re: Panic Attacks-Seeking Advice

1.) Cut coffee in half.
2.) Go for a 10 minute walk each morning or evening and increase minutes of walk gradually as you feel comfortable with it.
3.) Cut out fast food, breads, and pasta.
4.) Drink lots of water.

I think that's a reasonable approach, which you can cater to your lifestyle. And it can't hurt.

Oh and cut out alcohol if you drink.

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1) Do you consume caffeine on a regular basis?-a 32oz cup of coffee Mon-Friday, none on weekends

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shite baw, you drink 5x the amount of coffee everyday than i do. i think i would have a panic attack if i drank that much.

Panic attacks can certainly manifest with physical symptoms. Go see a psych doc. Make sure it is a psychologist that can and will prescribe or a psychiatrist. DO NOT GO TO A NURSE PRACTICIONER FOR PSYCH TREATMENT!

Panic attacks are scary as sh....

Do some deep diaphragmatic breathing.
Exercise
Pray
Stay away from caffeine and sugar as much as possible for they heighten anxiety.
See a therapist to get to the root of the problem.

See a psychologist specifically trained in CBT if it continues. Most individuals do not have repeat panic attacks after their first one. However, if it continues, it is one of the more highly treatable psychological problems for a clinician who knows what he's doing.

Xanax or other benzodiazepines can interfere with behavioral treatment of panic. They reinforce fear avoidance, can cause physiological dependence, and lose their effectiveness over time after you experience tolerance from repeated use. SSRI's don't typically interfere with CBT, but are not necessary in most situations.

Make sure you get a thorough medical workup (which I assume you got at the ER) before treating it as a purely psychological issue.

Do you have young kids? 37 is an age where a lot of life changes kick in and before you know your stress levels are very high.

Agree with other posters and will add that you need to get anxiety under control.
My cardiologist was very clear with me - your heart does work harder if you have anxiety, and eventually whether your heart works harder because anxiety or because your overweight - the result is the same - high blood pressure and heart disease.

Get some professional help and look into the UCLA mindfulness center and meditation practices in the meantime.

Mediation helped me tremendously.

I’m late to the party with this thread but I’ll post anyway.

I had my first severe panic attack when I was on the bench in a soccer game. We were up 6-1 or something and there was absolutely no reason to be anxious. I honestly thought I was dying, couldn’t breathe and they called an ambulance. I didn’t realize until much later it was a panic attack.

The worst one I ever had was when I was working a job as a grocery bagger. I had to quit the job it was so bad.

Not much help but I’ve been there my friend.

Went through one year of panic attacks before surrendering. I started taking one 20mg Celexa (Citalopram) and that helped tremendously. Have not had one since 2009. After cognitive therapy, breathing exercises, self help books, I had had enough. They are awful and I lost about 25 pounds because my panic attacks mostly occurred right after I started eating. My doc explained that most of our serotonin is found in the digestive tract, so I quit drinking as well because alcohol makes the anxiety worse by depleting the serotonin levels.

I have exercised since high school (46 now), eat healthy and I still do drink caffeine. Clean up the eating and maybe start taking an SSRI. No side effects for me from them either—had two kids after starting the meds. Good luck to you. I don’t wish panic attacks on anyone.

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1) Do you consume caffeine on a regular basis?-a 32oz cup of coffee Mon-Friday, none on weekends 2) Do you exercise on a regular basis?- no 3) What sort of foods do you eat regularly?-i eat like shite

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Quit these things and get healthy