The "IM HAVING A PANIC ATTACK" thread

I had one about a year ago, I was high as fuck and in a huge crowd with people, I couldn't stand and I could hardly breath, I had to sit down and chill on the grass with my buds until I could calm the fuck down. I think it had to do with me saying I wasn't going to smoke that time, and I did and I literally felt sick to my stomach because I did, I couldn't control it though, it was terrible...I know how it feels, I don't have them anymore but they suck megaballs, and they are very hard to get over, because it's usually something deep down in your subconscious that triggers them. I think the best way to analyze them is by realizing what you are thinking about when you get them and the main goal is to figure out why you even get them in the first place.

Good luck man, and when they occur just think about the reasons why and try to slowly get over them, it is good to talk to others when they occur and just sit down, drink water and chill for like 2 hours. It's hard to sleep when they happen, so after the sudden rush of shit, just take a walk by yourself and try to make your mind at ease. After they occur go back and think about what you were doing and how they started.

 

I remember getting them after smoking too much i kept looking at teh clock for time to pass and frantically walking around to make sure i won't pass out. Its funny because you try to convince yourself that you'll never smoke again as if it would go away but i ended up smoking a couple days later.

Seriously thought don't post stories post suggestions for helping people that are really freaking them out and i think this thread would be a good sticky. REAL LIFE SAVER too

 

My first panic attack was in December. The 9th to be exact.

Shit scared me to death, I kept checking my pulse every 5 seconds and eventually ended up calling the paramedics.

I also had that "im gonna die" feeling coupled with heart palpitations . I feels you bro

 

Had one when I was like 10, not sure what triggered that one. Haven't had one since then, unless you count my 10x salvia trip and it's aftermath.

Basically I faced a huge bong rip of 10x, and lost all touch with reality for 10 minutes, like literally my vision changed and a new dimension was opened up. Scared the shit out of me. I thought that this was the way the world was, and what was before was simply an illusion, one that had been shattered by the salvia. I was convinced i'd never come out of it, and I panicked hard. Ended up running out of my room(had no idea i'd even moved until I came down) and alerting all my roommates to my fucked up state.

Never get them from weed though, in fact if i'm stressing it's the first thing I reach for.

 

Never had them but I would suggest regular meditation.

It would help in the discovery of what is really causing your problems and calming the mind is exactly the kind of thing you need to do when you start to get a panic attack.

This does sound like a shitty experience though..

GL bro

 

sorry you have to deal with such a difficult problem! they really are horrid.

start doing breathing exercises regularly. i'd suggest meditation too, but some people aren't into it. if you practice breathing exercises in advance you will be able to use them when your panic attack starts. breathe calmly and deeply, counting up and down from ten until you feel calmer.

also what helps me is to remember that the attack is not permanent, it will be over very soon, and that you are a normal person who will be fine. you will be okay. repeat to yourself "this will be over soon, i am okay" and you may find relief.

you can find a lot of breathing relaxation videos on youtube if you've never done them before. just search for them and choose one that is soothing to you. different people prefer different voices. i like to do guided relaxation and guided imagery before bed, it relaxes me and ensures a deep night's sleep. sleep is really important, i find myself getting more panic attacks if i've not been sleeping enough.

hope this helps! remember, you are not the only one.

 

i suffer from a pleasant combination of clinical depression, migraines, and insomnia, which all function in the same neurological pathway. anxiety functions the same way, so many of the feelings are common to all illnesses. i used to get anxiety attacks much more frequently, but haven't in a while, probably from a switch in my bc prescription.

so, while i don't currently suffer, i know the feeling. like the world is going to swallow you whole. that somehow your body's density has increased and if you move you're gonna be compressed. like your chest is on fire and everything is coming towards you. when you feel like that, you have to breathe slowly, control your thoughts, and remember that you will be okay!

 

I get them, they suck...Just had one last night actually. Happens when I smoke too much weed too fast. I get shortness of breath, tight chest, feeling of impending doom, feel like I'm losing my mind, it sucks. My thoughts race and I just freak out pretty much.

 

I personally do not get panic attacks or anxiety, but my gf and several friends do and I realize how serious and scary they can be.

I always try to help my gf when she is having them, and she says I am helpful through my presence, but I can't seem to help when it comes to suggesting breathing excercises, or coping techniques.

I tell her (as posted above) practicing regular slow/long breathing (even when not having an attack), or having your own personal techniques for relaxing your body would help to at least help control or manage the symptoms of the attack.

She has shortness of breath or feels like she can't breathe, and I would suspect breathing with your stomach would help greatly. I do this in meditation, along with focusing on all of my extremities individually, and relaxing them one by one until my whole body is extremely comfortable and relaxed. When my body is relaxed in meditation, my mind also becomes relaxed and I breathe deeply and my heartbeat slows. This would also help her because she tells me her heart races.

She thinks that since I don't suffer from them, I don't know what I am talking about and she doesn't heed my advice. This makes me upset because I know how much these bother her and make her quality of life not as great and I would just like to help her overcome them. I am sure she has tried what I have suggested before, but if it didn't help right away, she might not have continued to practice it.

I think then practice is key; repetition of relaxing yourself and breathing with your stomach (especially when not having an attack, so you can tune into your personal relaxation techniques more easily when you actually are having one) would help.

My gf does not smoke, but I can see how it could be both beneficial and detrimental to panic attacks and anxiety. For one, smoking initially causes my heart to race, me to loose my common perception, and tingling sensations I call "the chills"...all of these are similar to symptoms of attacks, and may actually induce them. On the other hand, if you smoke every day and are used to being high, smoking may only make you jittery right after you smoke, and then super relaxed and calm for a while afterwards, which would help symptoms of an attack.

It is important to remember that panic attacks are not abnormal. I mean that in the sense that if you can get them naturally, and many other people do too, it has to be a natural thing. It is not a disease and it does not have a cure like a vaccination or medication. If medications do work for panic attacks, it is most likely placebo effect (which is not a bad thing if it works). Anxiety attacks happen naturally, and I think the best way to handle them is to practice an effective way to control them through your own personal coping mechanisms.

I hope my comment can help someone, if not my gf....even if she is right and I do not know what I am talking about. haha

 

Yeah same here. I get panic attacks too. i think its the heart chakra opening up and our mind isnt truly ready for it yet because its hard to be too "loving" and "accepting" in this world that's full of negativity and bad vibes.

 

[quote name='"colorfulfly"']Yeah same here. I get panic attacks too. i think its the heart chakra opening up and our mind isnt truly ready for it yet because its hard to be too "loving" and "accepting" in this world that's full of negativity and bad vibes.[/quote]

THIS. I never thought of it this way, but it makes a lot of sense. I used to think I got panic attacks because I was a bad person, bad at handling life somehow, but put in regards to the heart chakra, panic attacks seem less of a negative thing. Thanks for the insight.

 

The only panic attack I've ever had was when I was stoned. It was a long while back, and I was convinced I was going to have a heart attack, It was horrible.