i've beaten panic attacks :)

[kennymcdade]

Hi Everyone. My name is Kenny and i was sufferer from panic attacks for 10 years, however i have been able to beat it and i haven't had an attack for over a year. If you would like tips or advice on how i was able to get my life back on track id gladly pass on what i know.

thank you and good luck in beating this monster

Thank you

Kenny

[diane07]

Hi kennymcdade

We just wanted to welcome you aboard to NMP. We hope you enjoy your stay here and get all the support and advice you need.

Please take some time to read the website articles on the left as well for loads of advice and tips.

[honeyp1e]

Hi Everyone. My name is Kenny and i was sufferer from panic attacks for 10 years, however i have been able to beat it and i haven't had an attack for over a year. If you would like tips or advice on how i was able to get my life back on track id gladly pass on what i know.

thank you and good luck in beating this monster

Thank you

Kenny

Welcome to NMP

i would love any help & advice on getting rid of this anxiety xx

[joans60]

I would also like some help to get rid of my anxiety and also panic







Joan

[paula lynne]

Hi Kenny, welcome aboard. It would be really helpful to members if you were to write another post regarding how you managed to overcome panic attacks.

[Hazel B]

and well done!

[cynthia]

okay kenny............ do share with us!!

[shoegal]

Hello and welcome to NMP. Like others on here, I'd be interested to know how you beat anxiety and panic attacks.

[marvi]

weldone, you have overcome the threat....
its like infront of your fear, you can the brightness...
well pls do share your recovery tips..
thanks..
marvi

[kennymcdade]

Thank you to everyone who has replied.

Im not sure where to start but here it goes. I first starting getting panic attacks 10 years ago when i was at college. I still to this day don't know what brought it on. I started getting a nervousness in my stomach which lead to me having hot flushes that appeared from nowhere that made me feel as tho my head was going to blow up. I started to feel dizzy and see black spots and when i walked i felt as though i was staggering, my heart felt as tho it was beating 10 times as fast as normal and then after a few minutes it dissappered. At first it happened 4 or 5 times a day but as the months went on it became worse and i was having them every couple of hours. I went to the doctors and they said i was suffering from anxiety and that it was causing panic attacks. They offered me valium and techniques how to control mybreathing. The techniques didn't work and i didnt want what i viewed as drugs in my body.

As the years passed my attacks never got better. I began to just live with it but my whole life changed everything i did was controlled by the fear of panic attacks, going out for drinks, going on holiday were terrifying for me. I was embarressed of my condition and even now my family don't know i was a sufferer. things like going for a bath, sitting in hot wether, going on a bus all brought on panic attacks. There were dark times that i thought i coundnt cope any longer and i wanted out of this nightmare. On those dark days i would come on forums just like this and seek advice and took some comfort in knowing others were going through the same thing i was. I remember looking at one particular messgae on a form from a man who after 15 years of suffering panic attacks was able to beat them. I still remember thinking he couldn't have been suffering as bad as me because mine was too severe to cure. But i was wrong ALL PANIC ATTACKS CAN BE CURED. My recovery started just little over a year when one day i woke up and told myself you can't live like this any more you need to do something about this. I decided i was going to change my doctor and see someone with a different perspective on my condition, so after not speaking to anyone for over 8 years about my panic attacks i went and spoke to a different doctor. She listened to me and offered me support. She told me about a drug that has been proven to help people but i couldnt just rely on the drug i had to look at changing my mindset and the way i saw and thought of panicing situations. The drug she offered was citalopram and i was to take one 20mg a day. I began taking the drug and didnt feel any difference but i was also using CBT techniques that i found useful to myself. Theses techniques were acknowleging what my body was doing and what my mind was thinking during them. I found myself worring about having an attack when i was in a situationm where an attack had happened before and done my best to avoid that situation again. You've all heard of the flight or fight technique id imagine and i was a flighter not a fighter, i had come to accept that these attacks would happen everytime i was in that situation. So i decided that i had to fight the situation and instead of hiding away from these situations i went out looking for them. If i was on a bus and i had a panic attack normally id try to avoid public transport but now i decided i would get the bus at any oppertunity and very slowly i realised i was able to get on a bus without worrying about attacks because i had change my thinking about what would happen if i was on a bus. I then noticed the medication was also helping me relax. I used the fight technique on all the situations that had me panicking and before long i was able to control them, some were alot longer than others but thats go to be expected. After 6 months being on the medication the doctor suggested i lowered the dossage down to 10mg but against her wishes i decided just to stop them completly as i wanted to prove that i was in control of my panic attacks and not the pills. I was abit nervous in stopping them but it has proven the right thing to do as even after stoppin gthem i still havent had an panic attack.

There were some other thought techiques that i just devised my self to suit me but everyone is different.

i hope this could help some of you an dif you want to talk to me about your situation and like advice please just ask i would love to help everyone if i can.

one final thing i will say is your all so brave to come here and talk about your and condition and just remember panic attacks are beatable even at the moment you may not think so.

try to stay in a positive frame of mind and good luck

Kenny