Anxiety Attacks

[Siúil a Rúin]

You need to get checked out to know whether or not you are truly having anxiety attacks. For a long time I was told that I was having anxiety attacks, but I later discovered that I was having tachycardia-like symptoms due to untreated and unmanaged hypoglycemia.

Which just further solidifies my opinion that 90% of doctors are useless at diagnosing their patients unless the symptoms are dancing a little jig with bells on, but that's for another thread.

Point is, there are other health issues that can look very much like an anxiety attack. If this only happens when you're sleeping, I'm sure there's a reason for it. Your body releases all manner of chemicals when going in to sleep mode. Do a bit of research on your own and talk to a doctor about your symptoms.

This is an important perspective for anyone who deals with this issue.

Why do these attacks occur? Is it out of a fear of some particular thing? For example in this case, are you afraid of driving on the interstate? Just trying to find out.

I used to have strong driving anxiety. I got past it and even drove across the U.S all alone after my divorce. Yesterday morning I drove in some rather bad winter weather and stayed focused although worn down.

This last time it didn't feel like a conscious driving issue. There might be some issues like hypoglycemia or chemical imbalance, but I will avoid Zoloft having been on it with bad results in the past. The external world appears rather predatory to me. I think overall it is predatory, but there is a pragmatic reason to view only the fragments I can deal with at a moment and to surround myself and focus more on those aspects which are benign.

Well, I've never had an anxiety attack. I have recently learned to use mindfulness meditation (which is basically sitting and allowing yourself to think about whatever comes to mind without judgement or directives). It has been most effective in helping me figure out the causes of my stress. I have a natural tendancy to surpress my own emotions and needs until I reach "critical mass". I'm learning to counteract this by figuring out how I am feeling, what my needs are and then doing something about it by addressing the issue...which usually involves talking to people and setting boundaries...which was super-hard to do in the beginning, but is getting way easier.

That's what works for me...I am not sure if it will be helpful to you, but either way I wish you the best. I know it must not be easy for you.

Buddhist mindfulness may be helpful for you. Non-judgemental labelling of the internal emotional state can turn down the volume of trigger reactions.

Best of luck with this, Toonia. Anxiety is unpleasant in the extreme.

Meditation is good advice. I need to do it more regularly, but it is great approach to use non-judgment. Sometimes what appears like a disaster at first can turn out to be a positive thing. Laughing in response to problems and stresses can also help reduce the pain from what I understand.

 

[Halfjillhalfjack]

I haven't read the whole thread, so I hope I am not going to repeat things already said...
I have suffered from panic attacks during my early 20s, and it was really the most horrible that ever happened to me. had the feeling I had to kill myself during the attacks just to stop the feeling ....
What really helped me was behaviour therapy. the complete opposite of the psychoanalysis that was ending when the attacks started (she didn't even understand what I was suffering from). what helped me the most was the thought that I was NOT going to die (despite my fear of it during the attacks). and some kind of offensive apporach towards the panic itself. thinking "I will survive you, panic, you are horrible, but I will survive". this has helped a lot against the circle of having fear of panic attacks.
I know it's so hard not to despair. But I think it's so essential, no matter how worse it gets. experience has taught me that it has gone away, always, and even became a lot better (also when some circumstances changed in my life, and I felt more safe).
I myself would be very cafeful with sleeping pills:/.... I think there is a really really great danger of addiction. my therapist warned me concerning tranquilizers. She said what could be possible is a treatment mit anti-depressants. but tranquilizers always only treat the symptoms, I think.
I wish you all the best. I really feel with you, I know how horrible it is to suffer from attacks every night....

 

[Stanton Moore]

I want to thank ShortnSweet for her post.

THANK YOU! It's very kind of you to share your experience, and it shows what a big and caring heart you have.

 

[Sinmara]

This is the best advice.
I had the opposite problem. Taken into hospital with suspected heart problems (due to family history) which was simply an anxiety attack. I used to get them more as a child (seldom as an adult), blacking out, freaking out - but interestingly re above I was also hypoglycemic.

