Posted by _Grant Em on July 20, 2005, at 16:20:16
I have spontaneous panic attacks, and they always seem to start w/ dissociation.
First, I'll feel that Im not as conscious as I should be. I realize that I'm not completely aware of my surroundings... I feel like I'm not able to fully comprehend everything. If some is talking to me, I realize that I'm not understanding part or all of what they are saying. If I'm just looking at something, I feel that the object is unreal.
Then, the panic begins. I think, "I'm going to faint." And hot electirc flashes pulse down my chest and my arms. I become more confused and terrified that I'm losing consciousness.Eventually, within a few minutes, I can barely comprehend anything. I can't make sense of what people are saying, it's all a mumbled mess. My arms and legs jerk, and often someone is trying to comfort me; they'll touch my shoulder and it will hurt SO BAD. I'll try to tell them to not talk, because the fact that I can't understand what they are saying is too terrifying. My body feels much too large.
Usually it lasts between 25 minutes to an hour.
When I take 5 times my normal dose of xanax, the attack will last 25 minutes. (My normal dose is .5 mg daily as needed).
My question is, are "spontaneous" panic attacks that begin with dissociation, as opposed to panic attacks caused by an outside event or stressful situation, treated differently?
Is psychotherapy more effective in the former?
Are benzodiazapenes more successful in treating "triggered" panic attacks than spontaneous panic attacks?
At this point in my illness (I had my fist panic attack less than a year ago), it seems to me that panic is an unchangable physiologic response to an internal, unconsious feeling-state in my brain- what I experience consciously as dissociation.
Xanax is eventually effective in lowering my heart-rate, paranoia, and muscle spasms, but even if taken beforehand, never extinguishes the initial panic response.
I have supportive family and friends I talk to about this; I educuate myself, I have learned from my doctor and various other sources- books, the internet, etc., that my symptoms are not uncommon; I consiously try to talk myself down from panic;
I have purposly induced feelings of dissociation to convince myself there's nothing to fear. Nothing helps.The response seems unchangeable.
I should tell you that my fist panic attack seemed to result from a mad contact high I recieved at a party. (I have never smoked marijuanna, and am apparently highly sensitive to drugs of any kind.)
After that, they just contunued *happening*. The past year has been hellish.
I am also taking 25 mg Paxil, which eases general anxiety but seems to make me apathetic and sleepy. I tried to stop taking it a few weeks ago, but had intolerable withdrawal symptoms and increased agitation and panic attacks.
I know this is a long post...it is my first post on the board. Any advice or answers to my questions will be much appreciated.
thanks.Grant
poster:_Grant Em
thread:530664
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050718/msgs/530664.html