PANIC ATTACKS

[guypjfreak]

every year [and at most festis] i suffer real bad panic attacks which i have to fight through or drink through to relax and enjoy the festi.

i know wot you may be thinking [why go] but if i didnt go then i think id just get worse ...i know theres nothing to be apprehensive about but it just hits me ....funny enough im ok first few days then it can start lol..

does any one else suffer like this and if so wot do you do to get over it .

not an old son insite HA HA

[Cooter]

Yes I suffer and have done for about 7 years now. I've managed to manage it by stopping smoking puff/solid/green etc etc which I believe (amongst other things) helped start it in the first place. I still get them now and again but tend to just drink through them like you. Nowadays thew worst ones happen while eating, swallowing and thinking I'm going to choke to death. It's all very weird, people don't believe me when I tell them, I'm quite a confident bloke normally. I gather it's a type of depression.

[shukeli]

I'm susceptible to them when I'm hungover so I normally have one every Saturday there to varying degrees of severity, after three days worth of overdoing it. Make sure you keep yourself as hydrated as possible, find a quiet area (incredibly difficult I know) and make sure your friends (or at least one of them) know that you get panic attacks. If worst comes to worst go to the medic tent and let them know you're having one. I've done this twice and they were amazing, just sat with me and helped me ride it out.

Also it's best just to accept that at some point you're going to have one. Then when it happens try to rationalise it. Are you hungover? Have you been smoking / partaking? Have you been out in the sun all day? It makes it easier to calm down and remember it'sjust a physical reaction.

[caroldecker]

Try and speak to your GP about it. Theres a few medications that they can put you on from beta blockers to benzodiazepines that you take when you need to, that are prescribed for anxiety issues.

Panic attacks could be related to a generalised anxiety disorder which a lot of people do have due to the hectic world we live in today. But Im not a doctor, just a nurse, I do know a bit from experience but you are always better off getting advice from your GP.

If you get prescribed benzos (more likely diazepam and less likely lorazepam) its probably best not to drink. But Id guess you might not get these after stating where you are going, purely because of the nature of them. They are short term for short term problems ie. panic attacks. If you go now you could get put on some proper anxiety meds such as buspirone (just an example) which you would take long term and would take a couple of weeks to get to a therapeutic level in your system.

Hope this helps. Panic attacks are nasty and unexpected and I wouldnt wish them on anybody. You could probably tell a couple of close friends that you go with what you go through and then youve most likely got someone there to take you away from a crowded area, give you something to drink and just help calm you and support you.

[Mark E. Spliff]

I used to get them when I gave up smoking dope and went through a period of only taking it in hash-cakes etc. Once you've eaten it, there's no going back, so you're in a similar position to having taken a trip or mushrooms. It's not a nice feeling when you're on a roller coaster that you can't get off for several hours...

I also used to get them when I first started scuba diving. On deeper dives, where I knew it was going to be a long time before I'd be breathing fresh air again, I used to start worrying that my regulator wasn't giving me enough air, and this anxiety led to an increased breathing rate which meant I was sucking even harder on the regulator and in a vicious circle.

I've now nailed my panic attacks. I haven't had one underwater in many years of diving, including some hairy emergency situations at depth. There's no point trying to give a detailed explanation of how I did it, as each sufferer needs to find the strategy that works for them. However, CBT is a good starting point - you can do it yourself from a book - and what you're aiming for is to have a little voice that always pops up in your head and says, 'yep, I'm freaking out a bit, but I know I can control it like I've done all those other times.'

(Panic attacks on dry land often also revolve around breathing/heart-rate paranoia. A good thought to focus on there is the thought that the worst thing that could happen is that you might pass out, at which point your paranoid thoughts disappear. I used to find that thought in itself was enough to sort me out.)

[grumpyhack]

Remember Festival Medical Services are there and very helpful.

[mandolin]

They may get worse as the festival goes by because you get more tired.

As Mr Spliff above says, being aware that it is "only" a panic attack and will pass will help in the short term. CBT can be really useful in the longer term. Knowing your own specific triggers and planning a way to escape them (eg. knowing there's a quiet spot you can get to relatively quickly - that might not be appropriate for you, but you'll know best what helps you) might also make things easier.

I think it's great that you're prepared to face the panic attacks head on by doing what you want. That way you win and they don't.

Hope you have a great festival.

