PANIC ATTACKS

I`m so sorry to hear you are suffering as I know from personal experience how miserable they are. There are lots of books which will give you tips. Those by Claire Weekes might seem a little old fashioned but are really good. "Panic Attacks" by Christine Ingham is also a good one.
CBT should help you but might take a while to arrange so do some reading in the meantime.
The most important thing is not to start avoiding things because of fear of an attack happening - I know it is very tempting but that really is the slippery slope

Yes they are awful, I agree with eddiecat, my DH was in the army so was away an awful lot, one day in m and s I went very dizzy and fell, caused by inner ear infection. That was the start of my panic attacks, I had to go out because I had 2 young children. I used to plan my route go straight to where I needed to go and then go home again. I also used to wake up at night in a panic feeling terrible, I talked myself out of it by telling myself that if I really needed someone my mother, sister or whoever would come, I felt alone. I gradually talked my way round, but admit that occasionally an attack would suddenly descend, teaching myself to control my breathing was a great help, also sucking a sweet to take away the dry mouth and nauseous feeling. No don't avoid doing things, I agree with eddiecat that would be a slippery slope. I must admit I was given mild tranquillisers by my Dr as I was in a bit of a state after I fell, but I never took them. Good luck Ramblingrose

I have the occasional panic attack. I take one Piriton tablet and find it slows my heart rate down and gradually I become calmer. I have never taken tranquilisers etc.
Panic attacks are very frightening and in the past I have thought I was having an asthma or heart attack.

I found medication very helpful when i began to have panic attacks. I was prescribed medication to take three times a day but I only took a tablet when I had a panic attack. I was prescribed a three week course and it lasted me over three months. After that when a panic attack, by then much milder, started. I would sit down, either breathe into a paper bag so that you return the excess carbon dioxide you are breathing out back in again and gently took control of my mind and breathing. Recovery wasn't fast, but after a year I was more or less free of them.

In June this year I experienced what I think was probably a panic attack for the first and hopefully last time. I had been very upset about something family related and suddenly my heart was beating so hard I thought it was about to explode. I could hardly breathe and thought I was going to die, it was terrifying . When I could I got myself upstairs and into bed. I hope this never happens again and send my good wishes to anyone who suffers this frightening thing.

ramblingrose CBT can be a big help in managing panic attacks. Try not to worry about the symptoms as worry will feed into the panic. Have a look at the self help stuff on the web, most is excellent. Getselfhelp is one, the nhs used to recommend one called moodjuice, not sure if it still does. Your GP should be able to give you information on local CBT, sometimes via a short course, they can't make you use medication if you prefer not to and should support you to go the route that is best for you. You can get alongside panic. You are going the right way instinctively with distraction, keeping your breathing regular will help as will reminding yourself the symptoms will pass. I know it's horrible but you aren't alone, panic symptoms are very common and you can learn to manage them. Good luck. Let us know how you get on.

It might help to practice slowing your heart rate and breathing by learning relaxation or meditation techniques when you are NOT having an attack. That way you will gain confidence that you have some ammunition to fight it and just knowing that may help to stop them happening.

There are some excellent relaxation CDs to be found on the net and you could try doing them a couple of times each day, so that it all becomes second nature and you can "switch it on" when you need it. The worst thing about panic attacks is feeling out of control - learning these techniques puts YOU back in control.

Lots of good luck.

There is an NHS service called IAPT - Improving Access to Psychological Therapies which you can contact without going through your GP - they have a website iapt.nhs.uk. I believe it is nationwide. In my area, Warwickshire, they give you an initial assessment and then decide what sort of therapy would help you best. My father used it and was given a course of 7 CBT sessions locally very quickly.

So sorry to hear others suffer from this too. I have had counselling and antideppressants but the best thing i did was download an app called headspace. It teaches you to relax daily. i do still suffer from anxiety at the thought of doing things i dont want to do, but i carry on regardless using my relaxation techniques. Its worth a try. Previous comments are right, dont give in. Good luck.

Thanks to you all for your helpful suggestions.

It is incredible how debilitating these attacks can be. Rather than the palpitations, the latest ones made both my arms feel numb and weak.

I am now feeling a lot calmer after finding a hypnosis CD for relaxation on You Tube which I listened to for a while - thanks Luckygirl.

I will explore the other suggestions too and look for the 2 books mentioned.

Thanks again to everyone for their support.

Sympathy to you, Ramblingrose. But like the old fairy stories, recognising what is happening and giving it a name is helpful in itself.

To manage your anxiety, I was advised to stop the endless circles of worry by allowing myself 15 minutes each day at a set time, when I was allowed to worry. Otherwise, I had to turn off the anxiety by having a list I could add to during the day, so I knew what to worry about in my Worry Time. It is surprising how this gives you a sense of control. Most panic attacks seem to spring from feeling a lack of control over things happening in your life.

