by AudeSapere 23 Replies latest jw friends
A co-worker says she's been having panic attacks lately and is quite concerned about them.
She was given a prescription for Atarax to use 'as needed' but it didn't help any.
I wonder if anyone here has had - or knows someone who has had - these sort of attacks.
What sort of symptoms were experienced? What treatment worked?? What didn't work???
Thanks for your responses.
-Denise.
atarax is basically benadryl..it just makes you sleepy. she needs a more specific medication made to help with panic attacks. the next thing they'll offer is probably anti psychotics.. which will help but make her feel like a zombie. zanex or valium would be the best thing but dr's are hesitant to prescribe them becaues they're highly addictive.
i didnt like the meds and didnt use them .. i basically had no choice other than to shut my life down and live quietly to deal with baaaaaad panic attacks.quit working, stayed in.. became very isolated.. not the answer!!! therapy helped. got some breathing/coping techniques that helped sometimes.
as far as meds.. she needs to let her doc know atarax didnt work and discuss other options.
Hi Denise,
I never had a panic attack in my life - until my disease got a strong hold of me. I couldn't breath, felt I was going to die and just had to find air - which usually entailed going to the front of the house, which was cooler in the afternoons/evenings, and sitting down on the doorstep.
I learnt one way of alleviating a panic attack is to breath deeply and look at a rectangle, such as a picture. Look in one corner and breath in. Look to the next corner and breath out. Then breath in again and go to the next corner to breath out. Work your way around the picture or go from one picture to the next completing all four corners of each picture. The panic will decrease and then disappear.
Hope it helps.
Ian
I had them really bad for a couple of years. This is nearly 30 years ago when they weren't even diagnosed as such. At least not with my doctor.
They were terrifying. Some people feel that they are having a heart attack or are just going to die. I believed I was literally loosing my mind. I was home alone with the kids once and called an elder because I didn't know what was going to happen; I was afraid to be alone.
Treatment depends on the person. After one tranquilizer, I returned the rest to the pharmacy. During an eposode you can't do anything else but deal with it. Fortunately, though I was afraid to leave home, I kept plugging away. Eventually I got mostly over them. When I get really fatigued I sometimes begin to feel the beginning of old symptoms, a sign to slow down.
Your coworker may get relief through therapy. I would want to try other methods before drugs but its up to the individual. That you're compassionate will go a long way to help and reassure her.
My wife had them for a while. There is a ton of good information out there that is useful. Panic attacks tend to settle themselves on certain personality types (perfectionists), and sometimes there may be a specific event trigger. Both of these characteristics fit my wife perfectly.
In my wife's case, she would typically get dizzy, hyperventilate, sweat, and a whole bunch of other physical symptoms. It would usually happen when I was away overnight on business, at which time she would head to the hospital by ambulance. At the hospital, the doctor would give her a tranquilizer of some sort which would end it quickly. Her doctor prescribed xanax, which she did not take.
Over time, the panic attacks lessened. As the kids got older and more independent, there was less pressure on her. As well, she became more independent herself, running a small business. The confidence building made a huge difference.
Overall, I believe it can be effectively treated with the right medication. I also believe that in many cases it can be overcome, either by therapy or management.
Interesting treatments.
Ian - the rectangle exercise is such an odd method. How did you happen upon that one?
RunningMan - I'm glad your wife finally got some relief. Did leaving the org factor in at all?
Emma - you wrote: "During an eposode you can't do anything else but deal with it." How did you deal with it. That is an immediate concern. How to cope in the thows of an episode without calling an ambulance.
Candidly - First comment to my thread. You ARE still out there!! (Missed you lately.) Breathing, eh? It's a good start!
I'll pass this info on and will check back in a little bit. Hopefully more experiences and suggestions.
-Denise.
After one tranquilizer, I returned the rest to the pharmacy. During an eposode you can't do anything else but deal with it.
I felt the same way....the tranquilizers prescribed were making me feel logey and as if I was living in a fog. I stopped taking them and just dealt with the attacks when they happened.
THIS is the odd part----I never HAD a full-blown panic attack until I became a JW!!! My very first one was at an assembly, trying to keep all my kids together and trying to get them and me to the lunchroom in that crowd!
Then I began to experience them moments before I was to give a talk on the Ministry School! I would hear a train running through my head and get all clammy and weak feeling and come very close to blacking out. My vision was in pinpoints and I could not talk or think straight, and I would have to run to the restroom and get to a toilet PRONTO!! It was awful!
I fought these attacks for 28 years in the WTS and two years before I left I went to the elder who was in charge of the "school" and told him that I just could not DO this any more, especially being in a wheelchair and then on crutches! He asked me to promise that I would "go over" the talks as if I was preparing one, so that I would get full benefit of the ministry school. I now wonder why I waited so LONG to resign from the "school"!
I have not suffered with ONE panic attack since I left the WTS! My body seemed to know something that my MIND was not yet aware of, haha!
Annie
I've had a few and they're not pleasant. It can be caused by a chemical imbalance or not enough serotonin. There is a natural substance you can take that will help. It's called 5-HTP. If you're already on anti-depressants, do not take 5-HTP without consulting your doctor.
Here's a link about panic disorders and the mention of 5-HTP as a possible treatment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_attacks
I have Panic Disorder with agoraphobia. I'm going through one of the worst bouts of agoraphobia right now. I think my husband's heart attack and GI bleeds, my mother's anoxic brain injury, and my scare with possible cancer or lupus and going through menopause brought it back. I've got to get back to work or go back to school, get out of the house. I choose to take medication for my Panic Disorder. Obviously, it's time for a change; because something isn't working.
Check this websites out it may be of help:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000924.htm
http://www.panic-anxiety.com/panic-attack-medication.htm#medication
Hi,
I have suffered severly with them recently, however at the moment i am over them.They are very disturbing especially if they grow and become more aggresive, which can seem to be a cycle.You get the first couple then you think there is something wrong with you, your system is under constant stress and ever more likely to suffer yet another attack.Is she hyperventilating with them yet????? thats even worse, because your body eventually becomes wracked with pains ( usually in the chest area ) so you start to believe your having a heart attack.
The brown paper bag is used by many to calm the breathing and recover the breath.
A classic sign she is becoming stressed is to watch the shoulders ( if they are raised upwards - she is/becoming stressed ) she then needs to relax completely let the shoulders drop and concentrate on her breathing.
I know its sounds odd but also tell her to ensure she eats a small snack every few hours, as blood sugar can have a huge effect of panic attacks and anxiety.
i have a list of phone numbers here which i will post later
God bless you and yours
Ade
(ps: there is a book on ebay that is supposed to be excellent - i'll find the name for you )
