleep heart is racing my worst to date 210 beat per minute before being placed on beats blockers you might have my condition Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia. After a break through attack corrected by a break through 10mg inderal tablet my hands, arms and legs this time were pins and needles. Have you had a treadmill stress test to diagnose your condition?

[simon68]

Thanks for the replies everybody.

I visited the doctors surgery on Friday and after discussing my symptoms the doctor diagnosed depression and stress. I now have a prescription for Citalopram 20mg.

I'm a bit worried about starting them, but the doc assures me they will help my symptoms and lift my mood. I don't want to get hooked on these tablets but need some relief from the way I am feeling.

Oh well I will give them a try.....

:)

XXX