Still reeling from my first panic attack!?

Question

So last night I had my first panic attack. It was terrifying. I was shaking for a good two hours afterward. It basically came from too much coffee & drinking three beers a few hours later. Anyway, it's 24 hours later and I'm still anxious. I wasn't too bad in the first half of the day, but then I started getting anxious four or five hours ago and have been unable to relax. I think I've been traumatized. I have no medical insurance so I can't get something like Xanax (not sure how much it costs without?). Any recommendations on how I can get over this?

Answer 1

It is not uncommon for those who have experienced their first panic attack to continue to be fearful of it -- and so to continue with the symptoms--for an extended periood of time. Most definitely, if you are prone to anxiety, caffeine can trigger a panic attack. As a consequence, the fear of another panic attack can actually trigger another one. In a way, your description of being traumatized is exactly correct because the one panc attack brings on a lot of fearfulness of another. Some people are so traumatized by the panic attack that they continue to stay "hypervigilant" (the technical word for being very alert for the symptoms of another attack) for weeks or months. Panic attcks occur, in rather simple terms, because you lack enough a natural neurotransmitter that is related to benzodiazepines, the class of medications to which Xanax, Ativan, Valium, etc. belong. The quickest way to deal with a panic attack is to be able to take one of these mdications. In their generic form, they are not very expensive. Diazepam, the generic equivalent of Valium, is particularly inexpensive, but some of the other benzos are as well. My big concern, given that you say that you drank 3 beers, would be that you might take the medication and mix it with alcohol, a big no-no since each of these drugs potentiates the other--they become stronger in the presence of each other than they are alone. You MUST not drink alcohol when you take a benzo for anxiety! Alcohol itself can cause panic attacks. Even though you don't have prescription coverage, the cost of the meds for your panic disorder should not be too expensive.

The most effective treatment for panic disorder is a combination of medication therapy utilizing benzo medications (called "anxiolytics") and Cognitive-Behavioiral Therapy (C-BT). It is usually almost 100% effective. You should see a psychotherapist though who is well-trained in C-BT methods, not just any psychotherapist. Local mental health/behavioral health and counseling clinics often offer sliding scale fees for low-incme patients. If you need medications on a routine basis, there are a number of ways to obtain them at low-cost or no-cost. I believe that Wal-Mart pharmacies now offer generic Valium on their list of medications that they charge $4 for a one month's supply.

Good luck with it. Panic disorder, although it is scary and can be immobilizing, is very highly treatable. The success rate for those who use both medication and C-BT is very close to 100%.

Answer 2

xanax is cheap..... what's more important is to talk with a Doctor to get insight into attacks / causes. Cut back on the coffee and definitely no drinking beers.
Bless u.

Answer 3

get enough sleep and distract yr mind from thinking abt the things that traumatize u

Answer 4

try holding you breath for 10sec and let out slowly do it till you feel rellaxed again and go see your gp