Panic attacks, (in general)

Hello,

I would like to open a discussion on your experience with panic and anxiety attacks. I for one have had a couple during my lifetime, and find them extremely surprising and intense. Feel free to vent your experiences here. I do believe that it is by sharing our experiences with each other that we can become more prepared for future complications. I will start by saying that last night my good friend drank way too much booze, started to bleed a little from the nose and proceeded to experience a painful and frantic hysteria. Me and a couple of others began to bring her back into consciousness through intense care that consisted of vocal commands and touch. The most interesting part of the situation was when our suffering friend began to regain a little consciousness and commented that she was extremely cold; she was trembling like an ice brick and sought to close all the openings of the blanket that covered her. At that point she began to experience very intense muscle contractions, as if she was delivering a child. Eventually, we stabilized her, and became satisfied that she would suffer at most a massive hangover the following morning. I would say that this thread is like a Public Service Announcement in the fact that anyone could have cared for her the way we did. Luckily (sort of), a while back the same sort of scenario happened to another girl I knew, which allowed me to be very prepared for this situation. Always remember to let them know that they are experiencing a Panic Attack, and that they will be all right.

SVE

reply to post by thedude69


I have them and they suck. I have been on anti-anxiety meds, on and off for a few years, but one thing that I've noticed about everything I take is that it will work for a while, but it always stops, like I get immune to it. I don't like to take Xanax and such things because all they do is knock me out without really calming me down so I don't take them.

Since we're being very general, I'll just throw in some things that I have experienced...

When I first started having anxiety attacks, there were certain triggers that would always bring one on. One was money. At the time, I was newly married and had major financial problems and even the sound of the phone ringing would throw me into an anxiety attack... even when I didn't know who was calling, because I was scared it would be a bill collector. Eventually, I got straightened out financially, but if someone called from a number that I didn't recognize, I would have an anxiety attack, even though I KNEW it couldn't be a bill collector... it was like my body was just programmed to freak out. I knew in my mind that everything was ok and I would tell myself to calm down, but physically, I would be freaking out... muscle spasms and pain in my chest, hyperventilation, cold sweats, etc. It was like I just couldn't help it. Eventually, I got put on meds and they would help for a while.

Now, I'm older and divorced (thankfully, LOL!) and in much better financial shape and bill collectors don't call but occasionally, I'll get a call from an unknown number and my body starts freaking out even though my mind is calm and I'll feel stupid because I feel like I'm getting all torn up over nothing at all. And, of course, every now and then, one will just come out of the blue and I wont even know why I'm having it.

Here's something that happened to me just yesterday and it has to do with ATS, lol! I had a dream the night before last that the government was spying on me because I post on ATS. First of all, no I don't believe they are spying on me or anyone else for posting on ATS and second, when I woke up, I thought the dream was funny and actually laughed. But anyway, on with the story... in the dream, there were government helicopters hovering around my house and spying on me. Some of them were even level with my windows and peering inside and in my dream, I was terrified. Then I woke up and had a laugh, hehehe. So, the next day, I was at home and I heard a helicopter flying over and immediately had an anxiety attack, LOL! My heart was racing and my chest was hurting... the thing is, I was laughing at myself because I knew I was freaking out because it reminded me of that dream and I knew how stupid it was, but at the same time, there was nothing I could do but wait it out and let the anxiety attack pass.

Unfortunately, I come from a long line of anxiety attack havers... for lack of a better term, LOL! Just last week, my mom got GOOD news and had an anxiety attack... I suppose the excitement threw her in to one. Anyway, her heart was racing and wouldn't stop. We ended up rushing her to ER and when we got there, her heart rate was 220 and they had to give her shots to get her heart back to beating normal. They diagnosed her with SVT (super ventricular tachycardia) but said anxiety got it started. They actually said that if she had waited longer, she could have gone into full blown cardiac arrest because her heart couldn't have handled it. And it all started from a fricken anxiety attack!

So anyway, I've rambled on here, but your post hit home! People that have never had them just don't realize how scary they can be and that it's a real problem. So many people say it's all in your head, but when you know that everything is ok, but still keep freaking out, what the hell do you do?


