I had a major panic attack earlier tonight - I thought that my heart was going to give out on me!
Pacing back and forth, desperately trying to hold it together!
I increased my Risperdal dose today, maybe this triggered some anxiety, which led to a panic attack - I dont know but I almost called an ambulance - it was that bad! My Dad was not home, it was just me and my frail Mom home alone.
It finally subsided after about a couple of hours - after the panic attack I cycled downward and started crying my eyes out!
I am going to call my pdoc on Tuesday when she starts work. I am not doing so well, this is for sure.
Maybe its because I only got about 4.5 hours of sleep last night
Anyone else suffer from major panic attacks? They are Hell on Earth!
I’m sorry your hitting these now. I’m glad your going to keep your doc in the loop.
They are hell on earth… I don’t really have the right words to describe how disabling and destabilizing this can be. I work so hard… and they hit me anyway.
I lose it when they hit. Agitated, paralyzed… freaked out of my head… and it just gets worse. It feels like death is coming. I can’t think straight at all.
It takes hours and hours to where small noises and other simple stimuli doesn’t set me off again. I need a lot of help calming down from them.
So drained after and yes… the crying and the over reactions start. I usually sit in a quiet dark place and try and catch my breath… Again… I need a lot of help coming down from a panic attack.
Having my nerves shredded will amp me up to stay awake. I lose sleep… then I’m even more shaky. Every muscle is sore afterwards… I think they hurt my heart too.
I’m really sorry you have to deal with this. I hope you don’t have to live through one again. I wouldn’t wish these on anyone. My deepest sympathies.
I suffer from them when I am under a lot of stress. It seems to be tipping point, with mine I have actually passed out because I’ve hit my head during the getting dizzy phase. I have to keep my inhaler near because it causes an asthma attack. Please see your doctor, learn the signs to see it coming and how to lessen the effects.
I know lack of sleep makes it worst. I get them. I’m not sure if the cause is from all the diet pills I took, and they would make my heart race. Taking slow steady breaths and counting to ten then count again to ten backwards.
Only a couple of times, when my paranoia was REALLY bad. It was awful, I actually thought I was dying and that I would need to get someone to call an ambulance.
I guess just reassure yourself that it will pass and know that it’s your brain spewing chemicals everywhere unnecessarily. I know for me knowing the scientific process behind everything makes it less scary.
have you had blood work? It could be your thyroid. I"m on thyroid meds. plus some others for just general health. I have defeated my panic by simply telling myself “I don’t care if I have a panic attack” and suddenly all my fear goes away. good luck. panic can be a real tiger.
I used to suffer from bad panic attacks, one was a record three hours long of hell. But nowadays I only tend to get them rarely, usually if something I have a phobia for triggers them off. Like the other day I heard thunder and thought it would get into a full blown thunderstorm, so I panicked, but it didn’t get worse - the thunder and anxiety that is.
I feel for you, because I know panic attacks are awful!
WOW this sounds exactly like me when I increased my risperidone dosage to 3mg. I had panic attacks, racing heart, and pacing. I couldn’t sleep at night. One time I did call the ambulance. It happened almost every night after taking risperidone and trying to go to sleep. It might not be the same thing, but it didn’t stop until after I decreased the dosage back to 2 mg and starting on antianxiety medication called lorazapam. After being on lorazapam for a few months then stopping and increased dosage back to 3 mg after a few months, the panic attacks didn’t start again. Definitely talk to your Pdoc about this. I went through those almost every night for 2 weeks and I never want to go back.
My Pdoc said it might have been because I increased the dosage too quickly.
im not sure if what i get is a panic attack or not,
but it feels like all of a sudden i have chills all over and i think something is going to jump out at me and in my head i just see images of some scary creature.
then i kind of detach and when i look at my arms or hands they do not look like they are mind. just a feeling of unreality.
i thought of it as a wave of derealisation or paranoia
I have them on a reg basis but my 11 year old boy helps me thru them by laying next to me for hours. He understands with my mental illness and knows the signs of them coming on . I freak out stand and just stare at nothing thinking any moment I’m going to stop breathing. At times I think I see things coming for me. I feel your pain.
Panic attacks truly suck! I pace all over the apartment. Take xanax 3 times daily. Smoke way too much. So I force myself to direct the energy elsewhere, on my yamaha keyboard recording my songs, working on my scrapbook for my grandkids to enjoy after I’m gone, meditation and music, or riding my bike really fast!
I used to get them pretty bad but it’s gotten better in the last couple months. Haven’t had one in a while now, though I still spend a fair bit of every day (mainly evenings) feeling constantly on the verge of one. You just got to try and figure out things to avoid that make it worse and find stuff you can do if you start feeling like that which helps. Personally I go for walks a lot (if theres few enough people out) which seems to help if I start getting like that. And also walking generally even when I’m not panicking seems to make me less panicky over all
The DSM 5 medical manual lists symptoms of Panic Attacks. I definitely had them. An abrupt surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes, and during which time four or more of the following symptoms occur. The abrupt surge can occur from a calm state or an anxious state:
Palpitations, pounding heart, or accelerated heart rate
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Sensations of shortness of breath or smothering
Feeling of choking
Chest pain or discomfort
Nausea or abdominal distress
Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or faint
Chills or heat sensations
Paresthesias (numbness or tingling sensations)
Derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself)
Panic disorder sometimes runs in families, but no one knows for sure why some people have it while others don’t. Researchers have found that several parts of the brain are involved in fear and anxiety. By learning more about fear and anxiety in the brain, scientists may be able to create better treatments. Researchers are also looking for ways in which stress and environmental factors may play a role
Sorry you have to go thru this Wave. I also suffer from anxiety and panic attacks. I take a prn, Clonazapam for them which helps. Best is to do something to best help distract from your feelings and maybe deep breathing.