Then, the next thing was to pick one item at the end of the 15 minutes, and take a positive action. It doesn't have to be something big, just positive.

This can start a habit that when you feel the panic start, you stop, think, and take a positive action. Maybe making a cup of tea and having a biscuit. Anxiety consumes energy and restoring your blood sugar and hydration can make you feel more able to cope.

And do book some counselling. Something started your problems and you need to address them.

Best of luck!

I too have suffered from panic attacks. Horrible and frightening. I had counselling (paid for it myself but then I was working!), did the meditation and I think the most useful for me was the 'tapping', which I believe has some other fancy name, but is part of NLP techniques. I liked the tapping because it gave me control and can be done virtually anywhere. And of course it is free! I still use it sometimes. Some days I wake up feeling very anxious or depressed, but once I have done a bit of tapping I am fine. I also used to use the mantra 'I can get through this', said over and over again and have tried counting things if I am outdoors - you can count anything (trees, cars, people), it just takes your mind away from the panic. It is survivable!

I have lived my whole life with anxiety. Only two years ago I was given a diagnosis of Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I have found CBT and mindfulness/meditation very helpful but I doubt it will never go away completely. I have also stopped hiding it from my family and friends and now tell them when I'm having a particularly bad time. I'm not sure they all understand, but until it is bought to the fore no one ever will. I have good days and I have bad days and if I need a little more help I take beta blockers. Not addictive and they really make me feel so much better. I also take Vit B complex, Omega 3, Vit D and Magnesium all good for metal health.

What is the "tapping"?

Indigo I didn't know either, so I googled and found this page www.thrivingnow.com/stop-panic-attacks/ which has a detailed descriptiuon of what to do to "tap away" panic attacks.
It looks to me like learning a way to concentrate on calming the sensations that the panic has brought on instead of getting submerged in them and becoming more panicked, sort of educating your system to go into a recovery regime when you need it to. Better and cheaper than relying on medication.

Those who have tried it can probably tell you more.

Linked to this for me is the feeling that my throat is tightening up so my voice comes out in a squeak.... it's crazy and the slightest bit of stress sets it off. Also have the churning stomach from too much adrenaline. I used to be confident in pretty much any situation and held down a very pressured job for 11 years without feeling this way so it's even more perplexing.
Any helpful suggestions welcome - have tried deep breathing, singing, visualisation, all the non-chemical remedies, but nothing works. I have a meeting to chair in 10 days time - help needed!

My sympathies to you. My Mum suffered with anxiety and panic attacks for a lot of years. When the root cause was identified and dealt with they improved so much - so the advice to accept counselling is just right. There is so much good advice in the posts. I hope you find what works for you.

Lots of sympathy to you Rambling Rose and everyone who suffers with panic attacks / anxiety. I know how hard it is to go out sometimes - I have often cancelled things because it was easier than having to meet people, even friends. It was my loss. I read various articles and found hypnosis and acupuncture helpful and gradually things improved. I found it difficult to discuss with friends and family at the time and even now do not always go to things if I do not know who is going to be there . Do try and go out every day and think about joining a group (lots of craft and book groups around. ) Good luck

Bach flower remedies are very effective: they work on animals, so not a placebo. Aspen is good for generalised anxieties, fears and panic attacks. Mimilus is for apprehension of a known event, so excellent for calming nerves before speaking in public or doing some sort of test.

eddiecat suggested books by Claire Weekes and I can certainly recommend them too. About 30 years ago, when my children were young, I started to suffer from, what I now know, are panic attacks. A friend suggested I was suffering from anxiety and suggested Self-help For Your Nerves by Dr Claire Weekes. It helped me greatly. I got my book from the library, it certainly won't do any harm to read it.

Had these years ago, presumably brought on by the stress of long infertility problems. Terrifying, truly thought I was dying, and one day had to crawl home on hands and knees as the pavement seemed to 'tilt' , didn't care what people thought. Was referred to Maudesley psychiatric hospital SE London eventually, and combination of Meds, CBT, and counselling cured it. Would say try not to avoid situations that have previously brought on stacks if you can, that's the quickest route to narrow our life down to nothing. Good luck luv !

Meant 'attacks' my nerves have improved but not my typing lol!

Breathe in and out of a paper bag. When you hyperventilate you end up with too much oxygen in your system. Rebreathing your own breath means you breathe in more carbon dioxide and the oxygen level in your body drops.

RamblingR I too suffer panic attacks. Mine tend to be anxiety caused by worry about my family. I get very hot sweats and palpitations. It is dreadful. If my family are ok then I'm ok. I only seem to panic about them. I can't really give you any advice but am interested in the responses you have received and will certainly try some.