S&F for you! I'm keeping up with this thread!

Wow that sounds like a very intense story, but if my friend started to convulse and bleed through the nose and lose consciousness I would have contacted emergancy services.

I suffer from panic and generalized anxiety attacks. I get them in open places, but also confided spaces. I cannot take the subway here without feeling highly anxious (a lot of people in a small space), so my doctor would give me some sedatives to take. However, she stopped giving them to me because she wanted me to learn how to take control over my attacks which never happened.

Wow, it's really nice to have a thread like this! I also suffer from panic disorder, my entire life. I can't be in crowded places, such as movie theaters. I actually start to feel as if I cant breathe and have to leave.
Panic attacks are the worst feeling I've ever experienced, and it literally feels like Im dying. As your friend, OP, I've had them severe enough where my body has those contractions..because of the unknown fear, my body will tighten up as if I have worked out at a gym, then when it relaxes a bit, my muscles will contract like that. Our bodies prepare for a flight or fight situation that actually isnt happening!
They have performed sleep EEG's on me and told me that the chemicals in my brain are not the same as a "normal" person who doesnt have panic disorder. I think this is what the medicines help to correct..the firing chemicals in the brains of people with panic attacks. Dont quote me on that, but its something my doctor told me..
What you did, Im sure helped your friend to calm down, but I cant help to think that the nose bleeding was somethign that may should have been checked out.
Also, I have found if I drink too much alcohol, it increases the panic attacks, the same with too much caffiene or marijuana..and NO I dont smoke that, not since highschool..lol but it DOES seem to increase the panic attacks. Our bodies are more sensitive to stimulants than other people.

Originally posted by thedude69

I will start by saying that last night my good friend drank way too much booze, started to bleed a little from the nose and proceeded to experience a painful and frantic hysteria.

This does not sound like any sort of panic attack that I have ever experience. This sounds like your friend was suffering from alcohol poisoning.

Me and a couple of others began to bring her back into consciousness through intense care that consisted of vocal commands and touch. The most interesting part of the situation was when our suffering friend began to regain a little consciousness and commented that she was extremely cold

You are lucky your friend did not die. Were you all to drunk to take her to the emergency room? Once again it sounds like alcohol poisoning, and not a panic attack. I have never felt cold during a panic attack. All they way to the opposit, I usually break out in a sweat when I am having an attack, because it is hard to breath, and it feels like the walls are closing in. I get a very suffocating feeling.

she was trembling like an ice brick and sought to close all the openings of the blanket that covered her. At that point she began to experience very intense muscle contractions, as if she was delivering a child.

Most likely, this was her having convulsions from alcohol poisoning.

Eventually, we stabilized her, and became satisfied that she would suffer at most a massive hangover the following morning.

Gee, do you really think so?

I would say that this thread is like a Public Service Announcement in the fact that anyone could have cared for her the way we did.

Are you all medical students? This thread is surely a public service announcement. To the dangers of binge drinking! Seriously, I think you are all lucky that she did not die!

Luckily (sort of), a while back the same sort of scenario happened to another girl I knew, which allowed me to be very prepared for this situation. Always remember to let them know that they are experiencing a Panic Attack, and that they will be all right.

Was this girl drunk also? You all need to lay off the booze, and get another hobby!

edit to fix quote



[edit on 8-8-2009 by Blanca Rose]

Ok this sounds more like alcohol poisoning than a panic attack. If your friend was really drunk and incoherent like you say it doesnt really sound like a panic attack...A bloody nose can come from too much alcohol consumption. Sounds like your friend just sort of freaked out as a result of it and probably from seeing a bloody nose. I am no expert but I work in a bar and have seen many many people with this and what you say happened to your friend sounds more like alcohol poisoning. I also think it sounds like it because I have had alcohol poisoning and I will never forget how I felt. It was 10 years ago and to this day I never drink more than I know my body can handle.

