Panic attacks - anyone suffer?

Panic attacks. Yeah, I get them ever now and then. Now very rarely - it's easier to control them once I know what they are. I sometimes get one when driving, when I stress myself too much - bad weather or high speed on a motorway etc.

My wife suffers badly. A combination of phobia and axiety. She'd always refuse beta blockers, though.
We had to call ambulance of few occassions, because of artythmia. Nobody takes her seriously, but private therapists out there to grab the cash.

Overcoming Panic is a decent self help book Overcoming Panic: Amazon.co.uk: Derrick Silove: Books

As for feelings of doom, I generally refer to it as THE FEAR.....

I wonder if everyone that's ever experienced panic attacks refers to it as THE FEAR...I certainly did. Never come across anyone else that called it that.

Overcoming Panic is a decent self help book Overcoming Panic: Amazon.co.uk: Derrick Silove: Books

My wife's a psychologist and uses and recommends the Overcoming series.

I had them a lot in my late teens and like TS discovered that it was a sensitivity to caffeine. I stopped ingesting it, tried again some years later and discovered the problem had gone, so I can only assume the caffeine was whipping up other underlying anxieties which I don't have now.

My friends and I refer to it as The Fear. Generally for me it's brought on by days of endless drinking. That state where you're unable to sleep and you're worrying about absolutely every possible bad thing that's ever happened to you or could happen to you....It's very real and frightening at the time but I find that by giving it a name and identifying it as a temporary situation normally it doesn't become all-consuming. For me the worst times are when returning from holiday where you've treated your insides like shit and are still jangly from all the poison that's still in you. Yikes.

I discovered I'm allergic to lysergic acid diethyl amide and amphetamines.

I'd recommend Susan Jeffers - warning !comic sans website!. Her books and MP3s helped my wife a lot - with panic attics, anxiety and agoraphobia (to that extent, that she managed to cheat on me, so it works well).

This book has done more for her than countless £200 p/h CBT therapists.
Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway: Amazon.co.uk: Susan Jeffers: Books

ps. I study psychology now myself!

My friends and I refer to it as The Fear. Generally for me it's brought on by days of endless drinking. That state where you're unable to sleep and you're worrying about absolutely every possible bad thing that's ever happened to you or could happen to you....It's very real and frightening at the time but I find that by giving it a name and identifying it as a temporary situation normally it doesn't become all-consuming. For me the worst times are when returning from holiday where you've treated your insides like shit and are still jangly from all the poison that's still in you. Yikes.

yes, the fear, stop drinking it won't happen.

There's a name for that - 'drunk's palsy'. Got to be a bit careful, in the long run. Getting pissed and numbing one arm on a regualar basis can cause it to eventually die off if you're not careful. Try to go to sleep facing the other way, and maybe hold a pillow to stop you rolling over.
nott suggesting you're a pisshead, but you can never be too careful...

Saturday Night Palsy is the one where you get pissed, fall asleep with an arm hanging over a chair or something. It cuts off the nerve at the bottom of your arm and your wrist goes limp. You can still move your fingers but you wrist is useless. I'm not sure eightball said he was drinking though?

TISM, Saturday Night Palsy on Hey Hey 1989 - YouTube
Saturday Night Palsy/Radial Nerve Palsy - YouTube

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no not generally a big drinker

Caffeine allergy?
... I felt kind of heartburny ...

Sorry, but I am pretty certain the coffe and booze is part of it. You go to bed with a stomach full of coffee etc, then as you lie horisontal plus the pulse going down it makes something happen in your stomach. Don't remember the exact medical definition, but it is quite common. This can have a strong effect on you mentally.. especially if it is exacerbated with by stress in your life... but it is actually quite harmless AFAIK.

Follow advice that is meant to treat heartburn, i.e. avoid certain food and take various heartburn relief things. Also go cold turkey on coffee for several weeks. When the stress in your life is gone and you have gotten yourself a good new routine with less booze, coffee, curry etc, then the nightly anxiety attacks should go away.

oh, and commercial heartburn stuff like gaviscon or peptabismol is ridiculously expensive and not that effective. see if your doctor can prescribe you something like this. if not that exact drug, then there are, I think, quite a few similar ones out there.

