Any cures for panic attacks?!
Question: i have had panic and anxiety attacks on and off for the past 30years and have been on loads of different medications and had councelling ,i also now have graves disease and taking tablets for this however recently i have been waking up at any time between 2am and 4 am unable to go back to sleep and go downstairs and start feeling hot and shaky then panicky.i have to then use a paper bag to breath into and i feel quite shook up.i have been on same antidepressants for a few years now and take beta blockers also,surelly if tablets were doing job i would not feel like i do,i go to dr and tell him how i feel and my thyroid gets blame but my panic disorder came a lot longer ago so anyone got any suggestions on curing these middle of the night attacks
Answers: i have had panic and anxiety attacks on and off for the past 30years and have been on loads of different medications and had councelling ,i also now have graves disease and taking tablets for this however recently i have been waking up at any time between 2am and 4 am unable to go back to sleep and go downstairs and start feeling hot and shaky then panicky.i have to then use a paper bag to breath into and i feel quite shook up.i have been on same antidepressants for a few years now and take beta blockers also,surelly if tablets were doing job i would not feel like i do,i go to dr and tell him how i feel and my thyroid gets blame but my panic disorder came a lot longer ago so anyone got any suggestions on curing these middle of the night attacks
I know how you feel. I have panic attacks too and for some reason they are far more terrifying at night time. I've had anxiety attacks about getting an anxiety attack!
All you can really do is put lots of lights on downstairs, take lots of deep breaths and try to do something to distract yourself.
I found trying to do a crossword or playing cards helps - it distracts the brain and forces it to think about something other than what you are panicking about. The scariest part of a panic attack for me is the way your brain just keeps going and going, and even when I try to think something out logically, my brain just finds a way to override it, or gives me something else to get worked up about. It's hard to explain, but I'm sure you know what I mean!
Reading doesn't really help me because I've found it's easy for my thoughts to drift back to the thing I was "obsessing" about as my panic attack was starting to take off.
Another thing that helps is to write everything you are thinking whilst in a panic attack, and later when you are in a clearer state of mind, re-read what you wrote to help get some perspective. You can then address those things in a clear state of mind - and if the next time you feel panic arising, just read of what you wrote. That also helps to overcome a lot of the physical symptoms of the panic attack, as you are concentrating on writing.
Honestly, all you can do is try to distract your brain. It can be difficult to do when the attack is in full swing, so you need to start distracting yourself right at the onset of the symptoms to help prevent a full-blown attack.
Good luck - and if all else fails just jump on your computer and talk to us about it while it's happening - someone else's perspective might help calm you.
If you go to a psychiatrist to treat the condition all he's gonna do is teach you relaxing techniques and make you use them under panic attacks that will last for hours until you realize that there's nothing worth panicking for.
Good luck!
I think you need to go to counseling to do some deep psychological digging. It could be something that happened in your childhood that you need to confront so that you can overcome the fear.
There's a lot you can do. Breathing into a bag. If you have someone else there awake with you, have them practice breathing with you. Pray or meditate. Try doing yoga.
I would suggest meditation, yoga or finding a technique for yourself that is a physical expression of releasing your fears and anxiety. I have anxiety attacks on occasion and what I do is lay on my back and go to what they call "your happy place" some place where your anxiety doesn't exist. I hope this helps you.
Could it be a potassium deficiency? Or some vitamin/mineral deficiency.
I had panic attacks really bad, and the doc checked my levels for potassium and vitamins, looked fine, however, I was having so much pain in my thighs a friend suggested potassium, and when I took it the constant panic went away along with the leg/muscle pain.
Research the meds you have been on, may be possible one or a combo of them could have caused graves disease. They are only testing medications for about a year, sometimes less. You might be able to win a suit if one of the meds you have been on previously can cause graves disease. You can look up the side affects on the internet.
Good luck! I hope you feel better.