As for panic attacks, I started out with anxiety attacks years ago and then they turned into full on panic attacks. I had no idea what they were and it really scared me. I would be woken up at night with them and I felt huge feelings of dread and like everything was just completely out of control and I couldnt do anything about it. I remember laying down and just before I started to fall asleep it hit me, hard! I jumped up and I was really weak, seeing "stars" and my legs felt like jello. I walked to my stairs and basically almost fell down them. Good thing my neighbor was walking by and saw this and immediately came to my door and took me to the ER. I had the WORST experience ever there with doctors...The doctor basically told me he didnt believe in mental health and that I should go home and meditate!! He accused me of just basically wanting drugs. I told him I was there to find out what was wrong with me and the last thing I wanted was a pill. I told him if I wanted pills I would have gone to my grandmothers and raided her cabinet not the ER and end up with a 4000 dollar bill for being told to meditate! After he left a nurse, who I will be grateful to forever, came over and very quietly told me I was having panic attacks and that I wasnt crazy. She said her husband gets them and suggested an all natural remedy and it really did work for me. This nurse cared more about me than the doctor! I couldnt believe it.. At the time I had insurance too so it wasnt even about the money, he was a jerk.....Ok sorry for ranting.....I found that when I was feeling one coming on I would, if I were home, take a hot shower and it always calmed me. If I was at work or out in public I would start telling myself I am ok and nothing is going to happen and this part sounds silly but I would massage my left ring finger and it was very calming. After a while I didnt get them as often and when I did I knew how to handle it. I still get them but only when I am highly stressed and even then I can usually stop it before it gets anywhere. I refuse to take pills for it since I learned how to control it naturally and I am much happier than I was years ago.

reply to post by thedude69


What you described in the original post sounds nothing like a panic attack or anxiety in any way shape or form, I suggest you do a little research before connecting those terms with what you were describing, panic attacks/anxiety have nothing to do with alchohol, people that have them, have them on a regular basis and they don't resemble anything that you described, sounds to me like your friends either can't hold their booze or they took some type of drug they couldn't handle, I would know because I have anxiety/panic attacks all the time, people that suffer from this usually have few friends, because they literally can't approach human beings easily, if anything the most overused suppressant of anxiety would be alchohol, which is where people with anxiety can more easily meet new people, I think generally speaking anxiety is one of the most misunderstood disorders considering how widespread it is, most doctors will lump it in with depression, when I would say it can be totally unrelated, most doctors know nothing about it in my opinion, so don't feel bad for not knowing about it either, few people do, unless they have it themself.

I was intrigued enough by the OP that I retrieved my password that I've never used to reply. I have had panic attacks since I was 15. I am now (late 30's) Open places, people standing too close, taking test in school, standing in the grocery line. These are very difficult to live with. Heart palpitations, clammy skin, turning pale, stomach cramps, and nausea overtake every aspect of my body. I have also felt many times like I was going to pass out. I use to drink wine Alot because it would stop the panic attacks. Though got a stomach ulcer from drinking. Now I'm proud to say "I take a pill for that" when I meet other people who have panic attacks so severe that normal life becomes dysfunctional.

This is the place to be if you have anxiety.

And panic attacks.

All my life i have suffered from anxiety. Its a bummer.

I go to extremes to keep from getting one started, i guess meditating does help, but not all the time.

Here's what triggers mine. Simply walking down the street. I can also get a panic attack in the shower. Dont get me wrong, i shower regardless, but i do get them in the shower.

I'm so screwed up. Honestly.

I fought them, inch by inch. Had to.

For example, agoraphobia. I used to curl up in the footwell of cars if they began driving near built-up areas, for example. Couldn't go outside for close to 18 months. Terrified of crowds, of elevators, of dogs, of parties, of speaking in public and many more. My life was going down the toilet, I knew it.

So I became my own 'friend'. Talked to myself, told myself I needed to deal with this. Take a few steps outside, I said to myself. If you can't handle it, you can always retreat back indoors.

So it was baby-steps. Sweating, feeling faint, world spinning, dissassociation. But I took those first few steps. Enough for one try .. back inside. Next day, did it again .. few more steps, all the time talking to myself, helping myself along, telling myself I could always retreat and go back in, shaking like a rag.

