Panic Attacks Support Group
A panic attack is a period of intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting no more than thirty minutes. Symptoms include trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, sweating, nausea, dizziness, hyperventilation, and sensations of choking or smothering. Panic attacks can be very sudden, appear to be unprovoked, and are often...
End of the semester at college, and it's finals week. I'm feeling less than alert. So, an hour before my last final tonight, I bit a quarter off of a No-Doz (caffeine pill).
I was fine until about 40 minutes into the test, and suddenly I felt all weird, and had to go to the bathroom really bad. I excused myself, then got back to class and finished the test, feeling anxious and odd.
Then, I'm driving home, 45 minutes later it kicked in again, and my chest really hurt, and my arms felt gross, and my heart started racing so fast!
And, I'm like, "God, oh god oh god. It's a panic attack ... from No-Doz!"
So, I call my man and I tell him what's happening and telling him I love him and "please tell me you love me," etc. Because I feel like I"m dying. And I don't know what to do on this highway. And I see this hospital coming up, so I pull over, freaking out, and go stand inside the Emergency entrance and wait....
20 mins later it mostly faded away. But it's been about two hours and my chest still hurts. I don't know if it's stressed out, or from acid-refulx.
That was definitely not my first panic attack at all, but I just thought I'd share this one because the caffeine -- caffeine! -- induced a genuine panic attack just the same as my past bouts of job anxiety used to. And just like my vertigo-induced anxiety caused me to have just a couple of years ago. And yet, I had neither the dizzyheads nor the stress -- it was just that darn little pill revving up my system and sending it on overload. It's all just a physical response, isn't it? Felt so horribly, terribly awful. Never again.
I was fine until about 40 minutes into the test, and suddenly I felt all weird, and had to go to the bathroom really bad. I excused myself, then got back to class and finished the test, feeling anxious and odd.
Then, I'm driving home, 45 minutes later it kicked in again, and my chest really hurt, and my arms felt gross, and my heart started racing so fast!
And, I'm like, "God, oh god oh god. It's a panic attack ... from No-Doz!"
So, I call my man and I tell him what's happening and telling him I love him and "please tell me you love me," etc. Because I feel like I"m dying. And I don't know what to do on this highway. And I see this hospital coming up, so I pull over, freaking out, and go stand inside the Emergency entrance and wait....
20 mins later it mostly faded away. But it's been about two hours and my chest still hurts. I don't know if it's stressed out, or from acid-refulx.
That was definitely not my first panic attack at all, but I just thought I'd share this one because the caffeine -- caffeine! -- induced a genuine panic attack just the same as my past bouts of job anxiety used to. And just like my vertigo-induced anxiety caused me to have just a couple of years ago. And yet, I had neither the dizzyheads nor the stress -- it was just that darn little pill revving up my system and sending it on overload. It's all just a physical response, isn't it? Felt so horribly, terribly awful. Never again.
Caffeine is very often something a person with anxiety will eliminate from their diet because it causes many of the same sensations that anxiety does. The caffeine does't actually "cause" an anxiety attack. It is actually your thoughts. Caffeine may make your heart race and since this happens when you have anxiety you start thinking "omg! My heart is racing. What if it's a heart attack!" What happens to many people is they have these thoughts but think the entire episode is from the caffeine. I know i always did until i learned it was my thoughts creating the anxiety.
I hope the caffeine finally wore off and you are feeling better.
called anxiety attacks are a false triggering of the fight or flight response,
google fight or flight response for all the possible effects of it. panic
attacks often are inherited. they cant harm anyone so should not be feared. when
feeling stressed or panicky simply relax and breathe deep and slow. dont tense
up or fight back against it. do disolve any mid range valium type pill under
tongue for fastest help, google sublingually. agoraphobia is avoiding or
fearing places or situations likely to cause a panic attack. Ive found that the
best advice in overcoming both is in cheap self help books from internet
bookstores, order a few to be delivered to you by mail. therapists, especially
psychiatrists often give little advice and consider the panic attacks as
unimportant. they waste time and are often expensive, also their advice is hard
to remember as most patients are very nervous. valium type meds are still
the best for reducing or stopping a panic attack, if taken to hospital, the
usual treatment is an injection of valium. antidepressant meds help some a lot
but sufferers can have severe early side effects so start at much less than the
min dose range and slowly work dose up, google the antidepressant dose range for
guidance. valium reduces early side effects. antidepressants take from 2 to 6
weeks to start working and occasionally never help. the prozac or SSRI type are
popular but other types also help and so can be tried. older sedating
antihistamines calm some. valium type must be used sensibly but its been my long
experience that few sufferers have addictive type personalitys,t he main problem
being to get them to take a large enough dose rather than stopping them from
taking too high a dose the fight or flight response can become a strong
addiction, people activate it with dangerous sports, downhill skiing, bungee
jumping, parachute jumping, etc so some panic attack sufferers refuse to make
any attempt to recover or to take helpful meds. panic attack and agoraphobia
sufferers dont usually lead very stressfull lives. they become expert at seeming
calm and relaxed whan actually panicky I had panic attacks and severe
agoraphobia for 20 years before diagnosing myself and am now completely
recovered
"i am getting a panic attack!
i feel my heart racing
my scalp is starting to tingle
i have felt this before and i got through it
this is nothing
my next feeling should be coldness from my legs
when that happens i should not be surprised
i feel lost "
ok ok you get the picture, it worked for me because i noticed my panic attacks would go away when my friend would rush over to help me. when i started to talk to him, immediately i would start to calm down. so i thought to myself , "hmmm maybe its because im saying things out loud instead of creating more stress by talking in my mind or my inner monologue" idk. worked for me. lol feel better
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