Conditions
Panic Attacks
Feelings of panic and anxiety in response to a dangerous, stressful or even exciting situation are perfectly normal, but a panic attack is when these feelings occur regularly and at times when no obvious stimulant or cause is apparent. During a panic attack you’ll feel intense feelings that can be both physical and psychological, such as sweating, nausea, trembling, heart palpitations, hot flushes, shortness of breath and feelings of faintness.
Interestingly panic attack sufferers have also often reported a feeling of detachment from the event, as if they weren’t really there or that it wasn’t actually happening. Those with ‘panic disorder’ may suffer a couple of these attacks a month and some sufferers even several a week. Panic attacks aren’t fully understood but are often linked to stressful or traumatic life events or an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. As with many mental health disorders, combination treatment involving medication and behavioural therapy has shown to be useful for many patients.
For more information about Panic Attacks:
No More Panic
No Panic
Anxiety UK
Mental Health Foundation
Patient UK
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I get what i think is panic attacks i feel quite faint i feel like i am not really there my chests starts to flutter and i check my pulse as it has started to miss a beat and it feels horrible. i work as a health care assistant at my local hospital and its pretty full on but it never stop me at work i just try to carry on. it does get me down and i do sit there sometimes and think i am going to die i know its extreme but i cant help it
I have been sexually active for the past two years, I have been with my current boyfriend four months, the last time I had sex with someone was over a year ago, i started having sex with my current boyfriend last month, most of the time it's fine, but two times have resulted in me having major panic attacks, what causes this? Do I need to be worried?
i get feeling of fainting dizziness feeling sick can someone tell me what is it i get sweating feeling cold when it comes on i get it worse sometime i cant drive it makes me feeling sick the drs give me tablets they dont work why am i getting them i am now 50 years old
Hi I'm 23 I have been having panic attacks for nearly 3 years now it's stopping me from doing every thing as I don't dare go out incase I have a panic attack when I do have one feels like I carnt get enough air think I'm going to die also checking my pulse al the time also have a 2year old it's hard for me to look after her wen I'm having a panic attack as I just won't to sit down and try take my mind of it I get panic attacks about 3 times a day also come on at night when I start to get tired. Also what sets it of if I get a head ache or a pain or belly ache because I think I have got some thing wrong with me that will set it of just hard to take my mind of it I have been to the doc they put me on propanalol think that's how u sel it they do work but not al the time not Hurd of this cbt it sounds good would like to try it if some one can point me in the right direction to go sbout it thanks Katie
Hey, I get the symptoms of a panic attack when I'm tired. Serouisly I know it's hard and you've been suffering longer than me, but please don't stop what you normally do, remember no one can see a panic attack and it's just a feeling/thought your having don't stop going out the house, I started that & I don't mean to frighten you but you'll end up with agrophobia if you stop going places, I used to do it but then I told myself NO, you're going out wether you like it or not (it's hard) but I done it and now I can go out whenever I like I also get a panicky feeling when I get a bad stomach/tummy and again I tell myself stop being silly, it's just a thought, Also remember no one has ever in History died off a panic attack, It helps if you google things about it (don't believe everything you read) go on wikipedia (however you spell it lol) and find out the facts about them, They'll make you feel better serouisly. Good luck.
Hi Michelle thank you for commenting on my message feel bit better no I found some one that has the same problem really need to try and sort them out or to get help with trying to control them as I have had no help and the feeling I get ov waitin to die is stopping me from doing things it's not nice but thank u for wrighting bk to me helped alot :)
Katie, have you tried CBT? Cognative (I think thats how you spell it) behaviour therapy I've heard a lot of things about it & apperently it's good for Anxiety. I don't get them as bad now, I tend to get mine when It's that time of the month now. I done a online course for CBT (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/) please give it a try. I think it helped me a lot. I'm also getting CBT from my GP which is a real relief. Also keep telling yourself your okay & they can't hurt you because trust me they can't. Yes there scary but think about it this way. If they were going to hurt you they would have already.
