panic attacks

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does anyone else get panic attacks?
i feel like i'm having one right now and i can't find my attivan...
it's quiet and the quiet sounds loud...

sure do and I feel for you. Does this feel like a constant flurry of attacks or just one building up. If it's just one, getting up and getting some fresh air might help. I also try telling myself what's the worst thing that could happen and would that be a big deal (my panic/anxiety usually builds over the feeling of not being in control of a situation, my "do I really care/what's the worst thing that can happen response" can sometimes defuse this.) If you can stand the taste of mint, I find that strong mints can snap me out of it, but that's me.

If it's a flurry of anxiety and it's been going on for several hours, you may need to figure out what the source is and either take a serious time-out (down time) in a safe space for you or if you have meds for this take them to cut yourself a break.

sorry you're feeling this way, it's a sucky feeling I know.

it's one big one
i have meds but i can't find them.
it's starting to pass a bit.
i have mints upstairs... i'll try that thanks.

feel for you, I was having them in series for the last three days and finally got relief by taking meds and sitting down to watch a thriller (I don't know what it is about action films, but they chill me out--I suppose I get so involved it gives my body/mind a break.)

Be good to yourself. Sometimes trying to figure out the why of an anxieity/panic attack can make things worse and to be honest sometimes it probably just is our bodies having an overload party.

Ohter things that can help are a cup of chamomile tea and a hot shower or bath. If you are home you might want to tuck yourself up in bed -- I find sometimes the feel of the heavy covers and a heating pad will chill me down and then if I flip the tv on to something that's not too challenging that will help too.

BTW many thanks for your response to my question on asperger's wallet card.

hope you get a break soon

thanks. i'm watchng law and order it it's helping. i also found ym meds and took a half a pill so all is good in my world again... when they first started years ago before i knew what they wre i would watch conan o'brien to calm me dow.
i love heavy blankets... i have a wonderful 12 pound weighted blanket to help me sleep.

whenever I'm having a panic attack, I usually loose control over myself for a minute or two, breaking and hitting everything around me. This tends to calm me down. Music, organizing or reading about something particulary interesting also seems to have a calming effect whenever I experience longer periods of anxiety.

glad to hear it, you take care of yourself now

Yes, I had severe, constant panic attack problems between 2000 and 2003. Indeed, I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder sometime in that period (though I forget exactly when).

Since 2003 my panic attacks have not been regular and sometimes I've gone for months on end without having them. However, that doesn't mean I don't still get them now and then.

Have your panic attacks been caused by anything in particular?

Treated for PAs for a long time and used Xanax - but found out later that mostly it was sensory overloads. After that it was helpful to find the triggers and to work on that to lesson the frequency. Once I would have one though then I would be super sensitive to having them for a while afterwards. So taking the med as soon you start feeling weird is best to stop it in its tracks.

it's mostly sensory overloads that do it for me.
also this weather is really doing me in. the air is wet and cold and awful and feels so constricting.
i'm also excited about going to a walk this sunday so that might have played a part in it. sometimes i get so excited a bout something and my body doesn't know what to do with all the excitement.

What's the diff between a panic attack and an anxiety attack? Are they the same?

i think they're the same
when it happens because of a sensory overload i also refer to it as a meltdown. i had one of those at a concert one time.

OK, thanks.

My panic attacks include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fast pulse, becoming diaphoretic, and knowing that I have to get out of the situation fast.

My anxiety attacks are less dramatic. I just know that I'll scream or do something equally inapproriate if I don't get out of the situation fast.

Leaving the situation and taking my Xanax helps both.

I have had 2.

Both were under similar circumstances: I was dragged along to a store with my mom (both times it was when I was picked up to go back home during a break from class). She told me that I was not allowed to wait by the magazines while she was shopping, because it was too far to walk. She also indicated that the trips would be short.

She disappeared (1st time "having fun shopping", 2nd time she collapsed in the bathroom and they almost called an ambulance). After a while I started getting overloaded, and began walking through the entire store looking for her, but couldn't find her.

The 2nd time was really bad. I ended up pacing through the entire store around ten times, constantly repeating "I want out".

I had a panic attack last week while going to an appointment. I was late and there was nothing I could do. Sounds seemed much louder and everything looked brighter....horrible.
I walked up and down the street and eventually collapsed on some steps and sat there until I calmed down. It took a while. I was so tired for the rest of the day.