# what does an anxiety/panic attack feel like?



## 23392

What *does* an anxiety attack, or panic attack, feel like?Is there any info on the web, either?Thanks!


----------



## 23677

It is a terrible feeling of not being able to cope with any given situation, yet most times you dont know why.For instance you may find that all of a sudden you cannot face entering the supermarket or answering the phone.There is usually an adrenalin rush associated with it that would normally be caused by something like bad news or a near accident in your car. Quite often the thyroid is to blame which can be affected by the gut wall being inflamed (as in some forms of IBS) & absorbing toxins, bacteria, fermenting gases etc instead of nutrients.Hot flushes (flashes) can also be part of the panic attack cycle.


----------



## 14514

I get them and what happens to me is this.Suddenly I'll feel like I'm afraid of something for no particular reason. I'll stop breathing normally and suddenly I feel like I can't breathe and my chest tightens. I'll sweat a little, feel like crying and get nauseated. It's very unnerving and although it passes within 3-5 minutes, I'm left very uncomfortable for a chunk of the day afterward. Also, when it happens out in public I get very upset and get an 'adverse feeling' to the place I was just at.Some people get very bad and eventually stop going out because they feel that impending doom. Very unnerving.


----------



## 23392

Snakeoil, can you say more about this? How does the problem in the gut affect the thyroid? Is it because you may not be absorbing the nutrients to build thyroid hormone, or do you mean something else?Most curious, and thanks!


> quote:Quite often the thyroid is to blame which can be affected by the gut wall being inflamed (as in some forms of IBS) & absorbing toxins, bacteria, fermenting gases etc instead of nutrients.


----------



## 23677

A.O The thyroid is a very effective organ that controls metabolism & the way we respond to things in daily life. If your blood has toxins in it & is fighting bacteria or other infections your normal reactions like fight or run with release of adrenalin can occur for no obvious reason. Hence panic attack! I believe the terms hypoglycemic & hyperglycemic describe the 2 opposite conditions.Apart from the problem of the gut wall becoming porous due to inflamation & allowing foreign matter into the system many people (who may not even have IBS)suffer because they live in areas where there is a shortage of Iodine in the soil & so also in the plants they live. Iodine is important as a regulator for the thyroid & the reason why salt is available which contains it. I have in the past successfully used mangosteen juice to help reduce the gut inflammation & also taken Kelp tablets which contain a lot of iodine.Care must be taken however with Kelp(seaweed) as it is possible to over iodize the thyroid which I have heard is very dangerous.







If you live by the sea you wont have iodine deficiency because it is carried on shore by sea winds & absorbed through the skin.


----------



## 23677

I apologise, & its a wonder I was not picked up on it. The term is hypo & hyperthyroidism not hypo & hyperglycemic (that is reaction to glucose intake) One of the conditions of thyroidism is hyporcalcemic & I got confused. Graves Disease is another. Hypo means low functioning, while hyper is the opposite & far more dangerous. When the a person has LEAKY GUT SYNDROME it is possible to suffer from both conditions intermittently, though clinical tests may show nothing.


----------



## eric

FYIPsychology TodayThe Fear of Fear Itself Panic attacks http://www.psychologytoday.com/rss/pto-20051102-000001.html


----------



## 23392

SnakeOil, I'm still confused.  I understand hyper- and hypo-thyroidism. And the link of iodine to that. I am most curious about the 'calcemic' part [I can't tell if you meant hypo or hyper, since the typing read 'hyporcalcemic.'  I make tons of typos,  so it's not a diss--just curious. I have not heard the 'calcemic' part, but it could well be because thyroid controls parathyroid and that controls some of those ions...anyway, curious to know more.I also know the thyroid can slow down, for instance, the stomach if the thyroid is low [hypo]. But this i'm still trying to figure out:


> quote:The thyroid is a very effective organ that controls metabolism & the way we respond to things in daily life. If your blood has toxins in it & is fighting bacteria or other infections your normal reactions like fight or run with release of adrenalin can occur for no obvious reason. Hence panic attack!


Right, thyroid controls metabolism but I thought fight or flight was a brain/adrenal gland thing. I know the body--for instance a hyperaroused, sensitive gut--can send signals to a hyperaroused brain, and set off the adrenals, but I wasn't aware it set off the thyroid?? Or am I totally misinterpreting?


----------



## 17176

I get them also, i was on a train last year going to visit my sister in Glasgow, i started to panic, sweat, and honestly thought my time had come, i could hardly breath i started to panic and got off the train as soon as it stopped at the 1st stop..I sympathise with anyone who has panic attacks..


