Coping with panic attacks?

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elise24601
elise24601 Member Posts: 155
edited May 2016 in Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts

I had these rarely before my dx, but now they are multiple times per day. I have Ativan but don't want to become dependent on it!

These things DON'T work for me: deep breathing, visualization, meditation.

So I'm looking for other ideas...

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  • ksusan
    ksusan Member Posts: 4,505
    edited May 2016

    Mindfulness--notice that you aren't dying/the walls aren't really closing in, etc. Yes, you may have a racing heartbeat or rapid breathing. Remind yourself that it's a panic attack and will stop soon. If you have a ring or bracelet or something symbolic you can grab in your pocket, focus on your knowledge that whatever you're feeling will pass and that you are still in the here and now. Resist the very compelling temptation to try to figure out why this is happening, or to tell yourself a catastrophic story about it. Panic loves to make you think it's reasonable, and it isn't. Panic loves to tell you it's meaningful, and it isn't. The adrenaline you're feeling is the same stuff whether you're scared, exhilarated, or exerting yourself, so you might imagine you're on a fun but stimulating amusement park ride, or running up a flight of stairs.

    Best of luck!

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  • Reckless
    Reckless Member Posts: 112
    edited May 2016

    I had horrible panick attacks once I was diagnosed and prior to the surgery, had high blood pressure all the time. My BS sent me to the integrative medicine practitioner to prepare for the surgery. She taught me some yoga breathing techniques, which helped.

    1. Breath in through your nose on the count of 3, exhale slowly. Repeat 3 times. Repeat this every 2 hours.

    2. Inhale on the count of 4, hold your breath to the count of 7, exhale to the count of 8. Repeat as needed. This is deep breathing technique, I used it whenever panick attacks started.

    I also used Peggy Huddleton relaxation CD twice a day. It is a 30-min session which teaches muscle relaxation and visualization techniques. It is used to prepare for surgeries and during the chemo to help with the healing.

    All of these helped. Also my level of stress went down a lot after the surgery.

    Sorry, just noticed these did not help you..

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  • farmerlucy
    farmerlucy Member Posts: 3,985
    edited May 2016

    Initially I was on Xanax and worried about addiction. So after a month I weaned off per the nurse practioner. Then I ended up in worse shape 45 days later. This time my PCP put me on klonopin which I took twice a day. He ordered me to stay on it until Spring, which was around 8 months later. He said, "I don't care if you get addicted, you need this. We'll deal with that later." By Spring I was doing so much better and I weaned off over two months with no problem.

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