I found a lot of help in this book "Anxiety 101: Answers for Anxiety" by Vincent Lloyd Evermore. Check out the website too [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]. (No affiliation)
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Panic attacks, stopping them WIHOUT drugs
- Thread starter mward69
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The good old breath into/through a paperbag trick does wonders to stop the crisis.
It can't be considered a long time solution though, just a way to quickly calm down.
It can't be considered a long time solution though, just a way to quickly calm down.
how do the pastilles compare to the spray? i use the spray and thinking of buying the pastilles.
No one seriously uses soda to clean car parts. Gasoline and other solvents, sure...
sugar i'm kind of against, caffeine is so/so... msg? i'm pretty sure they don't use that, or any of the acids you listed (all of which are pretty harmless). the one ingredient in mountain dew that is perhaps the most controversial would be brominated vegetable oil, although it doesn't seem to cause much problems for the average user.
I don't know how well this works but I was told that going into a dark room, lying on the floor and doing nothing works. 
I used to get 'em years ago. They started while I was living in Los Angeles, attending graduate school by night, working by day. Barely scratching out a living during the depths of the early 90s recession in southern California. High-pressure situation, lots of demands on me, big city, few friends, no buffer zone...
Woke up one night just after midnight, with my heart just going nuts - extreme arrhythmia, pounding away like crazy, etc. I started hyperventilating and couldn't stop. By morning the bedsheets were completely soaked.
In the morning I had a friend drive me to the university clinic, where I had an EKG, blood tests, etc. When I came back two days later for the results, the doctor could find nothing wrong.
Then he asked me about my lifestyle - and related that he'd also suffered from panic attacks while an undergraduate with a full course load and a full-time job. His doctor advised him to either withdraw from university or quit the job. He quit the job.
The answer (at least for me) was stress reduction. Get regular exercise (that's important). Get a good night's sleep every night. Don't push yourself harder than you can handle (and only you would know). Take time for regular relaxation. Learn to cultivate a calm frame of mind.
I continued to have occasional panic attacks for several more years. But now I haven't had one in at least 10 years. Although I've come close a couple of times, I've managed to keep them at bay by focusing on deep breathing, and other relaxation techniques...
MM
Woke up one night just after midnight, with my heart just going nuts - extreme arrhythmia, pounding away like crazy, etc. I started hyperventilating and couldn't stop. By morning the bedsheets were completely soaked.
In the morning I had a friend drive me to the university clinic, where I had an EKG, blood tests, etc. When I came back two days later for the results, the doctor could find nothing wrong.
Then he asked me about my lifestyle - and related that he'd also suffered from panic attacks while an undergraduate with a full course load and a full-time job. His doctor advised him to either withdraw from university or quit the job. He quit the job.
The answer (at least for me) was stress reduction. Get regular exercise (that's important). Get a good night's sleep every night. Don't push yourself harder than you can handle (and only you would know). Take time for regular relaxation. Learn to cultivate a calm frame of mind.
I continued to have occasional panic attacks for several more years. But now I haven't had one in at least 10 years. Although I've come close a couple of times, I've managed to keep them at bay by focusing on deep breathing, and other relaxation techniques...
MM
just thought that I would revive this thread as I've been trying to get back to my life b4 panic attacks. Haven't had one in about 6-7 weeks now, yet sometimes I still feel as if the PAs are still there waiting to creep up on me.
any thoughts?
any thoughts?
among other things i've got/had serious panic attack problems. if you're not one to take xanax or klonapin (it works far better than xanax for me) you can try some herbal stuff. i take kava kava. that stuff is wonderful. try to find the capsules, the tea or the spray tastes awful! it's not a fast acting make the attack go away right away thing, but taken once or twice a day can really help with the overall anxiety.
exercising is also a great thing to do. 30 min a day of light exercise can change your life in ways you never though possible. and the more you do it, the more you want to do it.
and stay away from caffeine as much as possible. and cigarettes. they're no good for anxiety, no matter what your body is telling you. i smoke, and i know that if i quit my anxiety would be better off.
exercising is also a great thing to do. 30 min a day of light exercise can change your life in ways you never though possible. and the more you do it, the more you want to do it.
and stay away from caffeine as much as possible. and cigarettes. they're no good for anxiety, no matter what your body is telling you. i smoke, and i know that if i quit my anxiety would be better off.
My $0.02 on panic attacks.
I believe panic attacks are more common than most would think. I've had them, my wife has had them, and I know a few others who have had them. Some cases got very sever. I think for some people it can go to your head. The stigma of being a "head case" or "crazy" can make things worse.
Just know that panic attacks happen to many people and are pretty common. They usually occur when a person has been under stress for an extended period of time. It can be things like school, work, family issues, anything that causes stress. When your body can't take any more of the stress it manifests itself as a panic attack.