Edited to say: Many people suffer from anxiety more when they are hungover so it may be that what you are using to help you is actually making it more likely to happen the next day. (Sorry if that isn't what you wanted to hear)

Edited May 27, 2013 by mandolin

[neilloggie]

every year [and at most festis] i suffer real bad panic attacks which i have to fight through or drink through to relax and enjoy the festi.

i know wot you may be thinking [why go] but if i didnt go then i think id just get worse ...i know theres nothing to be apprehensive about but it just hits me ....funny enough im ok first few days then it can start lol..

does any one else suffer like this and if so wot do you do to get over it .

not an old son insite HA HA

[bluepork]

I take a small dose of Propranalol for anxiety and they work really well for me. It may be worth mentioning it to your docs who can prescribe just a short period.

I suffered from panic attacks years ago too and my biggest tip to getting through it is to make your friends aware that you have them and tell them when you do. They can sit with you and talk to you to remind you that it is a perfectly normal fight or flight reaction to something that is fairly irrational and you will be ok in a short while.

Having someone talk to me and reassure me that all was ok was the best thing.

[**claire**]

Some excellent advice here - I hope you manage to have an enjoyable festival - good on you for tackling it head on rather than avoiding the situation! Wishing you all the best!

[TheParkAfterDark]

I take a small dose of Propranalol for anxiety and they work really well for me. It may be worth mentioning it to your docs who can prescribe just a short period.

I suffered from panic attacks years ago too and my biggest tip to getting through it is to make your friends aware that you have them and tell them when you do. They can sit with you and talk to you to remind you that it is a perfectly normal fight or flight reaction to something that is fairly irrational and you will be ok in a short while.

Having someone talk to me and reassure me that all was ok was the best thing.

[guypjfreak]

cheers old sons glad im not alone with this ive seen GP and am on aunty vals [Valium] lol and like your other half Niel i wont go into the crowds and i remember rolfs set that was just mad never again...i stopped smoking weed about 15 years ago but i def think that and other stuff didn't help .i try and tell this to people nowadays with there super heavy skunk ...dont know how they do it lol..

ive only been to medical tent once with it and have to say they were great but it was so hard trying to explain WHY i was having such a bad one i always try and tell my self that theres always some one worse off and that there's nothing to panic about in the first place.

thanks for all the great advice and words im really looking forward [like i do every year] to this years festi and am already trying think positive .

i was at the Pulse festi a couple of weeks ago and had the same panic rising up but drank abit a fought it cos other wise id have sat in my wagon and then the next day felt even worse cos i would have ruined mine and more important the wifes festi.

soz if this is all over the place but i write as i feel lol

again thanks and if anyone else does suffer maybe we can keep each other positive ....

Gxx

[Thearg]

Hangovers/comedowns seem to be worse for panic attacks,I might be stating the obvious but avoid stimulants ie fresh coffee etc.

Also I know you've got your vals guy but for other people try these http://www.chemistdirect.co.uk/natracalm-tablets_1_26087.html

They take the edge off.

[guypjfreak]

ok so im sat here on a sat night and having a bit of a panic attack and thought id resurrect this thread for all the people that suffer hang in there old sons

[bexj]

hope you're ok today Guy x

[guypjfreak]

yea thanks old son dont know where that came from but one minute im reading about festis and talking to the misses making plans the next bam im bloody panicking .

i suffer quite a bit before i go to gigs ,festis ect but just talking about it AGGGGG lol funny old life init .

[Spindles]

+1 for propanalol. I get panic attacks when I get flustered and at what are best described as random moments, these meds have helped me greatly over the last year or so, previously I was just riding out the panic.

[Yesiamaduck]

2011 I had a panic attack on the Thursday and Friday... Thursday was a mystery I was just sat there in a calm tent in a calm environment tent all of a sudden my palms went clammy and my arms started to tingle and my heart rate shot up. I was convinced I was having some sort of cardiac ailment and my friends had to walk me to the doctors where they quickly checked up on me.

It reared it's ugly head again the day after during U2, I've never been the best around tall structures with colorful displays due to a phobia stemming back from when I was a child, I look up and if the building/structure keeps on going I suddenly feel off balance and my thoughts go into a muddled mess... I basically suffer from some sort of vertigo despite not being removed from the ground. This has never been a problem at past festivals and no structure at Glastonbury has ever triggered this feeling as most stages and screens aren't that tall. HOWEVER U2 had the common decency to attach 2 huge screens to the stage filling me with properganda and I got overwhelmed and had to exit as soon as I started feeling uncomfortable (think it was after 'The Fly') I quickly settled down and caught Primal Scream instead.

Now I attribute this to many things, drinking spirits constantly through out the day every day (though never enough to feel 'drunk'), excessive caffeine, the bad weather, the stress I was facing at home, my poor health in general at the time (I was at my heaviest), Wednesday night I had lost my tent and was wandering around in the early hours until about 5 am when some stewards helped me find my tent and my £300 camera got flooded because I left it on the porch of my tent which I hadn't closed properly), I got blisters on my feet and a flare up of shingles on my thighs making it almost impossible to walk. It was horrible, Friday night I was in tears and called my mum asking her to pick me up from the festival and that I had had enough.

