If you used to have panic attacks and don't now, what helped?

[IHeartKingThistle]

I need help!

I've had attacks like this before but never this many. I've been physically unwell with an ear infection and had antibiotics which has set off my IBS but the panic episodes started a little bit before that. I don't even know if they are panic attacks but I get very hot, my heart rate shoots up, I feel sick and get diarrhoea. I can't really separate what's stomach problems and what's panic but I feel like something really bad is happening at the time. They come out of nowhere - I'm normally a really buoyant person - and I can't put my finger on what's triggering them.

How can I reset myself? Life is stressful at the moment for everybody but I can't keep being ill!

I was very ill about a decade ago and had lots of similar episodes then but haven't had them for years.

Please tell me what worked for you.

Oh and they make my legs shake too. It's so weird and horrible.

That is exactly how my panic attacks happen - the need to go to the loo, or the perceived need to go to the loo

I shall be watching with interest !

I get them in work meetings and people think I'm mad for needing to be by an open window but I also get the hot feeling

Very interested that you have noticed a link between panic attacks and IBS. I suffered badly from both in my 20s but never thought to link the two. The IBS was largely but not completely cured by going wheat free for about a year. I now eat it but only in moderation and seldom get bothered by IBS.

I have had some panic attacks recently - as you describe, heart rate, hot flushes. I had wondered whether it was linked to lockdown or potentially peri-menopause (I'm now in my 40s)

Hi @bigchris - I hope we can find some answers! Thankfully it's never happened at work with me but I had one on a train once and it was awful! Mainly it's in the evening and I'm starting to dread it getting dark, but that way madness lies...

Thanks @WildCherryBlossom - I'm 40 but when I suffered from these before I was 30 - I just can't find rhyme or reason for it! I do think there's a massive link between the brain and the stomach though; I just don't know which one's causing the other or how to stop the bloody things!

I don't eat white bread but maybe I should go easy on wheat and see if that helps.

Sertraline 👌

Antidepressants, talking kindly to yourself in your head, mindfulness, deep breathing techniques (Google search these), walking xxx

Keto. Going low carb helped everything including anxiety. I was on an SSRI for over ten years due to constant panic attacks. I came off with no problem 4 years ago and haven't had a panic attack or even gotten close.

I'm not anxiety free but it's not crippling like it used to be.

I had them as a teen and in my 20s, I can't explain it well but one day i just "clicked" that I knew it wasn't real and it would be over in
a short time and then they've sort of gone away on their own. Like I recognise the start of them and I can ignore or let them go x

Hypnotherapy, for both panic attacks and IBS. Worked very well for me.

I used to have panic attacks. I was in my 20s . I found a book in the library called Who's afraid? by Alice Neville. I read that book so many times and renewed it time and time again from the library ! It just helped to know I wasnt the only one . It gave me some sort of comfort somehow. Also a book by Dr Claire Weekes, not sure of the title but as I remember, had more practical advice . I know self help books aren't for everyone and it was a long time ago and the books are probably outdated but they did help and eventually the panic attacks did stop . Hope you find something that works for you as I know how awful and debilitating they are .

Propranolol. And a huge diet overhaul

I suffered massively in my 20s, now mid 40s. I have an attack around twice a year now. For me the fear of a panic attack was worse than the actual attack itself.. what helped the most was just accepting it really. It was a quirk of mine...a horrible few minutes now and again that I had to endure but they pass fairly quickly and I could then move on. This acceptance stopped the low level constant anxiety. I still suffer now and again..mostly if I feel "trapped" somewhere.

Also, reading a lot around the subject...understanding the why and how took away the fear that I was dying. I understood what was happening.

Interested in the diet aspect...I sometimes get symptoms similar to a PA if my blood sugar drops.

I read the book by Dr Claire Weekes. It helped me understand the fear of fear itself. I liked her acceptance idea, so I still feel the anxiety mounting but it helps me head it off. They haven’t gone away but they are less frequent.

Schema therapy really helped with mine

I developed bad anxiety and panic attacks out of the blue. Had loads of tests done and found out I was really anaemic (anxiety is a side effect).
Ive been taking really high strength iron supplements for a few months now (not the iron tablets you get in the shops as the dosage is far too low to make a real difference) and the panic attacks have gone now.
I had a really bad panic attack before finding out I was anaemic when I was on holiday up a tall building. I’ve never been claustrophobic or scared of heights before but I went into total meltdown and felt so hot and nauseas. Horrible!

Propranolol

Thank you so much for all the ideas and stories. It's a comfort to know it can be beaten at least! I'll look into all these.

I gave up caffeine.

Counselling, stopping smoking and drinking, losing some weight, no longer drinking caffeinated drinks, finding ways to reduce stress in my life, getting more sleep.

Therapy and beta blockers. But when they were at their worst I also gave up alcohol, caffeine and sugar which helped enormously.

Gave up caffeine the first time I started having attacks. It makes me feel sick now!