Panic attacks!

Mjaqmac

Registered User
Mar 13, 2004
939
0
Don't panic Mr Mannering!

Does anyone find they are having panic attacks since the onset of their loved one's AD/Dementia?
Has anyone found a cure or relief for this without taking drugs?
Thanks.
Magic.
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Magic,

Dr Schuessler's Biochemical Cell Salts - KALI PHOS. Really good for stress and panic attacks. They are natural products and really excellent. There's a whole range of these minerals and they've been around for years. I remember my mother shovelling them into me when I was sitting for A levels years ago.

Alternatively, a couple of large glasses of Scotch will do the same thing, but not such an healthy alternative.

Jude
 

Mjaqmac

Registered User
Mar 13, 2004
939
0
Thanks Jude

Thanks Jude, will definitely try those. Have tried everything herbal under the sun, am out an absolute fortune! But haven't tried those.
Use to like having a wee drink but now am terrified of getting unintentionally drunk in case I'm not responsible in a crisis, they arise day and night with mum. Also find when I have a few glasses of wine I get very morose now.
At least chocolate is still a good friend to me.
 

Charlie

Registered User
Apr 1, 2003
161
0
Hi Magic,

I suffered panic attacks in the past and was prescribed Beta Blockers. For some reason the beta blockers just gave me constant panic, so came off them straight away.

Not sure of herbal remedies apart from the usual healthy diet. I have found that giving up caffine competely has kept panic type stress away. It's suprising how much caffine is hidden away in the things we consume every day.....

http://home.howstuffworks.com/caffeine2.htm

Cheers
Charlie....
 
Last edited:

carol

Registered User
Jun 24, 2004
196
0
Surrey/Hampshire
Have you tried Bach's rescue remedy, available from Holland and Barrett or similar health type shops. A pleasant way to calm you down.

Best wishes, Carol
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Carol,

Bach's Rescue Remedy is really excellent stuff too. I used to have a few bottles handy in Oz before Dr Schuessler's cell salts were available over there. It works really fast and you only need a few drops in a glass of water. I'd quite forgotten about it.

Jude
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
This guy Bach was really amazing. He wrote all that music, played the organ and still had time to invent a Recue Remedy.;)

He had loads of kids too!
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear Bruce,

Nah Brucie, wrong bloke.... Mind you if you played your organ as much as that and ended up with so many kids, you'd need the Rescue Remedy to calm you down!

Jude
 

jools

Registered User
Jun 29, 2004
39
0
Hi Magic,

When I was 18, (i'm now 34) I had panic attacks for about a year. I was prescribed tranquillisers, took them for two days and decided that I didn't like the look or the effect of them. The first step on the road to a cure for me was when a Dr Roger, who was a heart specialist examined me. They weren't sure what was up, so they sent me to her first. She asked me a whole lot of questions about myself and what was happening in my home. A lot of upheaval was going on in myfamily at that point, and that was really the cause of the attacks. When I went home that day, I noticed my shoes which I hadn't polished for ages and which were scuffed and neglected looking. I got out some cleaning stuff and polished them. That was the start of a cure for me. I still had panic attacks,but they became fewer and finally disappeared. Sometimes I can feel one coming on, but I can control them now. This you learn over time. I'll try and set it out for you.

The first thing to know is that panic attacks are common and they are nothing to be ashamed of. There's a lot of stigma attached to these things and its a pity; if people were more open about panic attacks, we'd be able to treat them quicker and more effectively.Its other peoples' problem if they think panic attacks are stupid, and they can go and s** off.

Physically speaking, panic attacks are caused by hyperventilation, that is, taking lots and lots of short breaths. Usually you are unaware that you are doing this till the attack starts.To stop the hyperventilation, take some deep breaths. There's a trick with a paper bag that's also meant to work , but I don't know how this is done; maybe someone else knows. This piece of advice is going to sound strange, but when the attack starts , accept that its an attack, that it will pass and that you will go on living after it. As soon as you start to accept the attacks, you should find that they become less in number and severity.
When you are not having attacks, don't spend your time worryng about them. Accept them as a fact of life, something thats going to happen now and again, and you just have to get on with it.

Have a look at what's happening in your life just now, and try and pin the underlying cause of the attacks. The obvious problem is that someone you care for has AD, but if you break it down you'll find that it is more complicated than that. Are you seeing your friends? Are you looking after yourself, your appearance? Are you spending time on things that you enjoy doing? Is the housework getting on top of you? AD can make hermits of us, and what drives me mad is the portrayal of carers on the telly. They're always shown as unglam, no make up, stripy jumpered, totally unsexy martyrs. I've yet to see one that smokes, drinks and cusses. We do not have to subscribe to that, and its very unhealthy to do so. If you do something about the things you can, you'll find that you stop worrying about the things you can do nothing about. Panic attacks are a leftover from 'fight or flight';it's excess energy that the body provides for us to deal with the situation, and you should engage that energy in the things that you can do something about.

I think what I'm trying to say Magic, is that life can still go on. We're not the ones with AD, and we would be doing a disservice to our loved ones not to live as best we can. We can do nothing about AD itself, but we can still enjoy life. Its a true saying that most fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Make sure that you approach your friends and don't leave them out of the situation. People are usually willing to help, but for this kind of situation, they need an invitation. In a way, its an insult to a friend not to involve them and ask for help. A friend of my mum's had two brothers and she was always helping them out of situations; one was disabled, one was a drinker and her husband was a drinker as well. My abiding memory of her, was her standing in her front garden glammed up to the nines in her slacks and smoking a cigarette, as if she hadn't a care in the world.
Lets give AD and panic attacks two fingers!

