Panic Attacks :(

General Discussion
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Friends, in the past couple of weeks, I’ve suffered two major panic attacks upon waking up. They started off with a feeling of dizziness… which turned into my anxiety kicking in, and then the panic amped it up until my heart was beating so fast that I felt like I was either going to pass out or have a heart attack.

I’m “only” 33, and as a person who has never had any kind of major health issues, this kind of thing makes me feel awful, because I have a fear of hospitals on top of everything, having never really gotten used to them.

Luckily my roommate was home this morning, and he just kept me company and talked to me, which calmed me down. I was definitely ready to dial 911 though, in case something happened.

I have two things I want to do: figure out what made me feel dizzy both times, whether it was food-related, stress-related, etc., and also figure out a way to NOT panic, even if that stuff happens again.

I saw a very unhelpful doctor the first time, and got some anti-anxiety/stress/depression meds that don’t seem to be doing anything.

Having a fear of going to sleep now is terrible.

When I called a friend to chat, she started asking me about what makes me happy, and to try to think of things related to that, in order to get my mind off of things. That’s why I’m making this post here.

For two years now, I’ve been visiting this forum often multiple times a day. I’m obsessed with new tech, new builds, etc. It’s become a very expensive and addicting hobby, as I’m sure you all understand. I don’t post much, but I do read a lot.

I don’t really have any real point to this post other than to write things down, be open about my anxiety and OWN it, and just say thank you for all the knowledge and cool pictures that keep me inspired.

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I’ve had panic attacks before. Definitely not fun.

For me it was mostly from thinking about other people’s expectations of me. So after removing a few people from my life things got a lot better.

Also, I always noticed a correlation between frequency and how regular my sleep schedule and good my diet was.

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Years ago I had some scary heart irregularly I was very anxious about and it would snowball into more heart episodes. I asked for anxiety meds and got buspar. It took a couple days if not longer to kick in but was pretty magical how anxiety would fade. *worth reading the side effects and inability to ejaculate was one of them!! I found out the hard way

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You definitely not alone with it. 3 years ago I had an irregular heart beating which took me about one year to get managed. Shortly after I thought all is good I had a crazy heart beating which only stopped after they gave me some drugs and infusion in the hospital. I still have small „panic“ attacks from time to time, but I learned to hold it under control as minimum for now I didn’t need to go to hospital again. If I look back I think there are some factors which have a big influence on how your body behaves. Sleep is very important. Sun light is very important. A healthy lifestyle in general is very important. And one of the most important things, find something that makes your mind relaxed. Where you can take a break from the usual routine in your life. Idk in which situation you are, but if you on a point where you have a lot of important things to decide, or you think people expect a lot of you this can create a pressure which leads to attacks like this. So in short, sleep, chill and don’t mind what others might wait from you. Find some way to get yourself under control. Maybe some kind of breathing technique makes you calm an relax when you feel nervous. Maybe meditation could help you too. Relaxe Music, just be creative :wink:

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dude the same thing happened to me 2 years ago and it was bought on by dehydration. Seriously I didnt think I was dehydrated nor was I badly in need of a drink in my mind but I went to hospital and thats what it was. Funny thing is it took over 3 weeks of rehydrating to get my body back into balance.

Its a strange thing, and the more you think about it the worse it gets. The most important thing is to get to the bottom of whats causing it as quick as you can because then you can solve that and get rid of the attacks.

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I have pretty bad social anxiety. Most the time im fine or can at least push through the situation but sometimes i get really overwhelmed. Anxiety/panic attacks are just part of life for me at this point. They had me on medications but im not big on pills being a permanent solution so i kicked those. Learning some meditation did far more than any medication. Highly recommend

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I have been through this my brother, and 1 thing i was told buy my great aunty was we do not get the minerals that we need in our diets anymore. upping my Magnesium intake helped me out so much within a small space of time. look into it, make your own assessment. Keep strong bro and stay off the prescribed meds, they are the true devil in disguise!!!

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You are definitely not alone. I sleep like shit and have been dealing with PTSD ever since I got out of the army.

I was a medic and saw a lot of bad stuff.

Now it all manifests itself in the wildest and most unexpected ways.

What I am trying to say is you aren’t alone and thank you for sharing.

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I have definitely been through anxiety attacks. I have had anxiety since high school. I have seen shrinks and that didn’t help. I understand your fear of hospitals cause I have the same. To me they are just gross places filled with sick and dying people.

