Extremely Severe Panic Attacks
Question:
I seem to be a world class panic attack owner and I’m looking for a little re-assurance or possibly some advice. I have a panic attack roughly once every three years (total of 5 so far), but when I have them, they are INTENSE. I normally am unable/barely able to walk, have great difficulty speaking, and feel numbness on my left side. I KNOW, that sounds like a stroke, believe me, I’ve seen doctors. Tons of tests have been taken, and every time I get the same diagnosis. There is nothing wrong with you, go home. NONE of them have been willing (able?) to diagnos them as Anxiety. I normally feel AWFUL for a week or two following the attack, then I slowly start to recover after that point. I would have continued to seek doctors if I hadn’t noticed one symptom that tends to make me think that this is anxiety-related. After roughly 15 minutes of "stroking out", I get uncontrollable full- body shakes that last for about 10-15 minutes. My question is: Does anybody else get attacks of this frequency (roughly once every 3 years) and intensity with similar symptoms? Should I continue to seek out Doctors, or accept this as my lot in life? I should also say that I do not medicate. I hate the thought of taking drugs for the rest of my life. I’m very healthy for 3 years or so, then I have these "Grand Mal" episodes with no warning. Thanks in advance for any thoughts. — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I seem to be a world class panic attack owner and I’m looking for a little re-assurance or possibly some advice. I have a panic attack roughly once every three years (total of 5 so far), but when I have them, they are INTENSE. I normally am unable/barely able to walk, have great difficulty speaking, and feel numbness on my left side. I KNOW, that sounds like a stroke, believe me, I’ve seen doctors. Tons of tests have been taken, and every time I get the same diagnosis. There is nothing wrong with you, go home. NONE of them have been willing (able?) to diagnos them as Anxiety. I normally feel AWFUL for a week or two following the attack, then I slowly start to recover after that point. I would have continued to seek doctors if I hadn’t noticed one symptom that tends to make me think that this is anxiety-related. After roughly 15 minutes of "stroking out", I get uncontrollable full- body shakes that last for about 10-15 minutes. My question is: Does anybody else get attacks of this frequency (roughly once every 3 years) and intensity with similar symptoms? Should I continue to seek out Doctors, or accept this as my lot in life? I should also say that I do not medicate. I hate the thought of taking drugs for the rest of my life. I’m very healthy for 3 years or so, then I have these "Grand Mal" episodes with no warning. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
the numbness on only one side is troubling to me-the rest seems rather pedestrian as far as a panic attack of high intensity goes-the week or two post episode is rather troubling as well. Not knowing what tests you have had I cannot comment further with anything other then guesswork or assumption. Having something of this magnitude every three years seems a small price to pay for being alive, provided it is purely panic driven-there are those who have multiple high intesnity panic attacks per day every day. I would recommend a consult with a vascular specialist, a neurologist followed by a psychiatrist. If it is panic, Alprazolam can be given while the attack is occuring at a moderate sublingual dose that could abort the progress of a panic attack and it can be further used for a few days post episode-this hardly constitutes a medical regimen of drugs being used prophylactically for events that occur every three years or so… You could be having tia’s which are not really diagnosable after the fact except possibly with a pet scan and a great pair of eyes evaluating it-a 24 hour blood pressure and holter monitor shoud be done several times to see what may be happening if anything in your vasculature-numbness relating to panic and hyperventilation is stereotypical meaning it would be both arms-left side is highly suspect of a major vascular disruption — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm
Response:
My question is: Does anybody else get attacks of this frequency (roughly once every 3 years) and intensity with similar symptoms?
No, mine were more frequent and only at specific times (driving on the highway) but they were just intense. I felt like I was having a heart attack and like I was literally going to jump out of my skin. Should I continue to seek out Doctors, or accept this as my lot in life?
Yes, by all means continue to seek out doctors until you find one who will listen to you and treat your problem. I should also say that I do not medicate. I hate the thought of taking drugs for the rest of my life. I’m very healthy for 3 years or so, then I have these "Grand Mal" episodes with no warning.
I understand your reluctance to medicate, as I felt the same way for years. However, nothing else helped my panic attacks and they were severely affecting every aspect of my life, so I gave in. I now take . 05 mg of Klonopin twice a day and I haven’t had a panic attack in six months. Look at it this way; if you had high blood pressure or diabetes, and the only way you could keep it under control was to take medication for the rest of your life, you’d do it, right? This is pretty much the same thing. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
You’re welcome, hope this helped. Joe — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm
