<p>My D just called me and said she has had 2 panic attacks in the last few days. I told her to talk to someone at the Health Center about how to handle these. So far, 3 out of my 4 kids have called me about these. I used to have them a lot,but I seem to have them under control without meds. Are they hereditary? BTW, I miss all my old friends on CC!! Prison Talk just doesn’t do it for me, although I did connect with a nice local mom and we went to breakfast. Also, for the legal people who PMd me, my son is going for sentencing om March 28. What are the chances he does part of the sentence at home with a bracelet? This is his first ( and hopefully only) time.</p>
<p>I remember reading somewhere that there could be a genetic link or panic attacks. Reindeer your kids not to have any caffeine. </p>
<p>I missed the part about your son. I hope everything goes well on the 28th and that he can do the bracelet at home. Good luck!</p>
<p>My Daughter-in-law suddenly began having severe panic attacks almost two years ago. PLEASE encourage your kids to get professional counseling and, if still needed, to see a psychiatrist for medication to help. All studies indicate that the combination of counseling combined with medication (as opposed to meds alone) is the best way to deal with this. </p>
<p>My DIL went through a pretty rough time there… she became essentially house-bound for a while and was afraid to be home alone with her then two-year-old son. Fortunately, I was able to help her out by driving and being with her and my grandson…i was blessed to get to spend that time with them both and we are still very close. </p>
<p>Fast forward—she is driving now and loves her time with her son. She is back to her old self, but still sees a therapist/counselor. </p>
<p>Point is, please encourage your kids to get help. I never knew anyone personally who had gone through this before and I have learned a lot. Best to you…</p>
<p>
Gotta love autocorrect typing!!</p>
<p>Could very well be hereditary. My father had them, as part of PTSD. I had a few when younger then had severe ones as part of post partum depression. My son started having them at college last year.</p>
<p>What worked for me was a combination of medicine and therapy. But what I had was depression with a large order of anxiety.</p>
<p>I would recommend she see a psychiatrist for proper diagnosis and treatment.</p>
<p>Yes, anxiety is heriditary. DS’s panic attacks are well controlled with medication. There are antidepressants that have anti-anxiety properties, and those are the most commonly used (and most effective in the long run), rather than the more addictive ones. Good luck to your daughter.</p>
<p>My sib had panic attacks from teens into early thirties. As mysteriously as they started they stopped. I don’t know if they even had medications for this condition back then.</p>
<p>Agree about meds and therapy. Breathing into a paper bag is supposed to help when one of these hits. Hyperventilation can cause low levels of CO2 that can lead to the scary symptoms. It’s nice to have several strategies because anxiety feeds on itself and escalates.</p>
<p>* I don’t know if they even had medications for this condition back then.
*</p>
<p>The Rolling Stones wrote a song about it.
[Mother’s</a> Little Helper - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother’s_Little_Helper]Mother’s”>Mother's Little Helper - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>My youngest controls hers with meditation & exercise.
I used to have a horrible time in my 20’s, it seemed to be hormonally related, for me.
Agree with moderation of caffeine, also sugar or anything that messes up blood sugar.</p>
<p>Cognitive behavior therapy can be helpful also.
<a href=“http://www.anxietypanicattack.com/[/url]”>http://www.anxietypanicattack.com/</a>
<a href=“http://panicdisorder.about.com/[/url]”>http://panicdisorder.about.com/</a></p>
<p>I’ve had two kids with panic attacks - neither ended up on meds but both took them as serious lifestyle warnings and cut back on caffeine and started eating healthier and making it a point to sleep…and that has worked. In both cases, it seemed to be related to making the transition to adult responsibilities. Not sure how meaningful that is, though.</p>
<p>It’s been years since I have had ongoing panic attacks, though I still have to fall asleep to a news type program. It distracts me from thinking about stressful topics and I can follow along with my eyes closed. Bad habit, but thank goodness for the keep timer on our TV. </p>
<p>If your D ends up on an anti depressant make sure when the time comes to quit that she weans herself off of the meds slowly. I, like many others went on a downhill spiral as a result from quitting cold turkey.</p>
<p>Low cortisol(adrenal fatigue) can cause panic attacks, this is what gave me anxiety for years. For me a psych never helped because they didn’t run any tests to find this out though. There are plenty of herbs and vitamins that a naturopath would recommend that might help.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry to hear your D is having panic attacks. My mother suffered from them when she was in her 30’, 40’s and 50’s. My brother also has panic attacks. Fortunately, it’s never been a problem for me. </p>
<p>It’s considered to be hereditary. Since you suffer from panic attacks, as well as 3 of your 4 kids, it sure seems to point to that theory. How have your other 2 kids dealt with the problem? Just my opinion, but it might be a good idea for them to see a mental health professional with experience treating panic disorder as soon as possible before it spirals out of control. I’ve heard that some people become agoraphobic (afraid to leave their homes). </p>
<p>Wikipedia states that major stress is frequently the cause of the first attack. So it’s not surprising that college students encounter this problem especially if they are genetically predisposed to panic disorder.</p>