panic attacks

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hi all
doe or have any of you had panic attacks before?
how do you cope with them and when it is right to go and speak to somebody about it?
thanks
cazzie

If you have them at all you might as well talk to a doctor and/or psychotherapist.

You might hear something along the lines of monitoring yourself before things get out of hand and then doing things like breathing, self-massages or just taking a break. You might also think about medication.

Ive been having panic attacks for many years and was not aware that they were panic attacks. For some reason I thought panic attacks were something else....like what was happening to me was not severe enough even though I went to the hospital once because I thought I was having a heart attack. After I was diagnosed with AS my psychiatrist started talking to me about my anxiety and I explained that sometimes I get so worked up that I get chest pains, the shakes, a horrible pain on one side of my head, I sweat, get nauseated, and sometimes feel like I cant breathe. He told me I was having panic attacks and he gave me Valium. Im used to having anxiety but when it gets to the point where Im headed to an anxiety attack or a meltdown I take one and it takes the edge off of it.

That's interesting, lilolme. I didn't really have a clear idea of what panic attacks are either. After looking into it a little, I have to rethink it. I think I have to bring this up to her...

I had this realization only after diagnosis as well. I had been internalizing the anxiety for so long, because I was always told that it was a weakness, that I never had a name for it, until I was describing a situation to my therapist in which I had driven 70 miles to do a job and once I got there, faced with the prospect of going into a huge facility and interacting with hundreds of strangers all day, I sat in my truck shuffling paperwork and getting sick to my stomach and fighting an emotional breakdown and eventually just drove home without ever going in. If the therapist hadn't referred to the incident as a panic attack, I probably would never have recognized it for what it was. And I've been having them all my life.

I also have the same reaction when pressured for an immediate social response or when being verbally assaulted, when my brain can't process the interaction fast enough and shuts down or stalls. I can't think or speak and have a sudden rush of adrenaline that makes me dizzy and nauseous.

I went through a phase in my late teens where I was having a lot of panic attacks... I treated them with drugs and alcohol, and then one day they went way.

I think knowing what they are helps, and then you can use positive self talk to get you through, and the knowledge that they come and pass. Failing that, I'm sure the doctor has something.

I have a medical condition that can cause them when it's not controlled. All I can say is just sit tight. There's probably no reason for you to be upset. Remember that and just wait while the world collapses around you. It gets better after a bit. (A long bit.)

I guess the only reason to tell someone is if they can help you figure out the cause or gain more insight or coping strategies.

I can't really tell you what "normal" panic attacks are like, or what you should do for them. Also, my shrink does seem surprised that I can hide them while they're happening. Apparently the certainty that you're about to be dragged straight to hell is not usually so conducive to pretending everything's fine.

I've had panic attacks before - at school. It's horrible. Nausea, sweating, choking-feeling in the throat, dizziness, etc.

I've had panic attacks for over 25 years which has been diagnosed as 300.01 - Panic Disorder without Agraphobia. I can't imagine what life would be like without them. The nature of these attacks as far as symptoms go, has changed over the years. The first one I had I thought I was loosing my mind. Now the mental aspect is not so much of a problem, but the physical symptoms really make a mess of my life. The physical symptoms keep changing. I get the dizzy spells, the chest discomfort, palpitations, nausea, stomach pain and stomach spasms, not necessarily all at the same time. The strange thing to me is that after all these years you would think I could overcome the fear that grips me at times, knowing that it will pass. But when it happens, I don't think all that logically. Trying to hide the anxiety is exhausting. I don't take medication unless it's an extreme attack, which happens about once or twice a month. It creates a lot of wear and tear on the nervous system, that's for sure. I've read everything there is to read on the subject , I've had all kinds of physical and psychological testing and talked to many doctors and therapists over the years; frankly, it hasn't helped much at all. I just try to appreciate my "free" time, when I'm not having symptoms and feeling relaxed, peaceful and unafraid. I think that the only thing that might possibly cure me would be to live alone in the woods. I could be wrong about that, and it wouldn't be very practical anyway. But being alone does reduce my anxiety greatly.

This is something I share with my daughter, who otherwise seems to have no Asperger's characteristics. She was sent to Casualty by her doctor last night, and spent the night being tested for allergic reactions, having ECG traces, examined for standard neurological signs and having pretty much anything life-threatening ruled out.

I find it very hard to accept that something that is "all in the mind" can be so horribly painful, and the doctors generally do not seem to believe the pain. We seem to view animals quite differently. If I put my cat in the travel basket, he loses control of his bowels and throws up his last meal, in obvious pain, which everyone accepts. Racing pigeons sometimes die from the stress of travel. But with humans we just do not seem to accept how awful acute stress is.

Is this kind of stress an Asperger's thing affecting everyone, or is it a separate condition?