Anyone with Panic Disorder?

[Ginger45]

This subject may have been brought up before but I was curious to see how many of us out there actually suffer from this. I have known alot of nurses who do. Mine is controlled with Paxil but when it first hit me I was not working anywhere. I was running my own legal nurse consulting business. I have not found that it affects my work because I recognize it, understand it and I am not Ginger when I am at work. I am nurse Ginger so the panic attacks do not creep in.

I would like to hear your input on how you cope with this? Or if anyone out there even has this? :redbeathe

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

A close friend of mine used to have panic attacks.

She stopped drinking caffeinated products. She started doing Yoga and meditation. The relaxation techniques helped, she said.

[Furwillfly]

I do have panic attacks. They are unpredictable, but manageable. I do not take medication for it. It is getting worse as I get older, but don't want to take meds unless it comes to the point of interfering with my work.

I just stop what I'm doing when I recognize the first signs, and breath through it. My employer knows about them, and understands why I don't come to the 'big' meetings. It's embarrasing, but it's funny how many people don't even know I have them. Even though I have this overwhelming feeling that people are watching me when I have one. So, I must be controlling them pretty good. :)

[Ghosts_Angel]

I have panic disorder and have for a long time. But, I'm not taking any meds for it. I took them for a while, but got tired of living on pills. I learned how to recognize when I'm going to have one and back off from whatever is going on. The funny thing is that I don't have them while I'm at work. Working seems to ground me and I guess I run on auto pilot. The funny thing is that I'm also bipolar and have borderline personality. I guess it's true that if you don't want someone to know you have mental illnesses, they won't. People act amazed when they find out about mine.