----------



## 21286

Hi,I get them and they are very scary. What it feels like to me is that I'm an infant wanting somebody to "tell me that it's going to be all okay." I suddenly get nervous, sweat, chest pains, can't think, talk or even move because I get paralyzed by fear. They pass quickly but afterwards you feel wiped out and you begin to think that something is seriously wrong with you.I went to the dr. the other day and he said "you are afraid of dying." I said, "yes I am." He said, " 3 out of 3 people die, nobody makes it out alive." For some weird reason that really calmed me down and I have not been having terrible panic attacks since; however it's only been a few days.


----------



## 18832

Hi all,As a health psychologist, I work with many people who experience panic attacks. Frequently, they are related to the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system or the "flight or fight response" as someone previously mentioned. It can be set off by the brain perceiving a threat, whether or not a threat actually exists. So the first step is to send a message to the brain that everything is ok; the threat is under control. You can do this by a 4-step process: 1. Picture a stop sign and say stop to yourself; 2. Take 2 deep diaphragmatic breaths; (1&2 designed to decrease the release of cortisol, etc.)3. Identify what it is that's causing you to feel anxious; you don't try and solve that problem or issue but rather give yourself 2 or 3 options to reduce your anxiety, e.g., wallk around the block; call a friend; play some music. The 4th step is to choose one of the options - which gives you back a sense of control and further reduces the cycle. Hope this helps.


----------



## 17176

hello and welcome fatone


----------



## h8ibs

When I get panic attacks, I feel like I'm "trapped" and need escape. I get a very panicked feeling and my feel like I'm disconnected from myself. Everything seems almost dreamlike, which is a scary feeling, then I panic because I'm panicking. I've learned how to cope and rarely get attacks anymore. And when I do, I just tell myself that it's just a panic attack, that everything's okay, and that nothing's wrong with me. They seem to pass rather quickly.


----------



## Lizzy669

My panic attacks started with the feeling of butterflies in the stomach and that weird feeling moved into my chest. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my system, but could do nothing to stop it. I had heart palpitations, nausea, and the runs. There were nights I wouldn't go to sleep because I thought I would never wake up again. I couldn't leave my house for months. The attacks usually lasted all day. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.


----------



## 23392

Lizzy, what did you do about them/what helped?Thanks!


----------



## Lizzy669

My doctor put me on paxil and xanax, but just for the two weeks every month that they happened(they only happened during PMS and my period). A few months ago she put me on paxil every day for the fibro,too. It even helps a bit with IBS. Yoga and meditation also help when I feel one coming on even with the meds, although that is now rare.


----------



## 14266

I've had Generalized Anxiety Disorder for a few years, but have gotten much better. My attacks were VERY physical - clamminess, sweating, sudden urge to move my bowels, tingling in my groin, nauseau, dizziness, etc. Along with those, inability to think straight at all, sure that nothing was right, maybe I was never going to come back from it and be insane forever. I got my first hard core attack when I was a junior in high school (22 years ago now...wow!) having lunch with my mother and felt as though I didn't even know who she was for several minutes.Anyway, a lot of my anxiety seems to have been decreased through dietary changes...probably most notably quitting wheat. I have read things about celiac and wheat intolerance leading to anxiety. (Celiac, in fact, has now been linked to schitzophrenia.) For me, it also meant no nightshades (tomato, potato, eggplant, tobacco, peppers).Generalized Anxiety Disorder can be tough because the triggers are extremely hard (if not impossible at times) to identify. I just think conidering that your triggers might be food can be extremely helpful. It is something easily changed and makes a huge difference if it is true for you.I also have CALMS pills that I take when I'm feeling a bit rough ... a homeopathy remedy for anxiety and sleeplessness. Good luck!


----------



## 15341

For me they vary considerably depending on the severity of the situation, the usual is high temperature/the sweats, feeling sick, heart beating ninety to the dozen sometimes to the extent i can literally feel the blood running through my body, light headed/dizzy feeling. thats about the most common things for me, and i usually get the whole combination all at once, the trouble is though afterwards i can feel like death for example if i get one of these oh so wonderful attacks in the morning it can wipe me out for the rest of the day. All i can say about panic attacks is thems is not nice things to have.


----------



## 14706

I have the anxiety disorder too. My attacks are very physical and in my head I don't feel scared of anything except for the actual attack. I get light headed my heart beats fast sweaty but worst of all dizy, I can't focus AT ALL. It's like I'm moving slow motion but everyone else isn't. IDK it's hard to explain. Also the triggers could be anything...or maybe there weren't specific triggers. I could have one just sitting at home. Since I've been on anti-depressants I've felt much better. Some times I'll start to feel an attack come on...like if I'm at a mall but then it will stop. I'm so happy to be doing better.


----------

