• Welcome to Phoenix Rising!

    Created in 2008, Phoenix Rising is the largest and oldest forum dedicated to furthering the understanding of and finding treatments for complex chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), long COVID, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and allied diseases.

    To become a member, simply click the Register button at the top right.

Panic Attacks/Panic Disorder

Messages
17
Location
Alabama
I assume I'm posting in the right category. I would like to know who has panic disorder along with CFS/ME? AND what treatment has been SUCCESSFUL to deal with, overcome, the panic? I've had CFS for since Apr 89. Panic has been a part of it all along....worse at times....worse over the past years.....
I don't do well on anti-depressants....never have been able to tolerate the side effects....
I do take Klonopin........initially for sleep......now if I need to can take during the day also.
Would really appreciate some replies.
Thanks so much!
Lane
 

coxy

Senior Member
Messages
174
Hi, i was having bad anxiety attacks which i'm not sure are the same as panic attacks, i used to get them when i took either of my me./cfs children to hospital or on odd other stressful occasions. Went really hot/sweaty, very shakey and generally felt like i was going to pass out. My son's paeditrician actually sent him out of the room so he could deal with me!
Although i DO NOT advise the LP to anyone as it hasn't cured me (did get a much better 3 mths though), it seemed to greatly help the anxiety issues. I presume CBT could help in that way which seems to make sense to me & it's free so i would say that may be worth a go if you haven't already?
 
Messages
17
Location
Alabama
What is LP? I've thought about CBT; but it wouldn't be free for me. I would have to see if and how many sessions were covered by Medicare. Thank you for replying!
 
Messages
17
Location
Alabama
Hmm....I haven't associated panic with wheat and dairy. How were you able to "weed" this out as the culprit? Thank you for your reply.
 

coxy

Senior Member
Messages
174
LP is the so called cure to me/cfs that isn't a cure, it stands for lightning process and it's a very expensive 3 day therapy.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
I started to get panic attacks after a very long time of having CFS/ME. In my case i taught myself to control them and ended up overcoming them using meditation techniques I used to teach others (before I got sick).

To do that.. you need to realise the very moment you are about to have one or just starting to have one.. watch your breath in and out, focus on deep full slow (but not strained) breathing... and feel the air going down deep. As soon as you have awareness and control over your breath (that stops the hyperventation of a panic attack which only then makes it worst) keeping breath slow and deep, try to calm your mind and fear by thinking of a place you enjoy very much and relax in.. eg imagine laying on the beach ... or imagine sitting in a quiet forest. Imagine the feel of the breeze on your skin or the sun on you.. imagine the scents of the place.. imagine what you would be hearing in that place eg birds/seagulls or ocean waves, wind in leaves etc. Use as many of your senses as you can to imagine this place. (i one day had to do this is a supermarket line up).

After doing this a few times on panic attacks.. mine then stopped all together and i havent had one since.

It may help to do the visualisation and breathing you would use.. when you are not having panic attacks.. so when you do then have to use it, it hopefully will be easier to imagine as you've thought in depth about it and done it before. Its something which can get a lot better with practice
 

Levi

Senior Member
Messages
188
Panic Attacks

Panic attacks are serious. They could be the result of some organic insult to your CNS. If that is the case, then they may be followed by a clinical depression in a one/two punch. You should get treatment because panic attacks may become chronic if untreated, although they tend to self-limit over time.

The drug Buspar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buspirone helps some patients enormously, although it has fallen out of favor because it is not addictive, takes a month to start working, and the patent has expired so its relatively cheap. Biofeedback can be very helpful with panic attacks, but first you will need to get enough control of the problem to explore the possibilities. Benzodiazapines are the front line short term treatment. Good luck!
 

caledonia

Senior Member
panic attack = anxiety attack - two names for the same thing.

It sounds like you may have generalized anxiety disorder, which is what I've been diagnosed with too.

With CFS/ME, it can be caused by a dysregulated central nervous system or a reaction to chemicals if you're sensitive to them (probably). I haven't really heard of wheat and diary causing anxiety before, but why not. I have problems with nitrites which are common additives in nuts and berries.

The usual treatment is an SSRI possibly with a benzodiazepine. Some people have problems with one or the other so you have to keep trying them until you get something that works. Zoloft is supposed to be one of the better tolerated SSRI's, and Klonopin one of the better tolerated benzodiazepine.

