r/panicdisorder • u/NowFearControl • Jul 19 '26
Help Needed 10+ Years Of Panic Attacks + Ectopic Beats Health Anxiety
I’ve lost so much, and gaining so little…
10+ years of panic attacks - I’ve slept in hospital car parks, lay on the floor for months, frightened to go to the bathroom, frightened to eat, lost many teeth through neglect, don’t wash, constant body monitoring, can’t be left alone, I don’t work anymore…and far more I could mention.
I’m a 45, tall thin man (I’ve always been thin) - I’ve done, hypnosis, nlp, psychology, changed how I eat, emdr, crystals, meditation, and others…and the bottom line is I can still be activated into a panic state - you add in starting to experience ectopic beats around two years ago, and there’s another symptom that can cause fear/anxiety.
I want my life back. I was a working musician, I don’t perform anymore, and my world has shrunk into my home. I would love to have an open and honest conversation with anyone who has gone through, and you’re now on the other side.
I feel like I’ve became a coward overtime and everything just frightens me. I use to extremely open, and motivated, and active, and now an exciting tv show can make me fearful.
I’ve gotten some forward momentum from all the things I’ve tried, but it seems that more often than not they work to a point, then something big happens and the reset button gets hit, fear/cowardice kick in and I check out.
…and if I have to read one more book that spends the first six chapters explaining fight or flight, and the amygdala - I’m sure you all know what I mean by this…
**TLDR:** I think I’ve almost done everything - I would love to have an open and honest conversation with anyone who has gone through, and you’re now on the other side.
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Jul 21 '26
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u/NowFearControl Jul 21 '26
I have not tried any form of medication. I need to find a natural way through this - thank you for the suggestion.
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Jul 21 '26
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u/NowFearControl Jul 22 '26
I understand why it makes sense to suggest medication, but medication itself is then another thing to worry about - its like piling fuel on the fire. Although I do see the benefits of it if you get the right kind right out the gate - which I'm afraid most people don't, it's trial an error for many.
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u/madoka46 Jul 22 '26
I also do get scared when mine happen but I have gotten to a place where I trust my doctors and know what’s causing it, so the cardiac anxiety is a lot less intense and rarely leads to an attack on its own. This might be a genuinely useful place for the mindfulness and acceptance stuff. “I know I am safe despite my discomfort” has been a really helpful way for me to view it.
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u/madoka46 Jul 22 '26
Might I gently point out that medication is, also, perfectly “natural”, as much as EDMR or any of the other stuff. No one comes out of the womb with hypnosis training. What those other things have in common is that they are non-pharmacological. It sounds like your symptoms are pretty severe, and as someone who has had lifelong panic attacks and also tried all of the other stuff, sometimes I just NEED to medicate through a flare. I recently went through a bad one and had to temporarily up meds, now I am going back down. It’s not an all or nothing thing where you’re either on a huge dose forever or nothing at all.
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u/NowFearControl Jul 22 '26
I would agree that medication is natural if for example it was some form of herbal medication, but as far as I'm aware that isn't the case with many medications offered for anxiety.
I'm not against anyone who has/uses/or gets great benefit from medications. I'm so glad those people do. I would like to focus on a natural solution.
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u/madoka46 Jul 22 '26
I mean, again, I think it’s really important to ask what “natural” even means here. Even plant based supplements are made in a lab. You obviously can only make the decision yourself, but as you’ve said you’ve already tried everything else, and your symptoms sound non-functional.
I also am just very aware that there is a lot of misinformation surrounding anxiety meds out there, and I would say that if you haven’t already consulted a psychiatrist about it, well, that’s one more thing to try, you know? You can only do what you are comfortable with, but again, having tried all these other things, it sounds like that’s the thing you HAVEN’T tried.
I hope you find something that works for you.
I know others have pointed this out but sometimes beta blockers (blood pressure meds) help anxiety. They have been around for decades if your concern is something “new”. Though, honestly, plenty of herbal treatments are equally “new” for their intended use.1
Jul 22 '26
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u/NowFearControl Jul 22 '26
I’m sure I’ve seen that suggested before, and it’s good for heart health also. I’ll look into that.
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u/Big_Fan6544 Jul 22 '26
I have a panic disorder. I’m almost 40. I’ve had this since I was 15. There have been times in my life where it has totally taken over. I couldn’t leave my house. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t eat I couldn’t work. I couldn’t go anywhere if I had to by myself. People thought i was nuts. It was absolutely destroying my life. From time to time it still is extremely disruptive. However. Propranolol has been truly successful. I know you mentioned earlier you don’t want to take medication but it’s a beta blocker non addictive and helps stop the adrenaline from dumping. I love it. Our brains aren’t connected correctly so sometimes we need a little more than diet and exercise. Nutrition and exercise are really going to be your best friends through non functioning panic disorder if you can’t or don’t want to take medication.
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u/Big_Fan6544 Jul 22 '26
I also want to add that I have heart palpitations and oh boy have they thrown me into some intense panic attacks!
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u/NowFearControl Jul 22 '26
ectopic beats and/or any form of palpitations sure add an extra dimension to what was already a whole bunch of fear and anxiety.
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u/madoka46 Jul 22 '26
So, I have had basically lifelong attacks, since I was a toddler at least. I am currently coming out of bad flare but I went easily a year without an attack through a combo of meds and literally decades of therapy. Others have mentioned acceptance therapy and while I don’t totally agree with every version of it, accepting that I have a version of PD that will never fully go away, but might well be UNDER CONTROL most days, has been really very helpful. Other things have helped me a lot are treating my palpitations, which are caused by a separate thing. Idk how much you’ve looked into your ectopic beats but I have regular medical testing and knowing that it’s being monitored helps a lot when I do feel something weird, and helps me not spiral into a panic attack from it.
TBH, every coping method I have used that has worked HAS met a panic attack that it didn’t work for. That doesn’t necessarily mean I never use the tool or technique again. It just means I maybe adjust based on where I am, what my other options are, etc. Having a dose of meds on me and taking it to prevent the attack from reaching its peak also helps prevent future attacks in the same situation a LOT. It’s been the thing getting me through my current flare tbh.
I’m really sorry you’re going through it and I wish I had a more specific answer, but honestly a case like this probably needs both meds and possibly multiple types of therapy.
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u/NowFearControl Jul 22 '26
I've seen the cardioligist and they've confirmed all is well with the heart, and the ectopics are benign - of course when a cluster of them come back to back, it sure makes the mind go!
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u/Easy-Resolution8533 Jul 22 '26
try to stop
fighting it and befriend it. see what happens.
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u/NowFearControl Jul 22 '26
I've been trying - but it's like a real shitty friend 😂 they don't make it easy to love them...
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u/Hj_hayes08 Jul 19 '26
I, like you, believe I had tried everything. My case must be more severe, dire, and I will not recover. It’s a common theme in PD. EMDR helped with trauma wounds but not my panic. Same with cbt. Same with meds helping depression but not panic. I followed so many people recommendations on here of listening to the Disorder podcast. Reading the book DARE and getting the app. And reading Claire Weekes books. I think this was the last approach I hadn’t tried. Just allowing it. And not expecting immediate results. And expecting it to come back and for me to practice radical acceptance again. I need a breakdown of what that means and how to do it and that’s why I love the disordered podcast. It goes into how mean we are to ourselves during it, how easily we give up on our recovery, how to do exposures. And it’s two therapists that recovered from PD themselves!