panic attacks out of nowhere

[CarnivalGal]

Back in April, out of the blue, I had my first full blown panic attack. I ended up in the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack. I had another one in July. I went to a cardiologist and ruled out heart problems. He suggested I get my thyroid checked. I did and was borderline hypothyroid, but not enough that it should affect me that much. But went on a natural thyroid hormone anyway. Since I never had any anxiety issues before, my doc (who is awesome) thought it was a symptom of something else rather than the problem. While she investigated, she suggested I try Prozac to help with the general anxiety, because by this point I had anxiety about having another anxiety attack. Only took six doses before I ended up in the ER. I had a HORRIBLE reaction. Stopped taking it per my docs orders, but it stays in your system for a long time. After a couple weeks, I started feeling better. Then about a week later, I was back in the ER. This was no longer the Prozac, since it was out of my system.

Anyway, after 5 ER visits, CT scans, ultrasounds. more blood tests than I can count, and appointments with a neurologist, another cardiologist, endocrinologist, and infectious disease specialist, I landed at a gastroenterologist. He finally diagnosed me with a gluten intolerance. My Celiac test was negative, but that was kind of to be expected since I hadn't really eaten anything for months (lost 30 pounds in 2 1/2 months). In order to test positive, you have to actually be eating gluten. So I gave it up. Within a week, I felt so much better. I've taken it a step further and with my GI doc's blessing, I am doing a total elimination diet. I eliminate most things for 4 weeks, and then gradually add certain foods back in to see if I react to them. I will never eat gluten again.

I had no idea that I could develop a gluten intolerance at age 44, but apparently it's not all that uncommon. Also, if you look up the symptoms, anxiety is definitely one of them. My reaction to Prozac may have been caused by my unhealthy gut, as serotonin is produced in your gut (another thing I didn't know). My severe reaction may have also been enough stress to cause my body to finally lose the battle against gluten.

I would strongly suggest you cut out gluten COMPLETELY for a while (give it at least a few weeks if not a month) and see how you feel. Better yet, go on the AIP Diet or Paleo for a while. I can almost guarantee you will feel better.

[earslikeacat]

Ginseng is more for an upper feeling rather than a calmer feeling. Stop the ginseng. Could also be your body equalizing after the caffeine withdrawal.

[jvmillion83]

Originally Posted by CarnivalGal

Back in April, out of the blue, I had my first full blown panic attack. I ended up in the ER because I thought I was having a heart attack. I had another one in July. I went to a cardiologist and ruled out heart problems. He suggested I get my thyroid checked. I did and was borderline hypothyroid, but not enough that it should affect me that much. But went on a natural thyroid hormone anyway. Since I never had any anxiety issues before, my doc (who is awesome) thought it was a symptom of something else rather than the problem. While she investigated, she suggested I try Prozac to help with the general anxiety, because by this point I had anxiety about having another anxiety attack. Only took six doses before I ended up in the ER. I had a HORRIBLE reaction. Stopped taking it per my docs orders, but it stays in your system for a long time. After a couple weeks, I started feeling better. Then about a week later, I was back in the ER. This was no longer the Prozac, since it was out of my system.

Anyway, after 5 ER visits, CT scans, ultrasounds. more blood tests than I can count, and appointments with a neurologist, another cardiologist, endocrinologist, and infectious disease specialist, I landed at a gastroenterologist. He finally diagnosed me with a gluten intolerance. My Celiac test was negative, but that was kind of to be expected since I hadn't really eaten anything for months (lost 30 pounds in 2 1/2 months). In order to test positive, you have to actually be eating gluten. So I gave it up. Within a week, I felt so much better. I've taken it a step further and with my GI doc's blessing, I am doing a total elimination diet. I eliminate most things for 4 weeks, and then gradually add certain foods back in to see if I react to them. I will never eat gluten again.

I had no idea that I could develop a gluten intolerance at age 44, but apparently it's not all that uncommon. Also, if you look up the symptoms, anxiety is definitely one of them. My reaction to Prozac may have been caused by my unhealthy gut, as serotonin is produced in your gut (another thing I didn't know). My severe reaction may have also been enough stress to cause my body to finally lose the battle against gluten.

I would strongly suggest you cut out gluten COMPLETELY for a while (give it at least a few weeks if not a month) and see how you feel. Better yet, go on the AIP Diet or Paleo for a while. I can almost guarantee you will feel better.

Wow I envy your dedication to fixing this issue. I've been less jittery the last few times taking the train so it's progress. Thank you also for suggesting these diets. For the last month, I've felt like I had more frequent bowel movements (nothing hurting, just annoying) so I've been working on my diet the last few weeks. It's gotten to the point where I'm sticking with the most bland foods. I'll definitely check these out though.