Since you already know you tolerate Klonopin, you can try taking the Klonopin 3 times a day - morning, afternoon, and bedtime, so you get constant coverage, and see how that works for you.

You can also go the natural route and try calming supplements such as magnesium, 5htp, tryptophan, theanine, etc.

Or you can do a combination of both - basically whatever works.

On the psychological side, you can also do meditation, CBT, or EFT (emotional freedom technique).

CBT is helpful for realizing the panicky thoughts that go through you head, that can make things worse. Plus sometimes, it's just nice to talk to a supportive person. Practicing meditation is good for learning how to calm your body quickly and learning how to live in the moment, and EFT is good for quickly zapping anxiety, past traumas and a zillion other things.

In general, any time you start a new medicine or supplement, start with a very tiny dose, much smaller than a normal dose, to test tolerance. Say like 1/8 of a normal dose. If you you're having problems, reduce the dose in half and half again, etc. until you can tolerate it. Then you can increase to the next larger dose and gradually build up to a normal or semi-normal dose.

Another trick in my arsenal is self-muscle testing. You can tell before you take something, if you can tolerate it, and also what dose to take. There are videos on YouTube that explain how to do EFT, self muscle testing, and I'm sure meditation too.

The mind-body-supplement stuff works for mild to moderate anxiety, so you may need some kind of med to control the heavy stuff and then use the other stuff for milder breakthrough anxiety.

Good luck - this should be a treatable problem, so don't give up.
 

Forbin

Senior Member
Messages
966
Panic attack / panic disorder is something that I started to see getting a lot of press attention in the early 1980s at virtually the same time that CFS outbreaks were occurring in the US. This may have been mere coincidence, but it is worth noting.

I can think of at least a couple of things, other than "pure" actual panic attack, which might lead to a person with CFS to believe that he is suffering from panic attacks. One would be a sudden attack of dizziness, which could easily result in a large release of adrenalin. Panic also releases adrenalin and so the symptoms of a surge of adrenalin (pounding heart, sweating, flushing, shakiness, etc) come to be associated with panic. You could probably inject yourself with adrenalin and experience panic.

From what Ive read, adrenalin can also be released in response to a sudden drop in blood sugar (reactive hypoglycemia). This kind of drop in blood sugar then might also produce symptoms that one would associate with "panic."

I experienced both of these kinds of events after I became ill in the early 1980s. I briefly investigated the panic attack theory, but my doctor backed off that idea when other tests showed a demonstrable disturbance in the balance center of my inner ear.

Im not saying that a standalone panic attack does not exist, just that there are other things that can make you feel like youre having such an attack.
 
Messages
13,774
I went through a little period of passing out when I was a teen. We weren't really sure why, and it was rare enough not to worry, especailly as it stopped after a bit. I also used to pass out at the sight of my own blood as a child.

Since getting ill I again started feeling woozy when having blood taken for tests and more so at the sight of blood.

It always passes quickly, but it is one of the things that I think could have been a pre-disposing factor for CFS.
 

Jody

Senior Member
Messages
4,636
Location
Canada
Hmm....I haven't associated panic with wheat and dairy. How were you able to "weed" this out as the culprit? Thank you for your reply.

I can put cream in my coffee without problems but other than the occasional piece of cheese, I can't handle dairy.

Not sure if it contributes to panic attacks but grains sure as thunder do. Anxiety and out and out panic attacks that have me wanting to curl up in a ball and cry, or with starbursts and explosions under the skin and sensation of vibrating and shaking, buzzing and numbness ... breathing hard or panting -- or wanting to ... like I'll burst out of my skin with it, rocking trying to calm myself ... These are just a few of the things grains can do to me.

Many of us have grain sensitivities (dairy too for that matter). Different from celiac, and whether or not tests show anything is irrelevant. Best way to tell is go off grains for awhile. It took less than 48 hours for me to feel the astonishing difference that it makes for me.

Even eliminated a brooding angst that I remember at least as far back as high school.

And whole grains? For me, I think that's even worse than the de-vitalized kind cos -- more grains. :rolleyes:

Also would have to forego bran and wheat germ if you use them.
 

glenp

"and this too shall pass"
Messages
776
Location
Vancouver Canada suburbs
Have you monitored your blood pressure and heart rate to check for dysautonomia? What I thought was panic attacks for years was dysautonomia. I also agree with the poster that suggested buspar has been dropped, I think that it is one of the safer drugs to use. Have you had heart tests?

glen