In six weeks (it was like a miracle to me) I'd turned things around. Had conquered fear of the phone, of other people. Arranged for a job interview. Had to start getting ready hours in advance because the panic had me nearly crazy: my outfit was 'wrong', my hair was 'wrong', my accessories were 'wrong'. So another shower, dress again in something else. Start from scratch. It was the old story. But I told myself (my 'big' voice told myself) that I would be going to that interview. No 'ifs' or 'buts' about it --- I would be going, even if I had to crawl there on my knees. Because if I backed out, I may as well throw my life out the window and get it over with.

So I was tough with myself. Thank God I somehow knew how to be tough and gentle with myself at the same time.

I went to the interview. Was shortlisted. Attended another interview. And then another. By this time, I had hope, which was something I hadn't had for a long time. It felt like a dream .. how was I doing this? But I tried not to analyse it or I might freak myself out. Kept myself in 'stall' mode and went through the paces on automatic: ' You can do it. You ARE doing it. You are DOING it !'

I got the job and loved it. To begin with, I was living on nerve alone, scared stiff. A couple of weeks in I had a major attack and crawled into a big cupboard at work .. just wanted somewhere to hide. But another element of my personality pulled me through, managed to make it seem funny when I got myself together .. got a bit of a reputation as 'crazy but in a good way'. Pulled it off. Had to watch myself like a hawk. It was like learning to 'be', all over again.

In a way, it was a bit like flying. You don't know how you're doing it, but you don't question or you might fall.

What happened was, I think, I 'grew' a new me. And encouraged it to superimpose (or whatever word is appropriate) over the old me. The new me was mostly bluff, but there was some of the old me strength there.

Then, new-me took over. Within a very short time, I had become sickeningly over-confident (with a non-existent shell hiding underneath). I changed the way I behaved, dressed, etc.

One thing that took a while to conquer (and I still do it on occasion) was walking with my head tilted to one side. I didn't know I was doing it until people I worked with pointed it out, laughed about it, etc. So then I began working on that. Probably a bit of brain-damage leaking through. I'd been badly beaten for prolonged periods in my earlier life. And I was left handed as a child and then made to change. So that might be the reason.

Nowadays I make sure I get out and about and into the thick of crowds on regular basis, to keep the tendency to stay indoors at bay. The timid-me is still in there and comes out once in a while. It's always a surprise to hear that soft voice and politeness. The new-me acts assertively and has got me through a lot of tough times, lol.

But I'd say, tackle it head on. Don't let these conditions or symptoms become an excuse and try not to rely on drugs or other crutches. You have everything you need inside you. We all do. It's character building to confront these problems and work with yourself to overcome them. It gives you mental muscles that drugs cannot.

Having said that, there are still lots of things that throw me: elevators for one, and flying (even though I used to love plane travel). I don't beat myself up. I take the stairs when it gets bad and am still working on fear of flying. Still get anxious when confronted by people at social functions sometimes. I never know how I'll react. Sometimes 'strong me' takes over and I listen to her in amazement .. she sounds so confident. Lol. Life's interesting

To the OP: I agree with the others that your friend had a very dangerous case of alcohol poisoning. This can be fatal. Lethal. If you are dating/partying with young women who are drinking large amounts for the first time, please be on the lookout for this. If you and your friends are "too drunk" to take her to emergency, then at least call an ambulance for her. Or call another friend, or call her parents. I promise you they would rather see her drunk than see her dead.

Please reseach how much a person can drink per hour, according to body weight, and note it differs for males/females. Females cannot tolerate as much alcohol as males. Biological difference. (Not trying to keep your friends from getting drunk.....just don't want you to die. The seizure alone could have killed her.)

Regarding panic attacks: I had them when I was in grad school. Would wake up with them during the night. Horrible. Also, panic attacks are diagnosed more in the emergency room late at night than any other place. People go in thinking they are dying, of course, having a heart attack. I had them in the grocery store also. Can't tell you how many full carts I've had to leave in the aisle. But I don't have them anymore, and I'm so glad to be rid of them. Awful, awful thing to have.

