I had a panic attack yesterday, what a weird episode

[DiverDave]

I have never had anything like that before.
I would get a slight twitch in my eye when stress got bad, but nothing even close to this.

Heavy ringing in my ears, sweat rolling off my face and body and my hands shaking so bad I could hardly drink a glass of water.

I am seeing my doc today (sans insurance, mine kicks in at the end of the week)

Anybody have a clue what to expect?

[Beware the Beast Man]

1. It's much more than just a medical phenomenon.

You can pretty much curb your anxiety a number of ways- exercise, cutting back on caffeine and/or nicotine, learning deep relaxation techniques, stress reduction, positive thinking, etc. Just remember- they're not fatal and they do pass. I hope you feel better. I have anxuety myself. Many here do (as do many others in society), so you're in good company. :)

[rfranklin]

2. I used to experience severe attacks....

Thought I was going to drop dead. I think the natural chemical predisposition to these attacks was aggravated by lots of caffeine, too much nicotine, and a lack of exercise.

I found that I could talk myself down after years of debilitating attacks but I think I would have liked to have some medication to help.

At least these days most doctors understand what anxiety attacks are.

[sui generis]

3. sometimes there can be other triggers for

"panic" attacks than just general anxiety.

Your doc will probably run you through some basic cardiac and neurological checks and recommend further testing - but don't stress out . . .

You are doing what you are supposed to do to find out what's wrong, and to get it under control. Good luck! Hope it turns out to be nothing serious.

[youthere]

4. I don't have any advice...

I've never had a panic attack, I just want to say good luck at the doctor and I hope everything turns out okay.

[tanyev]

5. I have had some trouble with panic attacks in recent years.

The therapist I'm seeing now thinks it is my body telling me I need to pull back and drop some of the activities I am in out of a sense of obligation and focus only on those things that I really enjoy.

I've also had some success with a type of therapy called EFT--Emotional Freedom Techniques. You can read more about it at this link.

http://www.psychotherapy-center.com/leading_edge_therapies.html

Hang in there! You will get through this.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

6. They suck...

I've had them for 15+ years, so bad that I became agoraphobic and developed panic disorder.

Your doctor should check you for diseases that can have symptoms that mimic/create panic attacks -- usually thyroid problems and mitrovalve prolapse. Also, they may tell you that something as simple as an episode of rapid, shallow breathing can bring on an attack.

If no physical cause is found, they will next turn to emotional/stress issues. Relaxation and breathing techniques will be suggested.

The one thing that I found to be the most helpful was to understand what was going on in my body when I was having an attack and why. This demistifies what is happening to you, and stops your imagination from running away (I'm having a heart attack! I'm going to die!).

If you'd like, I can give you a breathing technique that will stop a panic attack once it has started and the info on the physiological things that happen when you have an attack. Let me know if you want to to PM them to you.