Meaplus3 Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 A few weeks back out of the blue I was struck with a panic attack while driving. My body started shaking.. and I felt like I was going to pass out. I was overcome by fear. I rushed right home.. thinking it would pass. the attack lasted and did not go away. I managed to get to see my doctor and that's when he told me I was having a panic attack. This is the first time in my life that anything like this has ever happened to me, so I was scared to death. The doc started me on a low does of medication to take the edge off and ordered some blood work. I got the results of my blood work back and every test was normal.. and I'm still afraid, WTF?? I have been pushinng to have them do more tests.. to 100% rule out a physical cause. I'm wondering if anyone one else here has suffered with panic attacks.. and if so what was your outcome? And how were you able to get them under control? Any help would be appreciated. AP:) Link to post Share on other sites
Ronni_W Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 AP, The non-drug "therapy of choice" for panic attacks and anxiety is generally said to be Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). I also know a person who was able to overcome it with Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which can be self-taught. There is a free manual & other info at the EFT website: emofree.com Very generally speaking, an organic cause is seldom the case. I suffered from similar attacks years ago. Didn't get any professional help, ended up lasting for way too long. If someone had suggested that I make a list of what was REALLY stressing me out at that time, it would have been of tremendous help -- I would at least have had the opportunity to choose to eliminate the major stressor(s), or reduce their effects. Wishing you best of luck. Link to post Share on other sites
D-Lish Posted June 30, 2008 Share Posted June 30, 2008 It def sounds like you had a panic attack, which is not a symptom of something physical (trust your doc). It's an anxiety disorder. Although an initial panic attack may appear out of the blue, it typically comes during an extended period of stress. Some people have chronic panic attacks and others experience very few, or have them situationally based. I have very bad anxiety, I always have, and the feeling of being overwhelmed with a racing heart and heightened sinse of fear is chronic for me, I have felt this way since I was a little kid. It's there all day everyday. Medication helps, but it is a different medication than someone with panic attacks would take. It's not uncommon for an unusual amount of stress to trigger such a happening. I know it's scary because when it happens you feel like you are dying- but you are not. It's just a feeling unlike anything else you have experienced before. I assume your doc gave you something along the lines of Lorazepam (sp?) which you put under your tongue for a quick dissolve to calm an attack. You may never need to use it again, this could be an isolated incident. Do some research on Anxiety. Having one panic attack does not mean you have an anxiety disorder- some people simply pass through a difficult time with symptoms of anxiety, then continue on their way. Just wondering if you have been through a particularly difficult time of late? Link to post Share on other sites
Author Meaplus3 Posted July 1, 2008 Author Share Posted July 1, 2008 Thanks D-Lish and Ronnie for your responses. I think the trigger was simply a combination of things that have occured within the last year.. as I have had some major stressors. It's such a scarey feeling when all of a sudden out of the blue you feel this certain sense of doom. I realize that it's very common for one to suffer some sort of anxiety at some point in life.. so I'm trying to rationalize it as just that. AP:) Link to post Share on other sites
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