(Sorry about my "mother hen" lecture. I could not help myself apparently.)



[edit on 8/8/0909 by ladyinwaiting]

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


You're right .. you think you're dying. And the feeling of having no control over it makes it escalate. It feeds on itself

reply to post by St Vaast


Thank you so much for sharing this! I loved it, and love your tenacity and determination. You are a total WINNER and don't ever let anybody lead you to believe differenly. To overcome all you have? Good grief!
Sounds like you came by your anxieties and phobias honestly and are doing a magnificent job of knocking them out, one by one. BRAVO!

This may sound crazy but it has worked wonders for me.

I suffered from anxiety attacks for allot of years before i learned this method.

The next time you have an attack, instead of trying to talk yourself out of it or trying to calm yourself down, FACE the attack, the attack is an experience you are having if you try to run and hide from it it will chase you forever.

It may take a few attempts but the next few times you have an attack sit down, close your eyes and really try and feel the pure essence of the attack, ask it for more, EXPERIENCE IT. Even LOVE it.

Now you may feel like your going to die but keep going and ask it for all its got. After a few times of doing this, you will have had the full experience of the attack and it will become like child's play, until you get to the point where they will have no power over you. You can like it to driving a car, at first you learn how to drive it and are aware of all the movement of changing gears and stuff but after a while driving becomes second nature and you just naturally just change gears and drive around without thinking about every little movement. Remember YOU drive the car, it dosent drive you.

Sounds crazy but i haven't had anxiety for years after doing this around three times. Took me around 4 days to stop 8 years of 24/7 GAD and heart palpitations.

reply to post by Jonro


This is a technique now used by therapists. Would you mind telling us, did you figure this out on your own, or did you learn it somewhere?

Just curious. I love knowing these things.

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


Learnt it from a Vietnamese woman that used to live next door to me, and i was friends with her son. She was a very wise lady.

reply to post by Jonro


Yes, I see she was indeed wise. I'm glad to see it works for you. It's kind of intense in a therapeutic situation, because the therapist must induce an attack. Scary for both people. I will continue to study this.

Thanks for sharing. Maybe it will help others as well. This hasn't been used in therapy for a very long period of time. Most still use "self-talk", "thought-stopping", and medications, of course. This sounds like a good and effective alternative to those.

reply to post by ladyinwaiting



Gee, thanks, Lady

I realised afterwards that I should had explained that I'd already tried to solve my problems via prescription drugs.

When I first landed in the city, it was traumatic .. as if hundreds of tin lids were crashing inside my head most of the time. I did everything I could to calm myself. Used to study people .. the way they walked and talked and handled life. Tried to copy them. If they could do it, I should be able to. Recently, I read a description of 'dissassociation' (?) .. the feeling that the world is moving around you, but you're not part of it ? Well, it was like that for a long time. Obviously worsened by my personal situation which was a trauma all on it's own.

At first, when I heard there were 'tablets' which would help 'anxiety', I started using those. You could buy them at any chemist's shop. I was popping them like peanuts and told myself they were working. As long as I had a packet in my bag, I felt safer. They were the straw to which I clung. But they didn't do anything more than take the edge off, at best.

Finally I was able to see a mental-health professional. He was nuts. He had tics and his legs jerked spasmodically, his eyebrows were working independently, he had a weird cough that wasn't a cough and kept checking his watch, polishing his glasses, etc. But because I had no experience of any of this, I just assumed it was normal. Then he asked me what the winds were for. He was taking notes all along. Polite trusting me figured he must be giving me an informal intelligence test. Anxious to prove my symptoms existed outside my basic intelligence, I answered as thoroughly as possible, i.e., ' One purpose of the winds, or at least the purpose to which evolution has utilised winds, is the spread of seeds at certain times of year. Various plants and trees have learned to optimise the scattering effect of winds by ensuring they release their seed pods at a time during the year when winds are favourable, also temperature and rainfall -- to give their seeds the best chance of germinating and taking root'.

