re: Panic Attacks-Seeking Advice

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Anybody ever have an emergency room run due to a panic attack?

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Yes, summer of 2020 - heart rate was in the 190's and I didn't sleep longer than an hour or two for several days. Went to a hospital in rural Nebraska and got a benzo to knock me out. Doc then prescribed trazodone to help me sleep for the next several days. Told me to go home to see my general doc, which I ignored. Turns out this was my body trying to tell me there was something seriously wrong with my immune system - was diagnosed with stage 2 cancer a few months later.

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Honestly it's pretty embarrassing,

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The idea that medical conditions are shameful and you have to hide it can get you killed. Go talk to a doc, get to a specialist, whatever - it could be a signal you have something majorly wrong in your body.

I used to get them a lot. It’s crazy how powerful your mind is. You know exactly what is happening but you can’t get your body to calm down and really do feel like you’re going to collapse. I wouldn’t suggest taking pills for it. You need to look at the effects of SSRIs and how hard it is to get off of them. I would suggest a healthier diet and regular exercise. Also do you drink often? If so you need to cut back. I used to get these attacks almost daily and now very rarely get them. I’m telling you exercise works. To the point of exhaustion exercise not 15 minutes on the treadmill.

I remember hearing the stat on a podcast that the majority of heart attack related ER visits are panic attacks. Like 80%

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1) Do you consume caffeine on a regular basis?
2) Do you exercise on a regular basis?
3) What sort of foods do you eat regularly?
4) Are you on any medications?

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5) Are you, Alice, menstruating right now?

Happened to me, more than once. I did the ER thing and got told it was a panic attack.

It could be a one-off type of deal or it could be panic disorder. It could even be a sign of another mental health condition.

My advice is to seek out a psychiatrist if they keep happening. If they don't keep happening, then that's good news and you might not have to do anything.

Back off, man, I’m a scientist.