Panic/Anxiety attacks?

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  • Reply 21 of 39
    I used to smoke a few years back but I never liked the way it made me feel so I dont think thats going to work out to well. I`ll just hope that I dont get addicted to the meds and get alot of sleep and eat right and whatnot just hope that works.
  • Reply 22 of 39
    cosmonutcosmonut Posts: 4,872member
    Being around someone who's having a panic attack is really weird, too. My friend Erica has had them off and on the last couple years, and we were both in line at Wendy's once when she had one.



    For her, they don't last long, and she just feels this intense sensation of vulnerability and fear for about a minute. She told me, "Michael, you know those things that happen to me sometimes...I'm having one." I just held her hand (which she squeezed very tightly) until it was gone. She says whenever they happen she just needs for someone close to her to just comfort her and she'll be fine, but it is kind of scary on my end of things when my friend changes so drastically for that brief period. From what we can gather, hers are created by stress.



    I've personally never had a panic attack however this is a weird one about me: During the summer after my senior year of high school, I was at a barbecue place with my (then) girlfriend. As I was drinking some of my Coke, all of a sudden my stomach became very upset and stayed that way through about October. For that three months or so, I never ate much, felt like garbage, and generally couldn't enjoy much. The most tolerable food was bananas, interestingly enough. I could always eat bananas without a problem <img src="graemlins/bugeye.gif" border="0" alt="[Skeptical]" /> ...anyway...



    I now think that my chronic upset stomach for that time was caused by the stress of graduating high school, having a girlfriend, and preparing for college. On the actual day of our move, I was so anxious, that I threw up at the restaurant we ate at on the way to my college's town. It all eventually subsided as I got comfortable with college, but that was a weird few months.



    It's amazing what stress can do the body and our health. :eek:
  • Reply 23 of 39
    torifiletorifile Posts: 4,024member
    Well, considering this is what I do for a living, let me chime in . Panic attacks, as others have said, are very treatable. I'm not a fan of medications like paxil and others but they work for what they need to do. Whatever you do, don't stop taking them without the advice of a psychiatrist (not just a regular doctor). I'm a cognitive behavioral therapist and I don't think that what Freud says is bunk. I do, however, believe that there are better and faster ways of dealing with anxiety disorders.



    Basically, what's going on is that your interpreting physical cues that your body is giving you in an incorrect way. You interpret that feeling in the pit of your stomach as a sign that there is something seriously wrong. If there is something really wrong, of course you should be worried. Often though, there is nothing wrong, just a little nervousness. Unfortunately, once you start down the road of thinking that there is more wrong, you've started the cycle. The key to getting past this problem is allowing yourself alternative explanations for the sensations that were described earlier.



    Some things that you may want to consider:



    -Avoid stimulants like caffeine and nicotine. While they are often associated with relaxing things, they can speed up your heartrate and lead to the misinterpretation of your bodily sensations.



    -Don't do pot. Why? For some people it leads to the very symptoms you're trying to avoid. And while pot is not addictive physically you can become dependent on it psychologically. Whether pot use is good or bad in and of itself is another discussion entirely. My philosophy is never do do drugs as a way to escape from anything.



    -Allow yourself time to breathe deeply, focusing on your breathing and the sensations from it. You may end up having a panic attack because of this focus, but eventually it'll get to the point where you can differentiate between the sensation of feeling your heart beat and having a heart attack.



    -See a therapist. This type of disorder is extremely treatable. Success rates are over 80% for therapy and it's often short term (12-15 sessions). And insurance will often cover it. Especially get help if you find you are avoiding doing things because you're worried about having a panic attack.



    Feel free to email me if you want. I can provide references some self-help type books that aren't crap.





    ps- on another note: SSRI's (paxil, prozac, zoloft, etc) are not addictive and there is increasing evidence that they actually alter brain chemistry in the same way talk therapy does. In other words, they are not just a band-aid. They really work (but I still prefer talk therapy any day.)
  • Reply 24 of 39
    willoughbywilloughby Posts: 1,457member
    [quote]Originally posted by torifile:

    <strong>ps- on another note: SSRI's (paxil, prozac, zoloft, etc) are not addictive and there is increasing evidence that they actually alter brain chemistry in the same way talk therapy does. In other words, they are not just a band-aid. They really work (but I still prefer talk therapy any day.)</strong><hr></blockquote>



    Ok, what about xanax? I know people that are really addicted to it and it seems to have altered their brains in a bad way. <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />



    Whats the deal with paxil anyway. I see the commercials and the side effects include nausea and diarrhea. Yet the commercial emphasizes how it lets you "get back into the world". Who's going to go outside when they've got diarrhea!!
  • Reply 25 of 39
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    [quote]Originally posted by pfflam:

