Anxiety or Panic Attacks…what immediate action can be taken? What about during plane travel?
10 comments so farI've recently been getting panic/anxiety attacks. I haven't been diagnosed by a doctor or therapist yet, as it's only been a couple weeks that I've realized what they are.
They first started when I was smoking marijuana. I realized I was getting these weird symptoms when smoking, so I stopped, about a month or so ago. (I have no inclination to smoke again.)
However, now I'm realizing I've been getting minor ones here and there, with seemingly no trigger. Last night was the worst I've had without smoking. It started when I was at a restaurant with my fiance and some friends, and it lasted at least an hour, with about five to ten minutes of the worst symptoms, and the time after just feeling shaky and feeling like my heart was fluttery, and I was left with a general feeling of being disconnected from the rest of the world.
I'm looking for suggestions, tips, hints, etc. for dealing with these attacks. What to do when you feel the onset, while they're happening, coming down completely after, etc. A link to sites with help for this would be highly appreciated.
Also, a major fear I now have is that I'm in Boston visiting family for the holidays, and travelling back to Seattle tomorrow evening, with a 3-hour layover. I had some little minor attacks on the way over, but now that I've had this big one, I'm afraid of a repeat should we hit turbulance or have a rough takeoff ot landing or the like. I am travelling with my fiance, so if there's anything I could coach him in for helping me, he'd be there and willing to help.
For some background info, I have asthma and allergies, take OTC allergy pills, singulair, advair, albuterol, and was just diagnosed with Addison's Disease and take prednisone (and one other pill, whose name I cannot recall as I type this).
Again, ANY real help would be extremely appreciated!!
For those of you who dislike reading full questions, let me emphasize: I STOPPED smoking marijuana about a month ago!
Thanks!! 
Hi, sorry to hear your having some trouble at the moment. Please take heart that there are many people in the same boat as you and with the right thoughts and effort, you will be victorious!
I have been researching Anxiety Disorders and Panic Attacks on and off for around 6 years now. The best practical advice that I could offer in a this brief snippet is to adopt an attitude of complete acceptance when you feel a panic attack coming on. Recognise the physical symptoms for what they really are, just physical symptoms. No harm will ever come to you. The more you adopt an attitude of "This is just a physical manifestation of panic, it's not harmful but just my body incorrectly responding to an irrational thought/fear". Once you take the fear out of the symptoms, the fears like "I'm going crazy/I'm not safe etc" will start to diminish as fear breeds fear. By starting to view these panic attacks with less anticipation and importance, you begin to disable the fear it so often brings.
Do not overly worry about if the plane will hit turbulance or have a rought landing. On the road to recovery, you need to learn not how to deal with the situation (bad takeoff etc) but you need to learn to deal with yourself. Regardless of where you are, when you panic you pass through the same emotions whether you are on the plane or in your living room. Healing lies in being able to accept these emotions and feelings 100% knowing that no harm will come to you because they are just emotions and you are in control of yourself.
I would recommend you udertake some relaxation techniques before you leave for the airport and before you board your plane. These are very simple to do and can be done anywhere. Practise deep breathing. Make sure when you inhale, your stomach goes out and not your chest. Breath in for 1 second and out for 2 seconds. Do this for 10 mins while focusing on something relaxing i.e. listening to your iPod or looking at a scenic photo.
The best thing your fiance can do for you is to stay calm and focused, to talk to you in a calm manner when you begin to feel anxious. Ask him to remind you that you are in no harm and that your just experiencing some false messages from your body.
You've made a positive and great step in stopping the marijuana. Although your increase in anxiety may have been caused by you stopping marijuana, the long term benefits outway this. Exercise will help alot in managing this short term anxiety and will also allow you to refocus.
If your symptoms continue, I would recommend going to your local health care professional who will be able to explore other potential causes for your panic attacks. These can be biological i.e. thryroid problems etc or emotional i.e past trauma etc.
I hope this has been of some help for you. If you would like to know more or have any other questions concerning this topic, please feel free to contact me.
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10 Responses to “Anxiety or Panic Attacks…what immediate action can be taken? What about during plane travel?”
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Stop the marijuana. One of the side effects in some people who smoke it is acute paranoia. It sounds more like that to me than a panic attack. Another side effect of coure is the desire to eat, ending up that the person puts on more weight than what they would desire. Pot does have side effects on some people. Others may not. So you should start there and move on to a counseling session or peer group counseling.
References :
Bill56
your otc allergy pills and/or the albuterol could be causing your discomfort. you really need to talk to your doctor about your symptoms. if these are true panic or anxiety attacks try breathing into a paper bag ( the size you would carry a lunch in). i know it sounds weird but what it does is displace gasses in your blood stream that have accumulated from rapid breathing. it will make you feel better and help to calm you. however, you do need to talk to your doctor.
References :
You don't, by chance, get these symptoms after taking your albuterol, do you? These are known side effects of some of the steroid treatments for asthma, especially the fast-acting steroids.
References :
I have asthma, and take similar meds
when I go to the doctor and have to take a shot I DO NOT like needles
they always tell me to breath. So i breath deep.