Jools

Ps For anyone who wants to know, Bach had nineteen children and two wives. There are 38 Bachs listed in the New Grove Music Dictionary, and Bach caused three trumpeters he didn't like, to collapse and die by writing trumpet parts so high that they had heart attacks when they played them (so I'm told anyway). Naughty Bach!
 

Mjaqmac

Registered User
Mar 13, 2004
939
0
Trumps up

Eh.. these trumpet pieces Jools. You don't happen to know where I can get my hands on them?
(Bad Magic! Will report myself to the police immediately for not living up the carer's saintly persona.)
Please don't barr me from the site.
 

betty2

Registered User
Jun 14, 2004
19
0
me too

hi there

i've got over the worst of it now but i had been having really bad panic attacks. i ended up in casualty twice with a suspected heart attack and passed out in the doctors surgery after one of many nights of hell. I still get flutters , even reading your post starts me to consciously think about and starts to set me off. Mine are mainly in the middle of the night.

the tricks i have learnt is that

once a doctor checked me out and confirmed for the third time and humoured me with the right medical checks ( even though she knew i didnt need them)I started to calm down and believe that i wasnt going to die.

medication wasnt right for me, made me feel worse.

cutting out caffeine and cigarettes in the evenings makes a big difference,

leaving a hall light on, the radio on low, washing on the radiators in the bedroom( you'll have to find your own smell that works for you!) mobile phone nearby and smoke detectors ( kept waking up with bleary eyes and thinking the place was on fire) .

listening to favourite music before going to bed helps me to get perspective, normality and helps distract.

going out for a brief walk when it starts, even if it is the middle of the night. need to know i'm part of the world.


Ringing NHS Direct ( or a helpful friend if your lucky enough to have one) at the time it is happening, sometimes talking to someone helps you calm down and grounds you back to earth. its not their job but they havent minded on the 2 occaisions i have done it. They were helpful in talking me through the breathing exercises.

dont feel your own pulse( I was doing this all the time just to check it hadnt stopped!) big mistake.

Bachs remedy sometimes works.

the main thing for me is to ensure i have some connection with the outside world to ground me, but i know this doesnt work for everyone.

dont worry, you will get over it, i know it doesnt feel like it now but you will. It is extremely common and I couldnt believe how many other people have been through it, Its just that no one talks about it, until you do. I felt so much better when i knew this and the fact that you do get over it.

Hope some of the tricks work for you,let me know how you get on

regards betty
 

Jude

Registered User
Dec 11, 2003
2,287
0
70
Tully, Qld, Australia
Dear All,

I had a couple of panic attacks a few years' ago, which were related to hormonal changes and stress. They were very scarey.

One happened right out of the blue when I was shopping. I felt like I'd stepped outside my body and was watching myself choosing items off the shelf. It was 'this is Jude walking forwards and picking up a block of cheese and putting to her basket'. Very third person stuff. I became so prickly that I couldn't remember what on earth I was doing in the shop. I spent over an hour wandering around before I got myself under control.

The other time I was at fortunately at home alone. I began to think I was seriously losing the plot. I went to the Doc, who told me that I was suffering from post trauma stress, as it was fairly soon after the Bali bombing and I'd seen some very shocking scenes. She reassured me that it was the body's way of dealing with intense stress and that I wasn't going bonkers or going to die. She gave me a lot of valuable advice on dealing with stress and it helped greatly.

It hasn't happened again.

Jude
 

lindaj

Registered User
Jan 15, 2007
30
0
Nottingham
I suffered from panic attacks a few years ago they were so bad they were happening several times a day.I had a few sessions with our mental health nurse at my doctors surgery, he was very good he made up a relaxation tape for me and I laid on my bed twice a day for twenty mins listening to the tape I did this for a few months and it really helped I learned how to do deep relaxtion whenever I felt the panic rising. The problem is after all this time I can sometimes feel the panic trying to resurface and I have to do my relaxation to overcome the feeling and it always works for me.
 

Gill W

Registered User
Jan 31, 2007
190
0
Co. Durham
I know I'm way behind with this reply, bu I recommend Bach's Rescue Remedy too!

It's also useable via a few drops directly onto the tongue. My mum swears by it, rarely a day goes by now without her having the little bottle out!

And then there is the age old method of the good old paper bag, which slows down breathing for those who are hyperventilating. This works by slowing down the intake of oxygen. When one is hyperventilating, the oxygen intake is obviously increased, which can cause dizziness and general imbalance, heightening the panic attack even more with the feeling that you're going to pass out. When we exhale, we're breathing out carbon dioxide, and by breathing into a paper bag, you're collecting the carbon dioxide and eliminating oxygen for a few minutes.

Panic attacks are well scary, I've had several during asthma attacks that have led to my being taken to hospital. One of the best tips I can give is literally to relax oneself (easier said than done, I know) and take the deepest breaths you possibly can. Try to fill the whole of your lungs when you breath in, hold it for a count of 5 and let it out slowly through the nose. As your breathing slow, try to hold the breath for longer each time, up to a count of 10, but always let it out through your nose. That controls how quickly (or not!) you take your next breathe in?

Gill
XX
 
Last edited:

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
Must admit that grommit's post here quite threw me as it replied to something posted two and a half years ago!

a case of Bach to the future, maybe......