Symptoms can very. I got the tingly and numb extremities. My fingers and toes would go numb and then I'd pass out. The first time it happened to my I fought it, not wanting to pass out. I thought I was dieing. Seriously. All the hyperventilating increases oxygen levels in your blood and sends pH levels out of wack. This made my body tremble and shake. I was out on a date at the time. My date had someone call 911 and I woke up in the back of an ambulance. This was all in my college days. I haven't had any since.
Last summer my buddy had one. When it happened we all thought he was sick, not figuring it to be a panic attack. But he had all the classic symptoms. We were at a three day music festival when it happened, not a stressful place. However, he just bought a house he couldn't afford, was getting married in a few weeks, and his puppy got hit by a car the day before we left for the concert and was living day to day at the vets racking up quite a bill. Yeah, that's stress for you.
My wife used to get them and tried the prescription drug method. They worked for her. She used them to help her get through the stressful time she was in (school). When she was at a less stressful point in her life she was able to manage things through lifestyle changes and without drugs.
I would recommend that you try to figure out ways to minimize stress, and work on lifestyle changes like exercise, sleep, and diet. Maybe see a therapist of find a family member or friend who can help you through this. It is sometimes easier for someone else to see the stressful things in your life from the outside looking in.
Good luck to you.
I believe panic attacks are more common than most would think. I've had them, my wife has had them, and I know a few others who have had them. Some cases got very sever. I think for some people it can go to your head. The stigma of being a "head case" or "crazy" can make things worse.
Just know that panic attacks happen to many people and are pretty common. They usually occur when a person has been under stress for an extended period of time. It can be things like school, work, family issues, anything that causes stress. When your body can't take any more of the stress it manifests itself as a panic attack.
Symptoms can very. I got the tingly and numb extremities. My fingers and toes would go numb and then I'd pass out. The first time it happened to my I fought it, not wanting to pass out. I thought I was dieing. Seriously. All the hyperventilating increases oxygen levels in your blood and sends pH levels out of wack. This made my body tremble and shake. I was out on a date at the time. My date had someone call 911 and I woke up in the back of an ambulance. This was all in my college days. I haven't had any since.
Last summer my buddy had one. When it happened we all thought he was sick, not figuring it to be a panic attack. But he had all the classic symptoms. We were at a three day music festival when it happened, not a stressful place. However, he just bought a house he couldn't afford, was getting married in a few weeks, and his puppy got hit by a car the day before we left for the concert and was living day to day at the vets racking up quite a bill. Yeah, that's stress for you.
My wife used to get them and tried the prescription drug method. They worked for her. She used them to help her get through the stressful time she was in (school). When she was at a less stressful point in her life she was able to manage things through lifestyle changes and without drugs.
I would recommend that you try to figure out ways to minimize stress, and work on lifestyle changes like exercise, sleep, and diet. Maybe see a therapist of find a family member or friend who can help you through this. It is sometimes easier for someone else to see the stressful things in your life from the outside looking in.
Good luck to you.
Read this somewhere, worked for a friend.
You take a piece of cloth and you soak it a bit in room temp water, then you put it on your head and you focus on the water running down your head.
someone has to do that for you though
You take a piece of cloth and you soak it a bit in room temp water, then you put it on your head and you focus on the water running down your head.
someone has to do that for you though
At least get the drugs and sell them to me if you don't want to use them.
Just read a lot. That's what I do when I want to relax and stay sober at the same time.
Just read a lot. That's what I do when I want to relax and stay sober at the same time.
I have them as well and have since January. I also have agoraphobia as well. I use xanax, but it is in very small dosages (half of a 0.5mg tablet) and am trying to keep myself off them as much as possible. They also don't turn you into a zombie unless you're taking tons of them.
I find it's getting easier since I stopped drinking a ton of caffeine, have gotten regular sleep and have done research and found out about the condition. Remember, it's a behavioural thing. It can be controlled.
I find it's getting easier since I stopped drinking a ton of caffeine, have gotten regular sleep and have done research and found out about the condition. Remember, it's a behavioural thing. It can be controlled.
I had a mild attack last week. I noticed that start I praying pretty hard, almost to the point of begging. seems to work.
I've decided to not to try and stop them from happening. I feel as though I get close to god when it happens.
Also, talking to someone helps alot. someone who knows about it.
Be grate if there was a Talkbass PA Suffers Group. Could be a positive thing.
I've decided to not to try and stop them from happening. I feel as though I get close to god when it happens.
Also, talking to someone helps alot. someone who knows about it.
Be grate if there was a Talkbass PA Suffers Group. Could be a positive thing.
I feel like from the stories on this thread, and my own experiences, that the best non-medicated approach is to find a place your mind can go that lets it at least deal with the feeling. When my girlfriend feels one coming, we set her up in the bathroom with the shower on, and she sits on the floor with her computer and talks to me over AIM. The white noise and talking without the stress help her get through the worse parts and start to get on with her day. Similarly, if prayer or running water on your face or anything help you relax, go to that and keep it easily accessible for whenever stress may come.
