PANIC ATTACKS

There are lots of techniques to use and it really is worth googling them.

One is to accept the feelings of panic but to mentally speak to them and tell them to bugger off - or to imagine putting them into a railway carriage and watching them vanish over the horizon. They will come back, but just keep doing it till they go away. Again it is about putting you in control.

There is the concept of "two brains" where your primitive brain is on overdrive and your rational brain has lost the battle - the idea is to help your rational brain to be on the winning side and take control.

I am glad that you found a relaxation track - it is good to get it downloaded onto a CD or iPod so that you can practice the techniques several times a day until they become second nature and you can switch them on at will and they are ready at your disposal when a panic attack starts.

One technique as soon as you feel it coming on is to screw your fists up whilst breathing in, then let them slowly relax whilst slowly breathing out. You can do that anywhere and any time and can repeat it as many times as you need to.

When my dh died 4 years ago I had terrifying panic attacks. I also had to move house twice which didn't help. The attacks are subsiding but I still get them if things go wrong and that can be paying bills through to anxiety about my family. In my case the trigger was my husband dying but they can be caused by such a wide variety of things. I was on valium for two years which helped me through the worst times but I stopped taking it about 18 months ago. All the above suggestions are good. I find I go to a sensible place in my mind and try to think rationally and I get comfort from others who have been through awful times and are still standing.

I had them for years. Best advice I can give is to keep a PAPER BAG in your handbag, not easy to find, and put it over your mouth and nose and breathe heavily and slowly. If this isn't possible do very slow breathing over and over till it stops . Keep saying to yourself, this is only a panic attack. It will stop and I'm not dying!

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.

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.

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

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 !

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

What is the "tapping"?

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.