Panic attacks..... or, withdrawals?
 

So my sister is having a struggle with recurrent ‘panic attacks’.

But from the outside, as a man in recovery, they seem to relate to periods when it’s been a while since her last alcohol....

She’s been binging and blacking out and quietly hiding the real volume of her drinking for over a year now.... probably for the last 4-5....

I don’t think she’s gone more than a day without alcohol in... a long time.

Anyone experienced ‘panic attacks’ that were actually a sign of physical withdrawal? I feel like she needs medical attention but won’t get help...

I definitely had panic attacks both during the latter days of my drinking and after quitting as well. They could certainly have been part withdrawal, but i'm also diagnosed with anxiety disorder so panic happens from that too.

But overall during withdrawal, basically your mind is bouncing back from being chemically sedated, so your anxiety and panic response is a lot more active - sometimes hyperactive.

Bottom line though, she should probably see someone about it.

Absolutely. When I was going through withdrawal I was on pins and needles. If someone knocked on the door my heart would have flown out of my chest. I was scared of my own shadow, it was pure hell. All alcohol induced in my opinion. False fear/panic.

I know that my anxiety was exacerbated by my self-medicating myself with alcohol which lead to full on go-to-the-ER-because-I-think-I'm-dying panic attacks a number of times.

Anxiety & alcohol is a vicious circle; it may work short-term to dampen down panicky feelings, but the anxiety ratchets up each time you're un-self-medicated & longer term it only goes one way.

I don't know whether that exactly answers your question. Either way, if she is suffering from anxiety, then it can become a bit chicken & egg, & self-medication through heavy drinking isn't a wise strategy.

Yes....for the last 2 days. I binge then have horrific panic espisodes, where I feel I can't breathe and I can't sleep. For me it's a consquence of being completely destructive and irresponsible with alcohol. When I have a few weeks sober, it almost completely goes away. I think it's an indicator of hangovers becoming something even more sinister. I really hope your sis gets help.....I reckon after suffering this for a while she will want help. Best wishes and I really hope she lets you take her to a doctor. xxx

I have severe anxiety and used booze as my "cure" for years, until it stopped working and became my worst nightmare.
You can't make an alcoholic get clean, no matter how hard you try. All you can do is stay on your side of the road and grant them your best wishes that they do find their way.

I have never had anxiety in my life despite having been in some stressful situations, but alcohol brought it into my life. What was said above re: the vicious cycle of alcohol and anxiety is absolutely true; alcohol withdrawal makes your heart race, makes you super sensitive to any noise or unexpected stimuli, and just overall restless in the worst possible way. You realize that alcohol is a quick fix, and you drink again. Then when you try to stop, it’s even worse. It’s a terrible place to be.

The first time I felt full-blown withdrawal, I thought it was a panic attack of some kind because I didn’t know enough about withdrawal. I thought I was having a heart attack and was sure I was on the brink of dropping dead at any second. It was terrifying. Your sister most definitely could be suffering from withdrawal.

She should know that if she does not get help stopping, it can and WILL get worse. Each time you have a withdrawal episode, it makes it more likely symptoms will come back the next time you drink, even if only a small amount. She may need to be hosptitalized for detox, where they balance out her fluids, electrolytes,’vitamins etc. and possibly administer some drugs to ease the nervous system overload. Would she be open to that as a first step to recovery?

Just wanted to add: since you are in recovery, you must know that alcohol withdrawal is in fact the only withdrawal that is deadly. She should read up on all the horrible outcomes that are possible, including seizures, coma, paralysis, loss of faculties... scare tactics don’t always work, but as someone who has come close and has gone to rehab with people who have experienced partial paralysis and hearing loss etc... it’s as real as real can be.

Could be both. But gut-wrenching anxiety is a definite near-given with alcohol withdrawal.

Only way to tell for sure is to detox from the alcohol and stay sober for 90 days or more. She should be working with a psychiatrist that has some experience with substance use disorder and comorbid conditions.

I had terrible anxiety before, and after, quitting alcohol. My anxiety levels began to drop significantly around 30 days. Day 81!

i really hope your sister gets help to get better. panic attacks is no joke.

can easily imagine her drinking is causing it or atleast making the problems worse.

thanks for the feedback, all.... I do think she's experiencing a one-two punch of actually having deep rooted anxiety issues but they're being made all the worse by the deepening cycle of self-medicate, feel "better", withdraw, feel 10 times worse, self-medicate some more.....

I think she needs to be in a rehab and treated in an integrated way with medical, psychological and addiction care. She's not willing to do that. My parents are trying but they're struggling and - like many who don't really understand addiction and alcoholism - they're spinning in the vortex with her a bit right now..... unable to toss her out and let her face her own consequences... being pulled into manipulative cycles.... feeling frustrated, scared and angry all at once.....

Well, thanks again. I may share this thread with them at some point to help provide some insight. Maybe not. They know I'm here to help offer guidance but I'm laying down some hard boundaries to keep my own sobriety intact and keep from becoming part of the whirlwind her addiction is causing.

Yes. And if the onset of the panic attacks coincides with the increase in drinking, that's probably a definitive yes.

Probably? Definitive? Well you know what I mean :)

I couldn't differentiate between the panic attacks I'd suffered throughout my life and the ones I got after I quit drinking.

The good thing is she has you in her corner FreeOwl :)

D

Thanks, Dee.

I hope one day she chooses to walk the sober path so my role in her corner might be of some use.

Panic attacks were one of my main withdrawal symptoms.

I was driving back from a booze filled long weekend in CA and had to pull over to get out of the car because I was "GOING TO DIE!!!"..that's when I put 2+2 together for the first time with my drinking and anxiety/panic attacks. That was the worst I'd ever experienced. Freaked me out! Haven't had any once I got passed day(s) 3-5. :knockswood: