Tips for getting through a panic attack
I was going to send this via PM, but I felt that other people may benefit from these tips as well
Enjoy.
Hey
Having experienced these since 1997 due to work-related stress, here's some tips:
Talk to someone, anyone. If nobody's around, call a friend or family member. Talk about anything and everything
except your panic attack. Trying to carry on a conversation will take your mind off the "here and now" and definitely help calm you down.
Take a long walk. If it's nippy outside, don't wear a sweater or jacket. The cold air will actually help matters. If you have a cell, take it with you, and combine the above tip with your walk.
By all means, DO NOT TRY TO DRIVE. This is the worst thing you can do, and will only make it worse! If you've tried everything else, call 911 or an ambulance, or have someone drive you to the ER. I tried driving myself to the ER one time during a major attack, and almost made it. I was about a mile away before it got to be so bad I had to pull over and have someone call 911. I was shaking so bad and every part of my body was either tingling or almost numb. I thought I was going to pass out (or worse) behind the wheel.
Don't bother trying to "lay down and relax." It doesn't work. At least in my case, my brain kicked it up a notch when I was sitting/laying still. You're better off taking a walk.
Drink plenty of fluids. Not only because you're usually sweating so much and may get dehydrated, but it (subconsciously?) helps get through the bouts of finding it hard to swallow. Having cotton mouth only worsens the situation.
As a last resort, medications.
Some ones that help:
Xanax - While this helps for Acute panic attacks, it is VERY addictive and should be used sparingly. For instance, if you only took 1mg Xanax a day for 2 weeks, you're going to be physically addicted to it, and it's going to be hell trying to get off of it.
Ativan - Same as Xanax.
Klonopin - This is good for both short-term and long-term use. Although it IS addictive, if managed right, you can take it for long periods of time without a problem. Just remember that you can still get physically addicted to it.
I was taking 5mg/day of Klonopin for 5 months, and I was. The only reason I found out is because my doctor took me off of it cold turkey. I ended up in the hospital because of it where they were able to ween me off. I talked with them about it, and they said that coming off Klonopin cold turkey is no different than coming off of any Barbituate. So the moral of the story is: Never go off Klonopin (or any med like that) cold turkey. Have them ween you off.
It really sucks because I wanted to sue the doctor for putting me through 3 weeks of mega withdrawals (gross negligence - I later found out that any doctor with half a brain knows you're not supposed to take someone off that medicine cold turkey), but the lawyer I spoke to told me that unless permanent damage was caused, I have no case.
If anyone else has some more tips that I might have missed, please post them
Also, how long do your attacks last? Mine used to "run into" each other, and would last for hours. The longest one I had was 5 hours.
It was pretty sad actually, I went to the ER after about the 3rd hour, told them EXACTLY what was going on, and they still made me sit (pacing around the ER, actually) for 2 hours before even calling me back. They gave me 1mg Xanax and I ended up falling asleep (more like passing out from exhaustion) in 15 minutes.
It seems that if you present yourself with a physical problem, you get treated faster, but if you present yourself with a mental health issue, then you're looked at as an outcast....sad.
More Love making 
, hmmm we are all falling apart...
