Had a panic attack on the way to work- Ask Me Anything!

[Beware the Beast Man]

I'm getting a little sick of this. Just seemed to come out of nowhere today. First the thoughts just started racing, then that tingle ran up my limbs and into my gut. It was over in about 20 seconds. Still sucks though. :grr:

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

1. Do you suffer from gephyrophobia?

My mother has panic attacks when driving over bridges

[Beware the Beast Man]

2. Well, it did start on the overpass.

No, I think I may have just a twinge of agoraphobia. Nothing huge, though.
My big thing is change. I fear change, and when I dwell on change, thats when it starts

[demnan]

3. that's bad

I have a friend who has them, I know they can really be bad just from watching her. Make sure your medication is correct. Sometimes they can improve the meds they give you, can't they?

[sniffa]

4. i get Like that in crowded spaces

my train rides can be brutaL at times. :P

[slipperduke]

5. I had a spell of those.

Just go to keep reminding yourself that the fear isn't real and that by allowing yourself to be affected, you're merely perpetuating it. Once you learn to push it down, you'll stop getting them. Very weird though, aren't they?

Oooh, and lay off the pot as well. That never helps.

[Beware the Beast Man]

7. Exactly.

But sometimes I have a tough time talking myself down. The meds help too. I'm on Zoloft, which diffuses the attacks, but does nothing for the preceding anxiety.

Oh, and the only pot I partake of is the coffee pot. :)

[slipperduke]

8. Ah, that's alright then!

Mine actually started just through being overtired, but I found that I could make everything so much worse than it really was, just by thinking about it too much. I had one that lasted from 7pm to 11pm, then I went and hid under my covers, managed to sleep, and woke up to find it was still happening!

A friend of mine told me to keep reminding myself that it wasn't real and they stopped after a few days.

Good luck with it, more people than you'd think suffer from them, so it's just not you and you're not going mad.

Wahey! 50 Posts!

*waves his hands in the air like he just doesn't care*

[Stew225]

6. Have you tried any medication?

It happened to me years ago and I thought I was having a heart attack. I was put on some anti something and it stabilized it without too many side effects. They are frightening, though. I hope you're ok.

Fellow Buckeye

[Beware the Beast Man]

10. Zoloft 50mg

A low dosage, but I really don't want to go any higher. Like I said before, it quells the initial panic attacks, but does little for the buildup of anxiety.

[luaneryder]

9. They suck!

I've suffered with them since I was a teen. Have been on Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Serzone, Buspar, etc. and all of them had such horrible side effects for me I had to stop them In fact, with Paxil I gained 30 pounds! It's all good and well for one to practice "shutting them down", but mind over matter sometimes just is not enough. I've had such severe ones that I actually had hangovers from them. I know what it is when it occurs, but that does not prevent them from manifesting at times and becoming full blown. Xanax is the only drug that interrupts them for me when I can't stop it. Thank god for vitamin X! I'm sorry you have them because I know how terrible the feeling is. I don't think I'd even wish them on *.

[flasun]

11. heres a good link

http://holisticonline.com/Remedies/Anxiety/anx_home.htm