You probably were never having true anxiety attacks but were experiencing symptoms of your hypoglycemia. I would black out or get tunnel visioned, have dizziness, I had an irregular fluttery heartbeat, my chest hurt, I'd sweat and breathe in these little gaspy breaths -- and this would all hit me in one massive wave. I'd always been so confused because when the attacks hit me, I wasn't feeling anxious or unhappy whatsoever, so I didn't understand how they could have been anxiety attacks. My sister is also hypoglycemic and she's been rushed to the ER for the same symptoms because she had a severe episode and they thought she had heart problems, which they later wrote off as a panic attack, but again, it was from her hypoglycemia.

It's pretty sad that I only leraned about this when my boyfriend looked up my symptoms in his medical reference guide. The doctors never bothered to ask me when was the last time I ate something. ;P

People in general seem to be unaware that hypoglycemia can cause tachycardia and have the appearence of an anxiety attack. Most think it just means you get cranky when you're hungry. It's an important distinction to make because had I continued to think of this as an anxiety attack and not an issue related to my blood sugar, I could have been in serious trouble.

 

[Ivy]

I agree with Petty- if you haven't already, get a physical to rule out a physiological cause. I thought I was having anxiety attacks but upon further investigation it turned out I was having bona fide premature atrial contractions (which is, thankfully, a benign arrhythmia) most likely because I was on Wellbutrin at the time which is known for causing heart palpitations.

If that's ruled out then one thing I've heard of working very well is also quite simple: square breathing. Breathe in to the count of four, hold to the count of four, breathe out to the count of four, hold to the count of four. Or five, or whatever, depending on how quickly you count. Point being, breathe slowly and deliberately and hold at the top and bottom.

You're very self-aware so I'm sure you'll be successful with processing the underlying stuff and dealing with the anxiety.

 

[Lady_X]

You probably were never having true anxiety attacks but were experiencing symptoms of your hypoglycemia. I would black out or get tunnel visioned, have dizziness, I had an irregular fluttery heartbeat, my chest hurt, I'd sweat and breathe in these little gaspy breaths -- and this would all hit me in one massive wave. I'd always been so confused because when the attacks hit me, I wasn't feeling anxious or unhappy whatsoever, so I didn't understand how they could have been anxiety attacks. My sister is also hypoglycemic and she's been rushed to the ER for the same symptoms because she had a severe episode and they thought she had heart problems, which they later wrote off as a panic attack, but again, it was from her hypoglycemia.

It's pretty sad that I only leraned about this when my boyfriend looked up my symptoms in his medical reference guide. The doctors never bothered to ask me when was the last time I ate something. ;P

People in general seem to be unaware that hypoglycemia can cause tachycardia and have the appearence of an anxiety attack. Most think it just means you get cranky when you're hungry. It's an important distinction to make because had I continued to think of this as an anxiety attack and not an issue related to my blood sugar, I could have been in serious trouble.

hey that's a trip. i have both anxiety and low blood sugar and the symptoms are the same...except for when i am actually having anxiety it's because i'm stressed or worried about something and my brain won't stop...and then i feel like i'm going to have a heart attack...but with low blood sugar...your heart races and head gets all swimmy and you wanna pass out.

 

[Haight]

As usual, drugs is the answer.

 

[Tallulah]

Amazon.com: The Panic Attack Recovery Book: Step-by-Step Techniques to Reduce Anxiety and Change Your Life-Natural, Drug-Free, Fast Results (9780451200433): Shirley Swede, Seymour Jaffe: Books

This book was instrumental in helping me understand and recover from a really long and arduous bout of panic attacks. It explains how and why panic attacks occur, how to stop the triggers and break the cycles, how to help control them through thought patterns, diet, exercise, etc. Can't recommend it enough.

 

[disregard]

I have/used to have bad anxiety too. I used to take xanax, but one afternoon in September I chucked mine out the window while in the car and got off them cold turkey. I now do breathing exercises (yeah, I laughed when my mom originally suggested it).

Take a deep breath, begin counting back from ten in your head, focus on relaxing your shoulders, slowly let your breath out.

 

[Poki]

The time I get anxiety attacks are when I read something and my brain twists it around to something I didnt take into account in a situation I am in. I then have to figure out what I want and things change very quickly to take this variable into account.