I have a diagnosed fear of vomit but also have EOE which cause me to cough until I feel like I’m going to be sick and then it’s all hell breaking loose.

I have found it helps to talk to someone about it or watching a funny movie or show to get through the anxiety. Step Brothers and Parks and Rec/ The Office are my go to.

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@Powadangaboards is right. I also had panic attacks and irrational fears in the past. I went to a doctor and I was told that panic attacks can be triggered bc of a lack of minerals… Vitamin D, Magnesium and so on. Maybe a blood picture will help to determine it…

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Will live in an age where our food is so processed that we no longer get the minerals we need to function with the stresses of life. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnesium-Effervescent-Mineral-Supplement-Tablets/dp/B073P5D7NC/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1551047369&sr=8-1&keywords=voost+magnesium

These helped my get my life back on track. Try them out, they might just be what you need to get yourself better.

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I touch wood, never had panic attacks. Only now how it feels when you’re overexerting yourself (and lacking a lot of sleep while trying to keep pushing) and your heart starts beating like mad ; sure it is scary.

It’s kind of you to reach here and share your feel man. Wish you to find a way to calm the attacks.

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Panic attacks can be caused by a number of things, and I’m not a doctor so take this as personal anecdote.

I have pretty much the opposite, I just hold stoic until I feel so detached I would welcome a panic attack to feel anything.

I have severe ADHD. Not the “sorry you kid is stupid/lazy, here’s some children’s strength meth” kind.

I have the kind that constantly leaves me in two states:

Like I have had Alzheimer’s and cannot remember to do the most basic human tasks.

Or I’m manically razor sharp focused on the one and only thing that will keep my attention until I’ve defeated or exhausted the problem.

Being able to talk openly about this kind of stuff is the first step in getting a hold of it. This is something I must credit younger generations for attacking the stigma.

I’ve been through every ADHD medication in the book and I hate feeling medicated to function. Nothing works long term, and they all just trade one set of problems for another.

Go see a doctor if you can. Get blood work done. I avoid that shit but I went in about a year ago and got a full blood panel done.

Despite eating a lot healthier than your average American I still had multiple vitamin deficiencies, vitamin D and iron specifically.

And it turned out I was chronically dehydrated.

This is going to be the dumbest PSA ever: DRINK MORE WATER.

SERIOUSLY. You’d be amazed at how much it impacts you without knowing it. Nobody drinks enough fucking water.

I no longer take ADHD medication at all. The world didn’t implode. I didn’t lose my career. If anything I’m doing even better and have less stress. And I’m drinking water and exercising every single day, which is probably exactly why

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Thank you guys so much for all the support and sharing. This means a lot to me. I was luckily able to go out and get some work done, and I’m with a friend at dinner right now. He’s keeping me sane. Feels good to have people I can count on.

I still haven’t read a couple PMs, but I wanna get back to everyone when I have more time and feel more relaxed.

Seriously, thank you!

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I had panic attacks for a year or so, came with some paranoia and was almost certainly brought on by too much weed. I got them under control by stopping all illicit intake, eating well, getting into routines and doing positive affirmations.

I can also recommend vervain tea to help settle your nervous system down.

It was really shit and I feel for you mate. If you want to know any more please pm.

On the plus side it all worked slowly to restore balance and the whole thing is 15 years in my past now…

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Sex. Most of u need to have more of it to sleep peacefully not a joke. Or start living ur life not just spectating or surviving it. All those things that cause anxiety is mostly from not experiencing them and making them a normal thing. The more u get used to the less u have to fear. U werent used to esk8n now u r. Think about it

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really good advice! sounds silly but almost noone I know drinks enough water

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I also recommend the book ‘how to stop worrying and start living’ by Dale Carnegie - i was starting to experience similar things about your age and after listening to the audible version things totally fell into perspective… now IDGAF :slight_smile: for me, at a young 40 I’ve actually just taken up esk8 as a means of going out and getting both exercise and sunlight while I do…

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As @DerelictRobot stated: drink more water.

It’s not just to hydrate you, it flushed your lymphatic system out, that shit holds all the crap that get filtered out of your body. Once you feel better physically, your emotions will follow too.

Seems new age hippy bullshit, but I swear by that shit now! I feel a huge difference in my mood if I’m just slightly dehydrated

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Found the article I was looking for

“Motorists under the influence of alcohol make same number of mistakes as those who haven’t had enough water, say scientists”

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