Panic attacks

[Gettingbysomehow]

I've had CPTSD for as long as I can remember from childhood abuse and neglect. I was only diagnosed in recent years.
I decided I wasn't going to let them ruin my life a long time ago and I've been quite successful raising DS alone, with work and a career and I'm settled on escitalopra..
I live my life my way although I don't do well in relationships because I find men too selfish so I live alone, DS has grown up and we are close.
But the one thing I can't seem to conquer is panic attacks. I don't have them during the day, I wake up from a lovely sleep in the early hours in a full blown terrifying panic attack. I don't understand how you can enter a panic attack when you are asleep.
Has anyone found a way to control them without medication? I don't want to take any more meds. They make me feel shaky all day even though I don't have that many.

Have you had any therapy for your CPTSD? I know you don't want medication but you might find beta blockers really helpful. They stop the physical symptoms of a panic attack. It's not uncommon to wake up having a panic attack.

Have you tried magnesium? You can take it before bed to help you sleep.

I recommend Pete Walker's book CPTSD from Surviving to Thriving.

Did the panic attacks in the early hours of the morning always happen? I've never had them, but started in my early 40s with horrendous panic attacks at 3am ish, which would take me hours to come down from. HRT sorted it right out, turns out it's a bonus feature of hormone changes in perimenopause, not sure if that lines up for you too?

Thank you. I'm on both of those things. Although the beta blockers are for my blood pressure primarily and I take a really good quality magnesium supplement.
I had loads of therapy but in the end the psychiatrist decided I'd dealt with it better than they could as I'd had it for 40 years before it was diagnosed. Nobody knew about CPTSD until fairly recent years so we agreed to leave it where it was.
I do agree though reading about it really does help. I may try hypnotherapy.

Yes always in the early hours 3am or thereabouts. Fortunately I am long past the menopause at 62 but I still take HRT for the benefits.
The menopause really set me off on one. I started taking HRT very early on with good effect.
I think these panic attacks were probably set off by much loved family members deciding to emigrate to the other side of the world and work stress plus I'm waiting for orthopaedic surgery so that's probably on my mind too thinking about it.