Has anybody had a panic attack on the plane?

[star68]

I have an irrational fear of flying, every time I fly I fear everything, but the worse are two things getting an out of control panic attack in the plane and turbulence.
When the plane starts shaking that is when my anxiety rises to the max.

What are your experiences and how did you deal with them?

Thank you.

[RadioGaGa]

An easy way to combat this would be to ask for diazepam before your flight from your doctor
It's a common fear

Good luck

[Liddy1993]

Would definitely recommend asking your doctor to prescribe something. I always freak myself out especially when the pressure changes and your chest feels heavy whenever I take something beforehand it stops it.

[Colin44]

Diazepam is crap. Tried it and it failed me, was better off getting drunk TBH. Done a better job than the tablets.

[Mindsight]

Pannic attacks on a plane.

Well yes this is how at 13 i got into this world of pannic stress and worry or shall we say how it showed its signs and left its markins on me.

Pannic attacks i found the easiest to deal with i understand each person is different. I told my self whilst having pannic attacks i never died yesterday from this or yesterday or last week so the probability of me dying today is like the previous times this over weeks got me past the worst and to 12 years of problem free flying and living with this.

I know face anxiety and would face pannic attacks all day.

It is all in the mind and how you train it and not feed it gives you freedom.

Good luck

Do not let fear pannic hold you back.

[DustingMyselfOff]

Yup, I'm about to leave for the airport and will be stuck on a plane for 6.5 hours. Have had panic attacks on the plane, fear having them again, and of course the turbulence is terrifying. I also hate the dizziness when the plane turns - that always sets off anxiety. Yes, I will sedate myself and that helps a lot, but flying is never fun for me. It's just a necessary evil since my daughter and young kids are on the other side of the country. :(
Sue

[angstsoup]

Hi Star
I have had anxiety all of my life and I am not a spring chicken as they say lol
I have had numerous fears one of which was flying
Like dustingmyself off stated in his/her post I too was afraid of the lightheaded feeling as plane climbs or turns
Currently I am trying to deal with this feeling of lightheadedness ( on the ground) as it reared its ugly head in Nov
Anyhow I can tell you sincerely that I have never had a PA on a plane
Now granted I do not fly very much but when I have I may have had some anxiety but no PA
Actually I have had PA's on the ground even at home or in car but never on plane
I took a wonderful fear of flying course which I would be happy to tell you about if you care to private message me as I do not know if it is permitted for me to mention it in this post
It has books, videos, etc and I truly believe it helped me tremendously to the tune of me doing a 10 hr flight with no problem
It was developed by a former pilot and now clincical social worker. There are on line forums as well as a online chat as well as a group conference call every Wednesday evening
Please PM if you wish

[WiredIncorrectly]

My brother does. He's flying away Monday on holiday. We've been discussing this. I advised him to get diazipam from doctor, but I think he's probably going to have a shot or 2 of alcohol ... which won't help lol.

[star68]

Hi, I would like some advise. My heart raises when I am anxious and fearful (I suffer from Generalized anxiety) , and flying triggers it before boarding and during the flight I can feel my heart hammering, therefore panic takes over me. I have coping strategies, like breathing exercises, distractions and I know during a panic attack the heart beats fast because of the adrenaline but eventually goes down, but my fear is that the heart suffers in the process. I wouldn't want to take tranquilizers because I want to be strong to fight the fear, it's like a challenge, but the fear of the heart suffering puts me off using anti- anxiety techniques. I would like to know your opinion in this and any advise would be gratefully welcome. TIA.

[ankietyjoe]

Your heart doesn't suffer during panic, even when it's beating fast. Your heart is designed to do this. Just use the techniques you already know.

I used to view things that challenged my anxiety as practice. You're going to be on the plane for several hours, so use that time to practice your techniques to a deeper level. It's possible you may go into full blown panic once or twice, but it's still not dangerous to you or your heart.