Luckily come Saturday and after venting the night prior I felt like a different person (and I also got a decent nights sleep due to retreating back to my tent so early).

Prevention techniques I have picked up:

Regular exercise to improve fitness

Significantly reduced caffeine in take

Drink only to get a buzz, it helps numb my phobia of tall buildings even after a couple of drinks, but if I don't drink enough to maintain the buzz and this is the case over a long period of time it'll contribute to my anxiety.

Spend time alone when I deem necessary

Don't stay somewhere if I feel uncomfortable

It sucks getting anxiety attacks in such a place due to the crowds, loud noises, overwhelming amounts of sensory information in general on a huge site where you may not be totally familiar with, with people enjoying themselves when you should be enjoying yourself, miles away from home. But after having my attack and learning the are places to go if such a thing happens had helped put my mind at ease + I won't ever endure U2 ever again... I've learnt my lesson

Edited January 13, 2014 by Yesiamaduck

[guypjfreak]

yea thats about it old son obviously slightly different ie bands people ect but yea when they hit they hit and the thing that annoys me most is when people who are having a great time say ....snap out of it .......YEA IF I COULD .

and the closer to glasto it gets the more the feelings rise up aggg lol

i tend to put brave face on it but my wife knows the symptoms ....ive been with her for 28 years and shes a goddess imo .

i think ill keep this thread alive every now and then if for no other reason than to let people realise that theres others in the same boat .

maybe yes/no wot you think

[carlosj]

yea thats about it old son obviously slightly different ie bands people ect but yea when they hit they hit and the thing that annoys me most is when people who are having a great time say ....snap out of it .......YEA IF I COULD .

and the closer to glasto it gets the more the feelings rise up aggg lol

i tend to put brave face on it but my wife knows the symptoms ....ive been with her for 28 years and shes a goddess imo .

i think ill keep this thread alive every now and then if for no other reason than to let people realise that theres others in the same boat .

maybe yes/no wot you think

[grumpyhack]

Breathing exercises can also help. Count to ten breathing in through your nose and then breathe out for six through your mouth.

Others may have variations on this theme.

[DJL]

I have breathing exercises on my ipod. I've listened to them so many times i can close my eyes and imagine them whenever i need to, they really help. As others have said having understanding mates is everything. I took my mate home before stevie wonder at bestival because he just had to leave - he's much better now he smokes less.

[maninkilt]

Panic attacks are vile, when they take over they TAKE OVER, to be quite honest I havent found anything that really helps, betea blockers are of some use but they take 20 mins or so to get onto your system and only help with the physical symptoms, that f#%*/g horrible fear and the feeling that you have got to do something is still there, thats how it is for me.

Having a gf who is understnding is a great help, she is wonderful, for me, whem I have and atytack, part of the problem is that I get very deffensive so getting away from most people is a good idea, not easy at a festival.

I have to say that reading these posts and knowing that I am not the only one who may be feeling a bit shit in a wonderful place helps.

[guypjfreak]

yea thats sort why i started it its not good when your at a festi and it looks like every one is having a blast and you feel your the ONLY one getting stressed out . nice to know your not alone . itll never stop me going to a festi BUT it IS nice to know other people have the same shit .

[bsolxiv]

Thought I'd bump this one back up.

I suffered about 10 years with panic attacks from the mid 90s. Mostly treated with Seroxat (paroxetine), which I understand is not used due to the increased risk of suicide !?! and the horrendous withdrawal symptoms. When I finally stopped for good I had to wean myself down over a period of months gradually reducing the dose, using the children's syrup preparation (make of that what you will). I'd tried propanolol but found it only reduced my heart rate and all the other symptoms were still there.

My advice now:

Breathing - slow and steady. Count in for 5, out for 5.

"Whatever doesn't kill me can only make me stronger" - it's happened before and I'm still alive, it'll pass.

No Mary Jane - My mind wasn't built to be bent - this took me years to discover, despite it not being a problem in my early teens - I believe the effects to be cumulative.

Take time to relax properly with relaxation exercises - I like progressive muscle relaxation. Do this for a couple of weeks before the festival and your mind will love you for it.

I personally would avoid any form of medication, use CBT, it's proved to be as effective as drugs and has more permanent effects. Your GP can refer you to a psychologist.

Keep a diary of your panic and read it whenever you feel it happening again, you'll remember that you got through it last time and will again.

The last word on drugs:

Around 4:20 when I/Marwood gets the fear and begs Danny for a Valium: "Why trust one drug and not another?" I believe this totally.

And remember, you're definitely not alone.