 

[The Third Rider]

I actually created a thread on this:

http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/health-fitness/8367-anxiety-panic-attacks.html

I think shortnsweet summarized it best and I did a lot of the same things that she stated. It sucks, I know , there was a time that I had them daily and I spent countless sleepless nights because of anxiety. What helped me sleep better was trying to relax at night. So I avoided anything (movies, video games etc.) that could excite me at night and drank tea to relax me. As for the panic attacks, like shortnsweet said I learned to not panic (like she said its sounds weird at first) and to keep my composure during one of them. It can be a real issue because you really think you are going to die at times so I had to go a little further to accept my panic attacks. If I was going to conquer my fears I had to accept the worst outcome possible from my fears, so I ended up accepting death itself. Like I said I was at the point that I felt my attacks were literally driving me insane so I made peace with myself, I talked a lot things that I had in my chest with people I loved (even cried which I had not done for many, many years) amongst other things but eventually I developed inner peace so when I had panic attacks I was no longer afraid, I let them be and eventually they started happen a lot less. Right now I don't feel like I have any anxiety and don't suffer the many daily symptoms that I did and I don't get panic attacks for months. I feel normal again. I don't know if anything I wrote is of any help but in a way just knowing that people know and understand what I was going through helped me a lot. Feel free to ask me anything you want.

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

^^ I'll go read that thread. I wish I had found it in the first place. I'm not terribly effective in my forum searches.

Amazon.com: The Panic Attack Recovery Book: Step-by-Step Techniques to Reduce Anxiety and Change Your Life-Natural, Drug-Free, Fast Results (9780451200433): Shirley Swede, Seymour Jaffe: Books

This book was instrumental in helping me understand and recover from a really long and arduous bout of panic attacks. It explains how and why panic attacks occur, how to stop the triggers and break the cycles, how to help control them through thought patterns, diet, exercise, etc. Can't recommend it enough.

I'll go put that on my list now.

The same thing happened again on the same strip of interstate. I tend to be distracted and managed to forget about my former panic attack and took the same way home. I was closer to the exit that time. I am taking a two-lane, slower road home for now. I am also trying to do some meditation to get centered and listen to Thich Nhat Hanh. My actual life is really good right now, which might contribute in reverse because I don't want anything to change again. I might also have low blood sugar.

 

[Ivy]

It's not you who isn't effective in forum searches- the search function just kind of blows.

 

[PeaceBaby]

^ agreed; vbulletin search sucks!

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

Toonia, (hello again)

I've struggled with anxiety for years and there are only a few things that really work. I mean, really work, not just hide my thoughts/distract me.

1. Being kind to yourself. Seeing how much you're suffering at the moment and opening your heart to yourself makes you tender and quiescent.
2. Being courageous. Standing up to the feelings, the dread, the whole experience, especially the physical experience of shakiness (hard to really capture an experience in words) and seeing that you are in fact okay.
3. Feeling the physical experience without any expectations and without using any words, almost like you were looking at a bizarre painting and just appreciating the weird colors and textures. This, for me, either creates some interesting introspection or leads to courage (2).

Also, if you drink coffee, you may want to cut that out. I've noticed how

 

[Haphazard]

I have a question.

Do people stop breathing during panic attacks? I'm trying to figure out if I had one.

 

[Synarch]

Not necessarily. But you can be more intensely aware of your breathing and pulse.

 

[Haphazard]

Not necessarily. But you can be more intensely aware of your breathing and pulse.

Can they forget to breathe?

 

[Synarch]

Doubtful. But their mind could be racing enough to where they obsess about their control over breathing. Panic attacks are typically the result of prolonged stress.

 

[Haphazard]

Doubtful. But their mind could be racing enough to where they obsess about their control over breathing. Panic attacks are typically the result of prolonged stress.

Ohkay, so when all the blood rushes to my liver and my vision pales then darkens and I forget to breathe and can't get up for like an hour because I'm too close to fainting when I do, and then for hours and hours afterwards there's a pit in my stomach where all my blood rushed to, and this is all due to psychological (assumedly) distress, that's not a panic attack?

Then what is it?