Hey There, Thanks for the quick response. I feel the need to add that I have not had any coffee or caffeine of any kind for over 5 weeks. This was something I was already avoiding before the incident took place. I definately agree with you. This would not help anyone with hormone problems or panic. I am thankful for your support, Andrea

Hi, Panic Shmanic. Welcome to the site and to the group. It's good that you're starting out by getting yourself all checked out. Our site offers free online tools. The Panic Diary is to help you record your panic episodes. YOu can also print them out to bring along with you to your doctor's visit. The same goes for the free anxiety test. Nice to have you with us. Some people report that nutrition does affect their panic. For instance, coffee (and colas etc.) is a stimulant. If you examine your daily intake, you might find that reducing it to the equivalent of 2 cups might produce positive results. Keep us posted on what you find?

Greetigs fellow panickees, I guess considering that this is an intro i'll just tell you what has happened to me and what I have gotten out of it. I had my first attack 5 weeks ago [i]out of the blue[/i] and of course in a state of wtf went running to the ER only to be given a shot or 2 of ativan and sent home with a diagnosis of loco. At first I was of course petrified by the entire thing and being the stubborn person that I am refused to belive I wasn't having a heart attack. The odd thing for me was that I was already on Paxil for seasonal affective disorder when it happened. I had been for about 3 weeks. I got off it immediately because I felt that at that point anything could be causing this including the drug. Since then they put me on beta blockers that i'm now weaning off of and also 1 mg of ativan 3-4 times a day that I am currently attempting to wean off of. I have learned how to tell when an attack is coming and I can fight them down pretty well, so I know i'm headed for recovery. I haven't had any attacks for about 2 weeks (although i do have constant palpitations). I had another small one yesterday. I find it interesting that my menstrual cycle is getting ready to start at the same time and the last ones were during my cycle as well. Anyway now i'm just having a heck of a time kicking the ativan. I get all hyper and wierd when there's not enough in me, so I had to reduce it slower in order to cope with withdrawl. I'm sure i'll make it though. I just think that the reason I am having these things is because I suspect I have low hormone levels. My periods are very irregulalr and i'm only 30 yrs. old. I am very overweight lately and I have all kinds of other symptoms that I have had for about 3 months like subtle increase in body temp, "snapping" bones in my knees and fatigue. I am going to an OBGYN next week, like Belle is (another newcomer here)to have my hormones checked. I have already been in contact with a good nutritionist who will help me with my diet and supplements to regulate my hormones if in fact this turns out to be a problem. Otherwise, well...I guess i'm loco! LOL! No, i'm just not going to let this knock me down for any reason. My life is too important to me. Thanks for listening. I wi