References :
1st step: Do not and I repeat do not smoke marijuana anymore. It does not only distort your reality, but may make anxiety worse. I have anxiety and I developed at age seventeen.
2nd step: You need to consult your primary care physician before it gets worse.
3rd step: Trust your heart all of the time. Your mind is a powerful puzzle that will confuse you and you may experience irrational thoughts due to this anxiety.
4th step: Don't ever lose hope. KTF (Keep the Faith)
5th step: Exercise and preferably not the Cardio if you have asthma.
Suggest a benzodiazepine to your doctor and antidepressant for marijuana withdrawal symptoms.
References :
Personal Experience without the weed
The marijuana will cause panic/anxiety as a side effect, it takes about thirty days to completely get out of your system, as it binds to fat cells. With all the other medications you take, surely they have some side effects.
If this discomfort keeps on going for another week or 2 see a doctor, as they can help and possibly need to adjust your medication.
As far as settling down. Remember, everything will be okay, tell your fiance to remind you of this. Bring some sort of music to play on board (iPod, CD player, computer, etc) so it will cover up those sounds that make you wonder. The big thing is have your fiance talk to you calmly, reassure you everything is okay, if you feel any panic take slow deep breaths and remind yourself everything will be okay, you aren't the only one with a fear of flying. You can always call your doctor office at home and explain whats going on (don't mention the marijuana thing, as its been quite some time, and they may not give as good of treatment or proper prescription) . Their are medications that will calm you and take that edge off, call the doctor office and tell them you have an acute fear of flying and if their is a small prescription they can give you to make your ride home more comfortable.
Here's a link to more info:
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/mentalhealth/anxiety/013.html
References :
I have panic/anxiety disorder.
Hi, sorry to hear your having some trouble at the moment. Please take heart that there are many people in the same boat as you and with the right thoughts and effort, you will be victorious!
I have been researching Anxiety Disorders and Panic Attacks on and off for around 6 years now. The best practical advice that I could offer in a this brief snippet is to adopt an attitude of complete acceptance when you feel a panic attack coming on. Recognise the physical symptoms for what they really are, just physical symptoms. No harm will ever come to you. The more you adopt an attitude of "This is just a physical manifestation of panic, it's not harmful but just my body incorrectly responding to an irrational thought/fear". Once you take the fear out of the symptoms, the fears like "I'm going crazy/I'm not safe etc" will start to diminish as fear breeds fear. By starting to view these panic attacks with less anticipation and importance, you begin to disable the fear it so often brings.
Do not overly worry about if the plane will hit turbulance or have a rought landing. On the road to recovery, you need to learn not how to deal with the situation (bad takeoff etc) but you need to learn to deal with yourself. Regardless of where you are, when you panic you pass through the same emotions whether you are on the plane or in your living room. Healing lies in being able to accept these emotions and feelings 100% knowing that no harm will come to you because they are just emotions and you are in control of yourself.
I would recommend you udertake some relaxation techniques before you leave for the airport and before you board your plane. These are very simple to do and can be done anywhere. Practise deep breathing. Make sure when you inhale, your stomach goes out and not your chest. Breath in for 1 second and out for 2 seconds. Do this for 10 mins while focusing on something relaxing i.e. listening to your iPod or looking at a scenic photo.
The best thing your fiance can do for you is to stay calm and focused, to talk to you in a calm manner when you begin to feel anxious. Ask him to remind you that you are in no harm and that your just experiencing some false messages from your body.
You've made a positive and great step in stopping the marijuana. Although your increase in anxiety may have been caused by you stopping marijuana, the long term benefits outway this. Exercise will help alot in managing this short term anxiety and will also allow you to refocus.
If your symptoms continue, I would recommend going to your local health care professional who will be able to explore other potential causes for your panic attacks. These can be biological i.e. thryroid problems etc or emotional i.e past trauma etc.
I hope this has been of some help for you. If you would like to know more or have any other questions concerning this topic, please feel free to contact me.
References :
Please visit medications.com and parentsforsafety.org The medication you are taking Singulair is known for causing anxiety panic attacks, suicidal thinking, depression, the list goes on. I would talk to your doctor about taking something in place of Singulair. My son suffered 5 years without us knowing what was causing the problems and as soon as he was off singulair the panic attacks stopped. There are others that are not going away as fast, but everyday is an improvement. Search medications.com for singulair side effects oh and you might want to have some kleenex handy, the stories are heartbreaking.
To fully understand panic, please see the video at this link:
http://www.fearofflying.com/video_hs.shtml
Because most of my fear of flying clients are worried about panic, I had to find a way to make it impossible for them to panic when flying.
If you need to email me, I’m at: tom@fearofflying.com
Hey,
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For the Love of Living Life to the Fullest,
JP Richards, MC.hT, MNLP, MTLT®
Certified Rapid Phobia Removal Therapist, Master Hypnotherapist, &
Master NLP & Time Line Therapy® Practitioner
http://www.GoGetterJetSetter.com