Hey I've been suffering with panic attacks for the last 2 months (yes, i know it's not long) but as everyone knows it is NOT a nice feeling at all. I got really good with handling them I never got one for a month I stopped alcohol completley (I used to have a drink every weekend) I also started drinking and eating a little more healthy also take vitiman tablets. Also Tiredness brings them on I learned that the hard way so always make sure you have 6-8 hours sleep. I also got put on propolol but won't take it because it made me worse, I learned a good way of 'getting rid of them' is to stop checking your heart rate keep saying to yourself 'i'm alright i'm calm' try take your mind off them (I know it's hard) also DON'T avoid things I used to avoid going on buses then when I did get on them I started to panic and get off them. Now when I get on the bus & start to panic I just look out the window breathe slowly in through my nose count to 4 SLOWLY hold for 3 SLOWLY then out through your mouth 4 Slowly do it as many times as you want that takes your mind of it aswell. I tend to get a happy feeling when I've got rid of one starting so hopefully yous feel the same (if you can't do the breathing techenique I read somewhere that it's good to hold your breathe because your body is getting too much oxygen' I've had to calm friends/family down with panic attacks i just wish it was as easy to calm myself.. hope it helps good luck.. also please let me know if yous come up with a good technique or know something that generally works :) thanks
hay girls and guys i have suffered from anxiety and panic attacks for years and thought i was going to die of anything! i was always at the docs getting new check up for something. still have an occasional one but it changed my life when i started taking citalopram i am a different person my sleeping is alot better i dont keep checking my heart beat or get dizzy spells or palpitations and there is no side affects just 1 a day for the first week you will get worse and feel a bit high or sic and then it starts kicking in and for every week that goes by it gets better and better . i am going to sort out cbt this year to eradicate it completely. hope this helps any1 that needs it because i was in your position 6 months ago and no one would help . feel free to ask a question cheerz Steve
Hi, I've been getting panic attacks for the past 2 month & didn't have a attack for over a month then last night I had one I got put on Proponolol & to be honest they make me worse I'm a bit weary about taking tablets. I'm just wondering did you go for CBT I know it was only just over a week ago when you commented it's just I'm really thinking about getting CBT just wondering does it work
Oh yeah and there's also a free site you can get CBT http://www.paniccenter.net/ I tried it for a few months but because it isn't actually someone talking me through it & because I didn't have a printer to print some stuff out i don't think it worked entily .. But it deffently helped me with 'Negative thoughts'
hi Michelle i haven't been CBT yet but it is only the negative thoughts left, but the citalopram seems to be getting rid of the slowly and making me more confident but im still going to try the CBT. i tried all the other tablets and they made me worse, it seemed to trigger my anxiety even more cuz i don't like taking strange tablets. citalopram has helped a few of my mates as well that were given Proponolol,diazepam etc thanks for the web site stay positive :)
Hey again. Yeah I've been refurred to CBT off my doctor I don't want to take any tablets at all because I don't want to have to rely on tablets I'm not getting them as bad now It's the symptoms which I get to be honest. I hate it lol. So I'm hoping that it'll work for me also hope it works for you :) I also bought 'the worry box' which is supposed to be good for cbt. Please let me know when you get it how it goes & I will let you know how mine goes aswell. Good luck.
Hii, what is citalopram? I want to try something that helps fast without any side effects. Thanks
I'm 18, I'm a trainee dispenser in a Pharmacy. I have serious panic attacks and night terrors on a multiple daily basis. It is seriously upsetting my life and my career, as well as testing my parent's patience and tolerence. Please point me towards a solution.
Hi, i also used ti have awful night terrors but i grew out of this and also by confronting what was bothering me (getting bulied and hating school as i am dyslexic). i then started to have panic attacks when i was 19 and they started out of the blue, my first thought was that i was going mad! im still on the road to recovery and am now 25 but my fear became more of having a panic attack this in hand worked my way to having one! I found that in my mind i cam to the asumption that that is where the attack would start. Do not run from these places, stay breath in only thinking on the breath filling your tummy pushing it out then breath out and tummy going in, each way around 10secs, you will come out the other end to relise you are fine, you will be tired after but the feeling of accomplishment will keep you going. As i said Im not 100% but the best advise i can give in, dont give in dont let it defeat you, every time you win your a step closer to feeling better! Fiona
I used to have panic attacks all the time, and now I am able to control these through breathing. However now if I feel anxious, I feel nauseous and sometimes nearly vomit...this often happens when I am competing in horse-riding events and it is stopping me from competing because I always want to throw up in the ring! Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hi, I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks, breathing also helped me control to attacks I would have, however I would also feel sick. Now when I feel sick, I feel anxious as I think I am going to have a panic attack, however I had CBT - Cognitive Behaviour therapy and this helped me a lot. The therapist talks to you and genuinely wants to help you, she gave me ways to deal with the nauseous-a, and now I am so grateful, I do have to take medication for the anxiety as I have also suffered with depression. Consider talking to a professional, it may sound like a simple idea, but they can really help you. Good Luck
I've never had panic attacks diagnosed, but I have, what genuinely feels like, a phobia of public speaking. I can't give any sort of presentation or talk, and if I were asked to read something aloud in a class, I would have to refuse or something. I'm extremely worried about starting university this September, cos I don't know if they're gonna make me read something aloud and I think they will definitely make me do presentations. They wouldn't ask a dyslexic person to read something aloud, but no one seems to acknowledge the suffering that can come with panicking.
I suffered from panic for 2 years , i had 12 week cbt it was amazing i learnt how to control them and remove them from my daily cycle go to docs and get help as mine are now gone before the panic controled me get help its excellent and amazing what you learn about youself and your thought process .
if u dnt mind what tips did they give u to control them thanks
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