What can I do or take when my cluster headaches cause me to have a panic attack?
The worst part is the panic I dont like to loose control & id be willing to do anything to stop the panic. i would however prefer natural over the counter remedies
Public Comments
1. have your bloodpressure checked sometimes hypertension can cause this.2. I know the feeling. I don't have panic attacks really, but if I'm a long way into a cycle, especially before I was treating it, or if my meds arent working for a couple of weeks I get worn pretty thin.
During the attack itself I'll be willing to do anything to get through it, and don't know how I'll ever make it. Then, the next night I don't want to go to sleep and after long enough of doing that, it gets a bit panicy. If I was prone to panic attacks, I'd see how this could be a huge problem.
The two things that come to mind for me are simply controlling each aspect of the situation as individual problems that have solutions. The headache, and the panic attack.
Getting through the cluster fast, and/or reducing the severity of it will help. Understanding that it's not an underlying disease causing the headache, and that as bad as it feels, that IT alone will not hurt you in any way, may help to calm you from having the attack. Also knowing that it will go away as fast as it came on may help. I try to visualize it peaking and then slowing getting better and then washing out of my head all together. Try taking caffiene, moving around, breathing deeply... if you have access to Oxygen ... USE IT! It will calm you and kill the pain really fast. If you have access to meds for the headache, take them. The caffiene might have a drawback in making you panic more, though, and OTC pain relievers will do nothing, so avoid them completely.
As for the panic attack... take deep, long breaths. Drink some water... try to occupy yourself and distract in the process. Maybe some mindless repetitive task that makes you use your hands, and your mind doesn't need to think but is going on/off, on/off for whatever you are doing, like putting something together, taking it apart, and repeating... something simple.
The last suggestion is talking to a doctor. Even without insurance, going to a doctor at a clinic for free and explaining may help. A perscription for Oxygen may be a great remedy for you. It's not too expensive, it is natural, and it helps people with CHs a lot, and may help prevent it from causing a PA. There are other non natural medicines that can help you a lot too for the CH like imitrex, verapamil, and more intense things like lithium. I'm sure similar things exist for the PA as well... so finding a balance of what helps with the lowest amount of side effects, and striking the balance of helping you vs. not taking more non-natural stuff than you need is key, but you need to work with your doctor on it.
Lastly... keep a diary/log combo. Every day write down everything you consume... every drink, piece of food, medicine, cigarette, cigar, drug, everything. Keep track of when you fall asleep, and wake up for the night, naps, everything. Write down when your headaches start, and when they end and how bad they were... and details of how they came on and went away. Do the same for the panic attacks. This will be theraputic as well as provide a way to chart when your CHs are hitting with a pattern, and when they are being triggered by outside sources outside of that cycle, as well as potential triggers that show why sometimes they are really bad and why other times not so bad. This may also show when it causes a PA to come out of it vs. when it doesn't. It can also help to isolate the best tactics for medicine/treatment options.
