I Can't Deal With The Panic Attacks Anymore

[disconnect]

I had 5 panic attacks yesterday, one of which was pretty bad. I can feel another coming on now and I'm trying so hard to keep as calm as I can. I'm on 160mg Propranolol and have been for a while now. I'd even go as far as to say it's been a bit of a wonder drug for me. I used to have at least 10 panic attacks before I was on it. One attack would end and another would start pretty much immediately. I'm struggling a lot and I can't take it any longer. That sudden smack in the face when the panic first washes over me starts it off and then I'm shaking and I feel sick. I'm hyperventilating and tensing up completely. I just want them to slow down again, so I'm not constantly anxious. I want them to stop. I can't take it any longer.

:wall:

 

[Grama-Herc]

I understand the feeling. Wish I had the magic word to fix it. But, alas, just like the rest of us, I'm stumbling through life with this too.

I do know, however, that the deep breathing technique works. So just try breathing. Those of us with this crap have a tendency to forget to breathe.

 

[TLight]

I go outside and start walking, switch my mind to a different place.

Wow, that's a TON of propananol as far as I know. I know it can dangerously lower your blood pressure. Most docs prescribe 10-20 mg once or twice a day.

Be careful. I know the attacks are awful. Try to tell yourself that you are safe now. It isn't happening now.

Come back to the truth of the matter. It isn't happening now.

 

[Deleted member 541]

Panic/anxiety are the worst, IMO!!! it's hard to stop them once they start. There is help though, if you try. Yes, deep breathing can often help, but you need to focus on your breathing at the time you are doing it. Being mindful can help also. I am now learning how to be mindful. It can be hard, but I always remind myself that I will accept that my mind wanders, and then i will focus on bringing it back to what I was trying to focus on WITHOUT judgment.

An example of being mindful when you become anxious. Whatever you choose to do, to distract yourself at the moment, whether it be going for a walk, or eating an ice cream cone, FOCUS entirely on what you are doing. If eating an ice cream come, focus on how cold it is, the flavor, the texture, how it feels on your tongue, how crunchy the cone is ect.. If it's a walk, pick a flower, look at it, examine the color, feel it, smell it.... Yes, your mind will wander, but accept it, and bring it back to what you were trying to focus on....

 

[disconnect]

Thank you so much for the responses here - it's comforting to know that I'm not alone in struggling with the attacks. Thank you also for the PM I recieved - I'll reply in a bit.

The deep breathing techniques only work occasionaly for me. It depends how bad the attacks are too - if I'm uncontrolable, they will stop if/when I pass out from exhaustion. If it's only just come on, I can distract myself or solely focus on my breathing and the movements in my chest as my lungs inflate and deflate. There was a time about 2 years ago, when I was having the worst attack I've ever had. I was in bed and it was 3AM. I literally lay in bed for 2 and a half hours, slowly breathing in and out, in time to the ticking of the clock in my bedroom. I finally calmed down enough to pass out and rest. Other times, I just can't focus on anything. It's like my mind races and I can't concentrate. I'm flooded with images and voices and noises.

Thank you for all of the grounding techniques - especially to do with touching and sensing things, other than just using sight. I find that helps at times too. I find squeezing things hard and even self harm can sometimes stop the panic/flashbacks too.

Oh, also, some of you mentioned that my dosage was very high - I'm on the slow release capsules that work over 24 hours - I take one everyday. Is this still high?

I'm so overwhelmed by everything. I hate this. :wall:

 

[intothelight]

Hi Disconnect,

I am sorry about your panic attacks and can relate. I've had them at a level of ten times a day and on a good day once or twice. I can't remember the last time I was free of them for a whole day.

The one's in the morning, when I wake up, are the hardest as my options for coping are limited. I don't want to do anything that will disturb my family and I can only re-line the cabinets so many times. For attacks that occur later in the day, I use a lot of the recommendations made above.

Yoga is also helpful. My greatest relief comes from aerobic exercise and weight lifting.

I wish you the best in your efforts and let me know if you find a good way to cope with mornings.

Intothelight

 

[Cynthiatoo]

Hi Disconnect

Lots of people have told me to do breathing exercises for panic attacks. It doesnt work for me because I cant calm down enough to focus on taking a breath in. The whole point/cause of a panic attach for me is created by and made worse by not breathing in or out enough. In other words a lack of oxygen and too much carbon dioxide sitting stale in my lungs.