    <strong>I have consistently found that the behavioralist psycholgists that think that Freud is bunk, even at very high level research institutions, just do NOT know what they are talking about. This is the case because their familiarity with the subject is virtually nonexistent, because they went to like minded institutions that don't teach or understand Freud.</strong><hr></blockquote>Are you suggesting that someone with panic attacks should undergo psychoanalysis? Others did, and some probably still do. But it doesn't work. How else do you define nonsense? Sure the personality theory is interesting and deep and fun to think about, but the bottom line is: Does it work?
  • Reply 26 of 39
    [quote]ps- on another note: SSRI's (paxil, prozac, zoloft, etc) are not addictive and there is increasing evidence that they actually alter brain chemistry in the same way talk therapy does. In other words, they are not just a band-aid. They really work (but I still prefer talk therapy any day.)<hr></blockquote>



    Paxil gave me some odd withdrawal symptoms... isn't that a sign of physical addiction?
  • Reply 27 of 39
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    as far as you can control your anxiety or depression avoid pills, but if you are not able anymore to control the situation you have to take some medications;

    Behavior comportementalism, psychanalysis, Sophrologia and other works, but not during acute crisis. It's more a deep work which need time in order to work.



    Personnaly i have never take any xanax, zoloft or any other kind of pshycotic drug, because i have never met major crises of anxietty or depression. But if one day it arrive, it will better for me to take pills, than for example commit suicide or turn mad.



    What is bad with pills is to take them whenever your mood is not at the top. Pills are for major crisis only, not just for a temporary bad mood.



    Warning : i am not a specialist in psychiatry, just a surgeon, but some time my work deals with psychology a lot.
  • Reply 28 of 39
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    [quote] Are you suggesting that someone with panic attacks should undergo psychoanalysis? Others did, and some probably still do. But it doesn't work. How else do you define nonsense? Sure the personality theory is interesting and deep and fun to think about, but the bottom line is: Does it work?<hr></blockquote> If you'll look again at my post you will see that I reference pragmatics: which means that should the circumstances dictate that immediate actions are necessary then by all means do so... after all it could be dangerous if one opted for trying to get at the source and didn't get the symptoms first where the symptoms are dangerous.



    For example, treatment of addictionns, in the long run it might be beneficial to explore the fixations and the roots of the issue but that could take years . . . but in the meantime the person might die of too much drinking or speed or whatever . . . in a case like that get right on treating the problem... even with intervention through drugs if necessary . . . its a matter of appropriateness for the situation. . .

    however, treating symptoms is not treating the reasons... and a psychology which dismisses, entirely, the reality of complex developmental realities is inherently flawed, and, reductionistic in terms of its view of the complexity of human experience.



    [ 05-30-2002: Message edited by: pfflam ]</p>
  • Reply 29 of 39
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    [quote]Originally posted by torifile:

    <strong>I'm a cognitive behavioral therapist and I don't think that what Freud says is bunk.</strong><hr></blockquote>So what do you think it is, if not bunk, Dr. torifile?





    Maybe rather than hijack this guy's thread we should have another. Anyone care to start a new thread on Freud?

    pfflam?
  • Reply 30 of 39
    stimulistimuli Posts: 564member
    I actually can't smoke pot anymore (after smoking daily in highschool) because for me it spells instant intense anxiety. It destroys my self confidence. Weird that that drug can be very different for each person.



    The only drug I really abuse somewhat regularly is alchohol. Never does me wrong.
  • Reply 31 of 39
    paulpaul Posts: 5,278member
    [quote]Originally posted by stimuli:

    <strong>I actually can't smoke pot anymore (after smoking daily in highschool) because for me it spells instant intense anxiety. It destroys my self confidence. Weird that that drug can be very different for each person.</strong><hr></blockquote>



    I know what you mean....



    but the secret to "getting over" this feeling is much the same as all these tips about anxiety attacks... stay calm, know that nothing bad or life threatening is really happening to you and that it is all in your head... of course it is a little bit harder b/c you are high, but it is basically the same thing... and once you get over it you can enjoy yourself...



    [offtopic] this IMO is why weed should @ least be decriminalized, people (scientists?) should be allowed to scientifically test it for any benefits it may or may not have... at this point it is just some weed that people smoke... we have hypothesis about any positive or negative effects and even misleading scientific "surveys" that are really not that helpful.... if it were to be legal, many more GOOD and INFORMATIONAL (right word?) tests could be done correctly diagnosing the +/- effects of it...[/offtopic]
  • Reply 32 of 39
    yurin8oryurin8or Posts: 120member
    I had my worst panic attack during a bicycle race earlier this year. To have trained so hard with no result was extremely disappointing. Drugs like benzo's are banned in most sports, so be carefaul what you take (if you're the sporting kind).
  • Reply 33 of 39
    ibrowseibrowse Posts: 1,749member
    [quote]I actually can't smoke pot anymore (after smoking daily in highschool) because for me it spells instant intense anxiety. It destroys my self confidence. Weird that that drug can be very different for each person.<hr></blockquote>



    It causes paranoia, and whatever your mindset is at the moment can affect whatever you do with that paranoia. But also yeah, there's a lot of drugs that can affect everyone differently, but state of mind can have a lot to do with it. But on the other hand it does usually calm you down (make you lazy?). Either way I haven't smoked in years, but whatever works.
  • Reply 34 of 39
    powerdocpowerdoc Posts: 8,123member
    One of my patient said to me that she use to smoke pot a lot since the age of 13 until last year (she is 30) where she stop.

