Anxiety attack symptoms

Anxiety attack symptoms are characterised by mild to severe mental (emotional) and physical effects.

Mental: agitation, agoraphobia, apprehension, constant worry, endless crying, depression, feel stressed and/or overwhelmed, irrational fears, irritable, irrational behaviour, lack of self confidence and esteem, low tolerance to stress, nervousness, panicky feelings or panic attacks (sometimes leading to tetany, a sustained muscle contraction not caused by tetanus), difficulty relaxing, emotional balance upset, tension

Physical: butterflies in stomach, breathing difficulties, cold and/or clammy hands or skin, cravings for sweet things, dizziness, exhaustion/fatigue, headaches, hot flushes/sweating, itching skin, jittery, lump in throat, misty vision in eyes, muscle weakness, nausea, rapid heart beat or palpitations, shaking or trembling, shortness of breath, stiff/uptight, stomach in 'knots', tight chest, tremors

Anxiety attack symptoms can be caused by an external mental or physical stressor or endogenously by a drop in blood sugar.

The body responds to any stress, either mental or physical in the same way...

The stress hormones cortisol, noradrenaline and adrenaline rise, causing restlessness, nervousness, jitters and other non-specific and non-directed signs of agitation. Blood is directed away from periphery blood vessels and directed to the heart and major muscles, blood pressure increases, as does heart rate.The immune system, digestion, hormones, neurotransmitters etc are suppressed.

In other words the body goes on hold, apart from the heart and legs, until all danger has been dealt with. Fine when being chased by a sabre tooth tiger, but harmful if not!

This outpouring of adrenaline causes sugar (glycogen) stored in cells in the body, particularly the liver, to pour into the blood to give energy. As the sugar drains out it is replaced by water, causing bloating and weight gain. Too much adrenaline can bring on an attack of panic, migraine, epilepsy and some of the anxiety attack symptoms above.

If the sugar is not used up in either the 'fight or flight' response, the body responds by creating a surge of insulin to prevent hyperglycaemia (high blood sugar). It does this by converting the excess sugar into fat which then gets deposited in the fatty tissues causing weight gain.

An increase in cholesterol and triglycerides also occurs. If too much insulin is released blood sugar drops sharply, leading to many of the above symptoms. If at this point no food is eaten, to prevent the sugar dropping too low, the adrenal glands again pump out adrenaline to bring stored sugar into the blood, and so a vicious cycle is started.

Adrenaline, apart from making the heart race, produces the following anxiety attack symptoms...

• FIGHT: Aggression, Irritability, Rage, Violence
• FLIGHT: Avoidance, Mental confusion, Withdrawal, Fatigue
• FRIGHT: Anxiety, Apprehension, Depression, Panic

With the drop in levels of neurotransmitters, particularly GABA (our major calming neurotransmitter) and serotonin (our major 'happy' neurotransmitter) and a drop in progesterone levels, agitation, nervousness, panic attacks or panicky feelings are produced. It is essential to replace these missing nutrients to prevent further agitation.

Conventional treatment of anxiety attack symptoms

Anxiety, severe anxiety and psychosis are usually treated with benzodiazepines, one such is diazepam (Valium). Occasionally SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) antidepressants are also used.

Benzodiazepine drugs work by enhancing the anxiolytic activity of GABA, thereby increasing the inhibitory processes in the brain. Unfortunately they cause physical dependence and addiction and should only be used at a very low dose for short term relief of no more than two weeks.

Patients on low dose, long term therapy become addicted to the drug. Patients with anxiety disorder are at risk of addiction.

Diazepam and the other benzodiazepines are used to relieve anxiety, muscle spasms, and seizures and to control agitation caused by alcohol withdrawal. Normally given orally, they may be used intravenously for panic attacks.

Benzodiazepines can cause aggression, anger, hypomania, anxiety, mania, schizophrenia, suicidal thoughts and violence. Combining with alcohol can be particularly dangerous.

Another anxiolytic is Buspirone (BuSpar) given to treat anxiety disorders or short-term treatment of anxiety attack symptoms. It works on the serotonin receptors, but not the GABA receptors, and does not cause sedation or addiction as do the benzodiazepines.

Psychotherapy, an alternative to drugs, is also used.

Natural treatment of anxiety attack symptoms

Progesterone is known as a neurosteroid, because it is synthesized in the central nervous system and affects nerve functioning, and therefore mood and behavior.

Progesterone has been found to enhance GABA's calming affect and suppress the 'excitatory glutamate response'. The anti-anxiety affect has been noticed within three to ten minutes, whether injections or topical progesterone had been used as the means of administration.

The anti-anxiety response is similar to that found after the administration of benzodiazepine drugs, but of course with no addictive risks.

Progesterone works by activating the GABA receptor sites, GABA is a calming neurotransmitter, if used together the calming affect is enhanced.

Unstable blood sugar can cause anxiety and panic attacks. It is imperative to stabilise this, see the 'avoid' list below.

Insulin resistance can cause unstable blood sugar. If this is suspected, it is possible to reverse naturally.

Stress, particularly sudden, can bring on an attack of anxiety/panic. Its difficult to avoid stress, but if blood sugar is stable and both progesterone and GABA are being used, the stress response will be much less severe.

Progesterone: Use 100-200mg/day of progesterone, as described in detail here.

Nutrients: Take daily... 1000mg L-GABA; 500-1000mg L-tryptophan; 500mg L-cysteine; 8000 mg L-glutamine; 200-600mcg chromium picolinate; a good B complex, plus 100mg vitamin B3 (niacinamide) and 300mg vitamin B5 (the stress vitamin); 15 to 50mg zinc; 2000mg vitamin C; 5 mg manganese; 5ml Omega 3 fish oil and/or 15 to 60ml flax oil; 100 to 300 mg ALA (alpha lipoic acid), 100 mg Co enzyme Q10; 1 to 10g MSM.

The following herbs can help relieve anxiety... kava-kava, valerian, chamomile, St. John's wort.

For general nutrition and dietary recommendations for coping with anxiety attack symptoms click here.

For technical references click here.

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