I have not had a panic attack for six months and i was having them several times a day. The only thing that worked was forcing the air out of my lungs by bending over and grunting, growling or even screaming. I would do this in the shower or somewhere private. Even if I had to do it in the public toilet. Sit down and crunch up my ab muscles and bend forward and grunt out the air for as long as I could, trying to not make too much noise.

It also worked really well when I was coming off Prozac to clean out and start my new meds. I actually made myself open up my throat and make a guttural noise (it sometimes made me gag a bit) but boy it gave a huge sense of relief and the panic attacks went away. Today I had a bit of anxiety and was uncomfortable and I was in the car, so I wound up the windows and screamed and yodelled and ended up laughing. My husband did it with me.

My sister says that breathing and meditating is a lot gentler way to do it, but for me once an attack is building I dont need gentle, I need release. Intense release and this works well and seems to only be necessary for a short period of time, until I knew I had this strategy for coping.

I hope this helps you if you feel like trying it out. At the very least if you dont like the idea of making a noise, tense your neck and tummy muscles and open your mouth wide in private as though you were screaming. That still puts a stop to it.

My new meds have helped me a lot with this also. They are an SNRI.

 

[cherryblossom]

Oh, also, some of you mentioned that my dosage was very high - I'm on the slow release capsules that work over 24 hours - I take one everyday. Is this still high?

I'm on 80mg slow release capsules, which my doctor has said is a low dose. In the UK, the maximum dose of slow release is 320mg, so I would say you are on a 'medium' dose. If you were taking it 'as required', the dose would be up to 40mg, 3 times per day.

 

[cherryblossom]

The whole point/cause of a panic attach for me is created by and made worse by not breathing in or out enough. In other words a lack of oxygen and too much carbon dioxide sitting stale in my lungs.

Actually, all those horrible feelings are caused by blowing out too much carbon dioxide. During a panic attack, we breathe too quickly, and blow off too much carbon dioxide. This alters the blood mix and causes the pins and needles, tingling feelings, chest pains, dizziness and cramps (particularly in our peripheries - fingers and toes). It becomes a viscious cycle, because these feelings make us panic more, and thus our breathing rate continues to increase. The only real way to overcome it is to slow our breathing, back to a normal pace, and importantly a normal level. So while deep breathing may help to slow the rate, the depth of breathing can still be too much. What we actually need is slow and shallow breathing, exactly how we have at rest. So, so very easy to talk about, but very difficult to achieve during panic, when the adrenaline is released and we turn into 'fight or flight mode'. The adrenaline makes us breathe faster and deeper, increases our heart rate, and sends blood to those organs (heart and lungs). It takes blood away from those areas that don't need it for 'fight or flight' hence why we may feel sick and lose control or our bladder or bowel. It also takes a long time of 'normal' (at rest) breathing, for our blood gasses to return to normal, so the pins and needles, our urge to breath more quickly, and those horrible cramps can last some time before we begin to feel 'normal' again. But those feeling will go away, given time, and the 'correct breathing'. When I say time, I mean at least 30-40 minutes of 'normal' breathing, which can seem like an age to concentrate on your breathing and to begin to feel well again.

Ok, science lesson over (lol). Slow normal breathing is the key to overcoming panic attacks when they happen. And yes, I do suffer from them a lot, and yes, it's a hell of a lot easier to say than to do, but once you understand what is happening and why, it is easier to understand and to stay focused during an attack.

Of course the only way to truely overcome panic attacks is to dig deep, and work on your trauma, which is still a work in progress in my case.

(If you skipped over the 'science' bit, but you suffer with panic attacks, then I urge you to go back and read it, because it really might help. I tried to make the science bit as 'user friendly' as possible.)

Regards,
CB

 

[AvoidanceRulez]

I am totally on your page. I'm not currently on antianxiety meds, but have been thinking about askin a shrink for an antianxiety Rx(countless attacks lately). Have u thought about contacting your doc and requesting either an increased dosage or a different or additional antianxiety med?

 

[awyeah]

160mg propranolol for panic attack is too much I think, you are better off with some benzos, propranolol is not the best choice for panic IMO

 

[devildoc130]

@AvoidanceRulez, I'm about to ask my doc for a rx for anxiety as well. I used to have one but stopped using it. @disconnect, I've been experiencing increased panic attacks as well. Over the last few days. I haven't slept in 48 hours and it doesn't help that I work in the service, overseas. I've practiced mindfullness, yoga, breathing exercises....I keep telling my Psychiatrist about it but they're just like whatever.. and it pisses me off even more. So I know where you're at and I can't deal with it either.