The 'mental health professional' jotted it down fast and got a little gleam in his eyes. He was like a kid who'd won a prize. ' So you think wings are to scatter seeds, do you ?' I stared at him .. ' Excuse me, did you say winds or wings before ? '

He said 'wings'.

' Sorry. I thought you said 'winds' '

' No. I said wings. You just told me wings are for scattering seeds'

' Well I thought you said 'winds'. Sorry. If you meant 'wings', then of course my anwer would be .. sorry, what sort of wings ? '

He was irritable because he could seen his 'lunatic' slipping out of his grasp. ' Wings. Any wings. Birds wings. Planes' wings. You know what a wing is, don't you ? '. He was snappish

I began to panic. I was under 21. This individual had the power to put me in an institution if he believed I was 'crazy'. And he wanted to believe I was . So I tried to stay calm and explain the purpose of 'wings'. Explained the reason for birds' wings and moved onto planes, doing my best to include words like 'displacement', 'thrust', 'trajectory' and regretted failing physics.

Had to bite my tongue to stop myself laughing in his twisty face. What sort of question is that of someone who has panic attacks .. 'what are wings/winds for ? '. Why had he asked that? Who was crazy here. But I was afraid of his power to lock me away.

He prescribed a drug called Stelazine B. Like an idiot, I trusted that drug the way I still trusted most adults. I blamed myself for not hearing him properly re: wings and winds. Told myself the pills would make me better, normal, not panicky, etc.

Well, those pills made me severely suicidal. A suicidal fog. Everything felt worse than before, but I kept taking them because they were all I had to fight the problem. Told myself they must be taking a bit more time to work than I'd expected.

In the end, the world defeated me and I took the entire bottle, hoping they'd kill me on the spot the way overdoses did in the movies. I just wanted blackness. I'd given up on Heaven. Blackness, nothingness, an end to pain was more than enough.

Then I realised that was a stupid and inconsiderate thing to do to people. So I went to the hospital, told them what I'd done and asked if there was any way to reverse it. They pumped my stomach, counted the half dissolved pills, sent me to a sanitorium in a van filled with assorted people with dementia, deliriums tremens, etc. for being a problem.

Next day I knew I had to get myself out of there. It was a living hell. Was interviewed by several men with very white hair and very dark eyebrows. Told them I was a stupid kid trying for attention, wouldn't do it again. They liked that. God took pity, sent my religious fundamentalist landlady to get me out. She made me pay in humiliation.

The pills had a weird effect. Made my eyes keep rolling up to the top. Had to close my eyes, bring them down to the bottom, then open them and continue talking to whomever. Seconds later they were rolling up in my skull again -- just the whites showing, apparently. Very disconcerting for people who were present or to whom I was speaking. Had to go back to work like that because I had to pay the rent. Took a few weeks to get my eyes back to normal. Optician said the muscles were wrecked and the eyes would never come good again. But they did. Still using them.

So that's when I knew if I was going to sort myself out, it had to be me .. no more pills, no more 'health professionals'.

Years later, married, sorted-out, happy and with children, saw a documentary about Stelazine B. Seems it caused so many suicides and other problems that it was withdrawn from the market. I was a survivor. And knew what the others who'd taken it must have gone through. Was finally able to excuse myself for idiotically taking an entire bottle in the hope of finding escape in blackness.

Sure, there are undoubtedly drugs that are helping people and if so, I'm glad they're helping to make life tolerable.

The only pills I've taken for the past 30 and more years though, are vitamins. And I believe a good friend (even if it's yourself) is at least as helpful as many professionals might be. Just imo

reply to post by St Vaast


Amazing story. Hope you don't mind that I burst out laughing over the description of the psychiatrist! He sounds like a real twit! I don't blame you for running. Yeah, I remember stalazine. Hasn't been used in years. It was an inappropriate choice to begin with. It was used as an anti-psychotic (non of the old anti-psychotics worked anyway and the side effects were horrible and often irreversible), and you just needed a simple anti-anxiety medication. (They really do work, now, along with the SSRI anti-depressants....they're onto something with those). They work.

