Please, please, please... anybody else got this?

[confused80]

Hi to all,

im new to this site unfortunately not new to panick attacks. I first had them when i was 16 while going through depression after my fathers death. Went on meds for 4 years, tried various combinations but nothings helped and at age 20 i couldt function without meds 3 times a day. Thankfully i came across my therapist who helped me cut the meds down, went through therapy and was free of the attacks for the last 9 years with minor incidents maybe once or twice a year that i didnt even pay attention and could handle. The last 2 years have been pretty tough for me, went through some major disappointments and changes so couple of months ago the panic attacks re-appeared. I was prescribed cipralex by a psychiatrist however my therapist supports me in my decision to go through this without meds and fight it as i did the first time.

Now, what is happening to me now that i didnt experience before is the following: my main symptom when i go thought the anxiety/panick attack is dizziness, racing heart and lightheadedness. There have been a couple of times were the dizziness was not simply feeling unstable but felt like vertigo for 4-5 seconds. As if the room is actually moving and at that time the heart races and i feel like i just want to run out of the room, as if i go crazy and i got to move cause i feel this will stop the vertigo. I dont know if the vertigo causes this reaction of me wanting to move nervously for it to stop or if its the panic attack that causes all the rest. But as a result im scared of going to places not to have a similar episode and i got this nervous reaction in front of a crowd. Im even scared this vertigo will never stop and i will go on and on feeling this spinning feeling.

Let me know what you think. I hope it made sence ...
Thank you

[sunny]

Oh yeah. It makes sense. Most of us have some combination of your symptoms. The only thing I can say is DO NOT RUN out of any room. Once you start running when you're panicked it's soooooo hard to stop. Walk, slowly and calmly out of a situation you find overwhelming. Breathe slowly. Count your steps if that helps. There is always a beginning, middle and end to a panic attack. no matter how uncomfortable, it does end. Let us know how you go. Be well.

Sunny

[dino]

Hiya confused80

A huge welcome to phobics you will find loads of support both here and in the chat room :)

My main symptom is the vertigo faint feelings so i can relate a bit to how you feel :o

My sincerest condolences also on the loss of your father my panic agro etc intensified after i lost lost my father like you im here at the stage i am determined to go without medication from now on to try and get some control of things sunny i think sums it up by saying do not run away from it easier said than done but i know it needs to be done 8)

I wish you well

love dino
xxxxx
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p251/dino_042/welcome-2.gif

[moggy]

Hi........ im new to this, I started with panic attacks about 8 -10 weeks ago , as you could imagine i was frantic, the first couple of times i went dizzy, I didnt think anything about it , 2 weeks later i had a wierd feeling when driving , it was a sensation of something rushing up my body, making me very dizzy and my heart was coming out of my chest, this happened again 5 mins later. In turn i went to my docs who thought i may have vertigo, then i again i thought nothing about... well let me bore you again, 10 days later i was away for a golf weekend and for some reason looking back i was feeling strange , may be anxious .. i started to feel weak on the course , legs felt week , cold sensations flowing over my arms , clammy, nausia and then wham , a surge ran up my body , extreme dizziness and it felt like I had recieved an electric shock without the pain or burn , then my heart was racing and i fell to the floor ... after this episode i felt scared and unusual and it left me with ringing in my left ear which is still present.. I went to my docs who sent me for an ecg and blood tests which come back clear.. a week later i must have had another attack of sorts , developing a migraine and the ringing increased in my ear.. I ended up at the hostpital , another ecg and blood done, all clear , was referred to an emergency ent who examined me and said i have nothing life threatening, this didnt not feel like it to me .. i was convinced i had a tumour etc.. which caused more anxiety , headaches , dizziness and so on ,,, i began to feel better then developed a cough etc , i was convinced i had cancer... my mind was making me have all the symptoms .. i seen another 2 docs who said i aint got cancer , which is a relief, however i feel i do have something wrong with me ,,, i guess thats anxiety ... and today i went on a date ... guess what .. a panic attack occurred.. things started off great on the date , then i could feel myself getting nervous... then whoosh , a surge all up my body to my head , dizziness, throbbing but no palpatations ... i feel scared all the time , think my brain is gonna explode or something equally awful... can anyone help me , im at my wits end , it is having an impact on my life .. i am on meds , but they dont seem to help ... oh the young lady has agreed to go out with me again , i dont want the same thing to happen...

Thanks for reading , any advice would be great

Moggy

[Jitterbug]

yep... me too. Really frigs a person up until they learn its a part of the whole anxiety package.

anxirty package... hmmm sounds like some kind of product or something... hmmm anybody want a pkg of anxiety? they can have mine... reeeeeeal cheap lol

seriously the vertigo and dizzyness ... alot of us have it its quite common.

[santasuit]

So sorry you're feeling this way. I've had panic attacks for years and I can absolutely relate to what you experience - particularly the dizziness. One of the best things I always find is to sit, be still and focus on the fact that anxiety always passes.

In terms of meds I've always found Diazepam to be incredibly fast and effective in dealing with panic attack symptoms.

Hope you find a way to recover.

SS

[fathead]

Wow moggy that is exactly what has happened to me. I have this persistent ringing in my right ear and I cough and have this gagging feeling all the time. I felt lightheaded and felt like I was going to pass out and quick jumped out of my livingroom chair and started walking around in the backyard with me thinking"what the hell is happening" when the first incident happened. I also feared i had some type of tumor because of the dizziness and the ear ringing. Thank god for the internet and people sharing their stories because you can't imagine what these symptoms feel like until you have experienced them.

[wyn]

i can relate to your symptoms completely.aswell has suffering from panic and anxiety attacks..i suffer with my ears,last year i had vertigo which was caused by calcium deposits in my ear at the time i didnt know this and to say i was scared is a understatement..it was like a vicious c***le one complaint made the other worse...ican honestly say it was the worse experience of my life..but i am recovered from the vertigo now i pray and hope i never have it again . hope this helps put your mind at rest xx

[dan613]

Oops dropped my keyboard-Hi confused80, this is dan613 (again) Sounds familiar! I have panic attacks and do get dizzy, but i also have vertigo. They both are somewhat simular but a true vertigo attack you usually "lose your lunch" and cant walk. So just my opinion-im thinkin your just getting that extra boost of adrenalin that can be really scary and makes you feel "airborn". Im 47 and been dealing with this crap for 30+ years. But im a lot better than i was. I hope this helps you out. Panic attacks take many forms-we all know that! But in my experiance vertigo pretty much gives you a panic attack and a panic attack never gives me a full blown lunch hurling vertigo attack. Again-hope this helps and good luck!

[wyn]

hi moggy, i thought i was the only one who had the cold sensations thing ...thanks for putting me straight on this..that feeling has made me panic.

[anxietynomore]

Confused80, I had panic attacks soooooo bad. But I can tell you this, you will get past it. When you are going through it it can feel like nothing is going to help. Thats not the case at all. You just need the right information. http://www.amazon.com/Anxiety-thing-Bright-future-ebook/dp/B004YDL72O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1304126024&sr=1-1-spell

Something in this book will help you.