    She said to me that this excess have given her a bad memory, and it was very difficult for her to learn new things. She disagree with the study that long use of pot does not give definitevely reverse effect.
  • Reply 35 of 39
    ebbyebby Posts: 3,110member
    Ahh, crap. :eek: A 13 year old with pot?!?! That really pisses me off.
  • Reply 36 of 39
    pfflampfflam Posts: 5,053member
    I smoked pot for the first time at the age of thirteen . . . and I am normal, smart, a 'good' citizen... with a few pirated programs here and there . . . in other words... its not that big of a deal . . . . many people start smoking pot at that age.



    Now, when I used to smoke it (I still would but I don't look for it or care very much about it) I used to get these profoundly paranoid thoughts... not like paranoid schizophrenie but just paralyzing insights into myself and large scale insights into the nature of life death and etc . . . I was often too moved by these experiences to be able to deal with poepe so I would retreat into my room and write . . . in other words I would get the typical paranoia responses but would love the depth and pitch of what my thoughts were working with at the time . . . .but I imagine that that kind of state would not be good for panic attacks, seeing as it is a state similar to a panic attack...
  • Reply 37 of 39
    janejane Posts: 68member
    I had them while I was attending university and it stopped when I analysed the situation and controlled it. And it never happened again.



    Why on earth do you trust doctors about that; they will not try to solve the problems all they do is to put a ban aid on a problem that can be solve by exercise and do what whillouby told you it will help tremendously. Learn to talk to someone about your problems; go in the basement and scream your head off; go somewhere and express your feelings out lound, etc. That will help a lot more than medications.
  • Reply 38 of 39
    spartspart Posts: 2,060member
    I've never once had a panic attack, and I'm glad for it.



    [quote]Eat right, groom yourself, get some excercise/sunlight.<hr></blockquote>



    I eat like sh!t, take 1-2 showers a day, get lots of excercise and way too much sunlight. Especially today...my arms/neck are a color of red unknown to the rest of nature.



    [quote]No wonder they keep coming back, it must be the long dirty finger nails, lack of sun, and beard. I think I need to get out of the house<hr></blockquote>



    I usually have a beard most of the time, but I think that just stems from laziness. I shave like once a week.



    [quote]I've personally never had a panic attack however this is a weird one about me: During the summer after my senior year of high school, I was at a barbecue place with my (then) girlfriend. As I was drinking some of my Coke, all of a sudden my stomach became very upset and stayed that way through about October. For that three months or so, I never ate much, felt like garbage, and generally couldn't enjoy much. The most tolerable food was bananas, interestingly enough. I could always eat bananas without a problem<hr></blockquote>



    This has happened to me as well, though it didn't just *happen.* We were training for the Physical Fitness Test in P.E, and part of that was dropping medicine balls (14lbs) from 3 feet up onto our stomachs. The guy I was doing it with got me to laughing and dropped it anyway, I couldn't eat jack for a month and a half. Soda just killed me, only things I could really drink were juices and a little water.



    [quote]Some things that you may want to consider:



    -Avoid stimulants like caffeine and nicotine. While they are often associated with relaxing things, they can speed up your heartrate and lead to the misinterpretation of your bodily sensations.<hr></blockquote>



    I don't smoke, but I do drink excessive ammounts of soda. Caffeine has never relaxed anything for me...when I excercise it makes me sweat more and only gives short bursts of energy.



    [quote]-Allow yourself time to breathe deeply, focusing on your breathing and the sensations from it. You may end up having a panic attack because of this focus, but eventually it'll get to the point where you can differentiate between the sensation of feeling your heart beat and having a heart attack.<hr></blockquote>



    I do this all the time, to remedy hicups, never once had a heart attack. I also do it to hold my breath for excessive ammounts of time and burp on command. <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> Interestingly, when I do things like this (meditation/borderline self-hypnotism) and hold my breath for around three minutes, I can just start breathing regularly again, no shortness of breath and no lightheadedness or anything. Is this bad or do I have gills or something? <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />



    [quote]Whats the deal with paxil anyway. I see the commercials and the side effects include nausea and diarrhea. Yet the commercial emphasizes how it lets you "get back into the world". Who's going to go outside when they've got diarrhea!!<hr></blockquote>



    LOL, I laugh at these commercials all the time when they list the side effects after they show all these people, usually doing some kind of yoga-like thing. Oh sure, you can do all kinds of stretches and excercise, but your back might be a *tad* stiff and certian extremities will feel like rubber when they have the inclination to.



    [quote]Think of funny (humorous) things.<hr></blockquote>



    This is very good, I watch late night shows (Letterman and Conan), SNL, and The Red Green Show, which is retarded but hilarious.
  • Reply 39 of 39
    brussellbrussell Posts: 9,812member
    [quote]Originally posted by Jane:

    Learn to talk to someone about your problems; go in the basement and scream your head off; go somewhere and express your feelings out lound, etc. That will help a lot more than medications.<hr></blockquote>Great advice to someone having panic attacks. Go in the basement and scream your head off.

    <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" />

    Doctors may not know anything, but at least they wouldn't recommend that.
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