Or either Omeprazole (given to me by a specialist gastroenterologist) or Nexium (esomeprazole).

My wife spends fortune on Gaviscon and personally I find it completely worthless - it actually adds to the problem, as my heartburn get worse for some reason after Gaviscon.

Sorry, but I am pretty certain the coffe and booze is part of it. You go to bed with a stomach full of coffee etc, then as you lie horisontal plus the pulse going down it makes something happen in your stomach. Don't remember the exact medical definition, but it is quite common. This can have a strong effect on you mentally.. especially if it is exacerbated with by stress in your life... but it is actually quite harmless AFAIK.

Follow advice that is meant to treat heartburn, i.e. avoid certain food and take various heartburn relief things. Also go cold turkey on coffee for several weeks. When the stress in your life is gone and you have gotten yourself a good new routine with less booze, coffee, curry etc, then the nightly anxiety attacks should go away.

Cool, I'll talk to the doc about this.

I'm really hoping it's not a reaction to caffeine and actually thinking it's pretty unlikely. Only had one coffee on Saturday and it was in the morning. There's days where I drink far more of the stuff than that.

there's been talks about omeprazole on here, i was prescribed it a long time ago. its effective.

Caffeine allergy?

I hope not!

Both episodes or attacks have started when i've been sleeping.

Last night I felt kind of heartburny so went to bathroom for a drink, by the time I got there I was soaking in sweat, couldn't breathe right (hyperventilating I guess), thought I was gonna be sick and vision was going. Managed to just sit n chill out and bring my breathing back, take a drink of water n get back to bed, woke up couple hours ago feeling fine.

The other time my muscles went into spasm, like all stiff and contorted, starting in my hands and feet then up my arms and legs, honestly thought that time that if it continued into my chest I wouldn't be able to breathe and would die.

I'll make an appointment with the doc tomorrow.
I get the sweats and spasms too. The first time it happened I also thought I was having some kind of seizure and was dying! Breathing slowly in/out of a paper bag really works for me.

Breathing technique is key to stopping an attack. The more you panic about having an attack the more likely you are to hyperventilate and thus bring on an attack.

Do go and see your doc and discuss all the possible causes and available treatment options. I tried beta blockers once but found them addictive and not great when exercising. My sister is hooked on them. A combination of therapy, medication and meditation or yoga techniques works for many.

All the best. Let us know how you get on!
MM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_hyG0uZMjo

Origin of THE FEAR?

Wow, it's really good to see I'm not alone in suffering the fear, I've suffered for a few years, mostly when I'm feeling tired and vulnerable, hangovers are a killer. I find that changing my scenery helps, I get up and get out of the room I was in and ideally go outside or near an open window, fresh air often helps. I find that my partner or good friend can talk me out of it if I tell them I'm getting the fear, being reassured that nothing bad is going to happen really helps.

A good option is a crywank.

I also find Attenborough documentaries help, and so does cake.

crywank.. noted. Thanks Lucy!

so does cake.

This must also act as a preventative, since I don't seem afflicted by these symptoms.

This must also act as a preventative, since I don't seem afflicted by these symptoms.

No, that's just all the crywanking you've done over the years.

Busted.

Or either Omeprazole (given to me by a specialist gastroenterologist) or Nexium (esomeprazole).

there's been talks about omeprazole on here, i was prescribed it a long time ago. its effective.

Nah mate, that shit is piss-weak. Get yourself on 30mg of lansoprazole daily. Goodbye acid reflux!

You can tell the average age of a forum by the drugs they discuss.

If it's Tapir tranquilisers and hallucinogens distilled from orchid spunk, the crowd is young.

We're discussing antacids and soothing stuff for the collywobbles.

Welcome to LFGSS.