Yes, I would definitely chat with your Dr, maybe not change, but modify or adjust the time you take them. You know antidepressants can cause nightmares?

The fact that you cannot die from a Panic Attack is meaningless when you feel that you are on the brink due to these irrational fears. All I can suggest is that you adopt a practice of Meditation or controlled breathing to calm yourself as rapidly as possible.

Dave.

Hi vegetagirl,

Panic attacks can be so frightening!

It's a great idea to review your meds with your doctor.

Some people feel support from supplementing magnesium. I wonder what percentage of the population may have a magnesium deficiency? I have known of people without a magnesium deficiency also finding magnesium supplementation helpful to them in various ways.

If/when people have a serious anxiety/panic challenge, magnesium supplementation may not be enough; yet, it's wise to be sure you are getting enough magnesium (and other nutrients).

My mother has anxiety attacks. She does better on her medication with this when she supplements with magnesium. She uses less medication, as well. She uses ionic magnesium (powdered).

(I have had her take Taurine, which is a GABA precursor, when her episodes become more severe. Utilizing a GABA precursor does not alter the natural production of GABA.)

Please do see the magnesium thread and consult with your treating physician.

Panic attacks tend to become self-perpetuating. Each time we have a panic attack, it may "kindle" additional panic attacks. It's best to get these attacks under control as soon as possible.

I am glad you are reaching out about your experiences. Ongoing panic attacks are tough to handle, and tend to become more frequent without adequate intervention.

I hope you have found relief.



DejaVu

Vegetagirl, I am sorry to read about your panic attack - I get them sometimes.

What works for me (as Dave has suggested) is deep breathing exercises and mindfulness, as well as progressive muscle relaxation.

All of the other suggestions look great to me - I hope that things improve for you soon.

With care.

At the time I was having the panic attacks waking me from sleep, I was going through a lot of massive changes in my life and an extremely difficult time with a failed marriage and 2 very young children who had some special needs. You know how it is... life.

I think, for me at least, the background level of stress and anxiety had reached a limit and the panic attacks in sleep were a spillover from that.

I still remember them clearly. If I have a panic attack in the day (rare lately thankfully ) I am more aware of what is going on and can stop it escalating or avoid dangerous situations until it's passed but having these ones waking me up as full blown panic was just terrifying.

I remember I used to wake with a metallic taste in my mouth and I believe it was related to a lactic acid buildup.

I take a few supplements. I didn't ever have any luck with medications. I think I was taking Zoloft at the time the panic attacks were waking me at night. It didn't help me in any way at all.

I come from a long line of ticcy people so we all know to take extra Magnesium. I take the occasional Tryptophan to help me sleep. I also have a large jar of Inositol and I often take a spoonful of that before I hop in the car to get in the peak hour traffic. I take some other things as well. I'm sure the B12 I take helps me as well just in a general sense.

I don't think it matters what we take or what steps we make... they're all good if they help keep the background anxiety state to a minimum. It's a matter of working it out for our own bodies and minds. I'm much more chilled out now that I'm older than I was when I was younger when everyone always said I was so calm and collected yet on the inside I was a churning, anxious mess just trying to navigate my way through the world. It hasn't happened by accident though. I've had to work at it very hard.

Having said all that I just need to say that I don't have horrific pain.

Sure I have other things going on but I don't have horrific pain like many of you do and I don't have to deal with medications for that pain that may interrupt sleep cycles and background stress. I'm very fortunate in that regard. I think you're all amazing.

The best thing I ever learned about panic attacks was to recognize them. I learned about the physical signs of flight or fight and the aura (in my case) that precedes the attack. By learning about how our body reacts, we can demystify the process and that makes it less frightening for me at least. It doesn't always work, but it does help me.

The problem is that it all goes out the window when woken from sleep in panic so we really have to work on the background stress so it doesn't ever escalate to that level.

Sorry to write so much, it just fell out

Thank you guys ever so much, yea I have alot on my mind I will talk to my doctor about the Magnesium and see if this can help me. I think I need a more natural approach to the problem. I try so hard to talk it down it get worse and I am really in a panic and it happens when no one is home. I hate that..

There are many videos online demonstrating potentially helpful breathing exercises.

This one is called the 4-7-8 Breath, explained and taught by Andrew Weil, M.D., in this video: http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/VDR00112...nstration.html

Many find this one, and many other breathing techniques, quite helpful. Practice makes perfect.

I can attest to the helpfulness of this particular breathing exercise.

Dr. Weil states this is a very powerful tool for dealing with anxiety.
He states he teaches this to people with intractable anxiety conditions with great success.

I hope you'll consider giving this a try.


DejaVu

Here is another technique to try, taught by my mentor, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso. It is a Buddhist Meditation technique, but is secular and suitable for all.

http://www.how-to-meditate.org/breat...ditations.htm/

Dave.