Posted by Dave Emond (64.12.105.26) on July 06, 2001 at 16:40:22:
In Reply to: CH's and panic attacks posted by Catfish on July 06, 2001 at 13:59:18:
Hi Catfish,
Most likey CH and your panic attacks are not related. Do any other members in any of your bloodline family suffer from anxiety disorders?
I myself have for 15 years, and have 3 brothers and a mother who do also. In fact, my youngest brother is completely disabled by agoraphobia.
(It hit him when he was in his early teens). Fortunately, it hit the rest of us later in life and we had enough years of social skills and tools to better deal with it. Plus, doctors recognized it as a real disorder, but back when my brother first got it, no one would treat him. That was the early 80's.
It's a strange disorder, I get anxiety attacks in traffic jams or on bridges. Yet, I'm the last one to panic in a crisis. Twice I've come across car accidents where people were freaking out, both times I calmy crawled into the over turned cars and pulled the people out. Have come across many crisis situations, but never panic ... yet I get caught at a red light in the left hand turn lane and want to freak out. It makes me feel so very very stupid. There is no explanation that will ever satisfy me.
I take a medication called Xanax. At the very beginning, it takes about a week or so before it really starts working well, but once it kicks in, panic attacks are history! Sure, you'll feel some anxiety now and then, but this stuff will not let the full blown panic attacks happen. Problem is, most all these medications for this disorder are narcotics, and are very addictive. I try very hard to monitor my use of them. Because of the history of anxiety disorders in my family, I'm pretty well versed in the many different medications and treatments used, and some of the theories of what causes these attacks. If you want, you can e-mail me and we can discuss it further. It is highly possible that this might not be a lifetime problem for you, I pray it isn't. There are also natural herb products I would try first, I could tell you about, and other coping skills. Give me a shout, and we'll talk.
Dave