You show an incredible amount of insight and you have the "smarts" to know what you need. I'm so sorry you had a bad experience at such a young age. Plus, it's amazing how many people there are who have no clue how to take care of themselves. You would be surprised. But you do. People don't realize how lucky they are when they are able to pinpoint what it is they need, then set about to obtain the answer. Sometimes we need help, but even knowing when you need help is taking care of yourself.

I'm happy to hear that most issues are resolved for you. I still have anxiety, but not the attacks like I had in the past. Seems like the twenties are prime for having them. I'm glad I clicked on this thread. I've really met some nice, open people here. It helps to hear what others have to say.
S&F

Hello everyone, I have read some of the responses in the beginning of this thread and have to say I have enjoyed what everyone has shared. I especially enjoyed Blanca Rose's post; it seems his/her insights could prove to be very valuable for the future direction of this thread. Over time, I will definitely respond to most, if not all the questions or statements everyone has for me. For now, however, I will focus my attention to the post made by Blanca Rose. Keep up the good work! Your experiences are not only important to yourself, but important for everyone.

SVE

Originally posted by Blanca Rose

This does not sound like any sort of panic attack that I have ever experienced. This sounds like your friend was suffering from alcohol poisoning.

Thank you very much for clearing this up! If you do not mind, I would like to backtrack in my story just a little bit so you understand why I titled this thread Panic attacks, (in general). When I came to my friends aid, the first thing that came to my mind, was to tell her that she was experiencing a panic attack. When I told her that she was experiencing a panic attack she became attentive, which then allowed us to sit her up. We kept repeating to her that panic attacks happen to everyone, and assured her that she was going to make it through this mess. To be honest I was one of a few people, who actually saw the blood. I knew that she was not experiencing a coc aine overdose because she is, in fact, very against that drug. Looking back, I should have contacted emergency services, but at the time, the only thing I was focused on was keeping her conscious. If I knew all along that she was suffering from alcohol poisoning I would have called 911 immediately.

You are lucky your friend did not die. Were you all to drunk to take her to the emergency room? Once again it sounds like alcohol poisoning, and not a panic attack. I have never felt cold during a panic attack. All they way to the opposite, I usually break out in a sweat when I am having an attack, because it is hard to breath, and it feels like the walls are closing in. I get a very suffocating feeling.

Yes we are very lucky, I played beer pong and smoked a couple of doobies, but there were many people there who were very sober. It is my belief that no one knew what to do, I think we were all in shock. In the beginning she was definitely suffocating, and that is why we sat her up. It was only after we lied her back down and she could breathe again that she expressed that she was freezing.

Most likely, this was her having convulsions from alcohol poisoning.

Indeed, she was definitely poisoned.

I said,

Eventually, we stabilized her, and became satisfied that she would suffer at most a massive hangover the following morning.

And you responded,

Gee, do you really think so?

Supposedly this has happened to her before, and people led me to believe that she would be fine. Of course I wanted to take her to the hospital the next day to make sure that everything was in order, but she had to go to her sister's college graduation early the next morning. Again, if I knew she was poisoned I would have taken her to the hospital regardless of what was happening in her life the next day.

Are you all medical students? This thread is surely a public service announcement. To the dangers of binge drinking! Seriously, I think you are all lucky that she did not die!

I am a philosophy student, but now wish I pursued biology a little more while in college. Drinking to the point of being poisoned is quite extreme, but I would like to add that I do not believe suffering from it is an automatic death sentence. My public service announcement was a message of care, which I believe is consistent with your announcement that people should not binge drink. If people did not drink the way she had that night, that horrible situation could have been avoided.

Was that other girl drunk also? You all need to lay off the booze, and get another hobby!

The other girl actually slipped and hit her head while drinking on a boat. Same sort of reaction though; her situation was a lot worse then the one that happened last night and she had to be taken to the emergency room. I agree that we all need to lay off the booze, so that we can have more time to play sports and read books. Thanks again Blanca Rose for your thoughts.