really dumb question - Panic Disorders Message Board

chapperjoe · 08-05-2003, 07:39 AM

I have been having panic attacks for a year now. Before when I had a panic attack, I would just lie down in anguish until it went away. I did not use cigarettes or alcohol to calm me down, cause they only made my heart race faster or too slow. In short, I wanted to be in control "in case" I had to go to the hospital if the problem got "serious".

Seeing as there are so many people out there on anti-anxiety medications, how is it that the downer affect doesn't just panic you more? If the panic escalates, then what happens if you are so groggy that you can't even tell anyone, or call for help cause you are so, for lack of a better word, stoned?

Additionally, I just quit smoking cause it raised my heart rate too much and triggered panic attacks. I'm a very paranoid person who always needs to be in control, but I am pretty sure I need to be medicated.

Jennita · 08-05-2003, 10:54 AM

Smoking can cause panic, nervousness, raised heartrate, etc despite some seemingly calming effects, so congrats to quitting! Eventually you will start to feel much better.

Milk, chammomile tea both have calming chemicals; more subtle than drugs but why not try...

Regular exercise raises heartrate, blood pressure, etc. but in a normal way so when you are not exercising, the body calms down alot easier. Heartrate eventually stays down all the time and relaxing isn't even work. At least that's the effect I get(with no drugs!)

[This message has been edited by Jennita (edited 08-05-2003).]

hry33 · 08-05-2003, 01:02 PM

i think smoking makes no difference, a correctly adjusted dose of valium type meds will calm you when you have a panic attack

MariaS · 08-05-2003, 02:26 PM

hry, how it is that you can say smoking makes no difference, when there are mounds of evidence that say smoking changes your heart rate, increases blood pressure, etc...

is it better to just take some valium and keep smoking, rather than put some effort into quitting?

chapperjoe · 08-05-2003, 03:38 PM

folks, quitting smoking had nothing to do with panic attacks - well, kind of. I've been having chest pains (real ones for the first time) and i stayed away from smokes for a day and the pains went away. So I am sticking with it. IT hasn't been too hard yet to tell you the truth. I'm more worried about losing control during a panic attack.

And I think that without a doubt smoking is bad from any point of view, even calming one's self down during an attack. Such behavior requires repitition and becomes habit and will SURELY shorten one's life.

I never smoked to end an attack, cause they would only raise my heart rate and freak me out more.

and that's my two cents :-)