LC and Panick attacks, Connection?
 

First post, and hello.

Two years ago, I started Atkins. Went from 260 to 215 in about 3 months, only 15 lbs from my goal weight. Neglected to keep up on vitamins, and was weak as a result. Started having chest pains, itching across chest, and I kind of fell off the LC wagon with worrying about what was happening to me. Long story short, I used to drink A LOT for about 10 years before I went on LC. Thought maybe I was having liver problems.

After two nights in an ER (they almost threw me out the second night) and several visits to my doc, I was told I was having panic attacks. A year later, and 3 rounds of liver tests, and my doctor assures me my liver is fine. I went off LC because I thought maybe that was affecting my possibly already damaged liver. Put all the weight back on and then some trying to, in my mind, help my "failing" liver by taking in as many carbs as I could. In the end, doc said it was all in my mind and said I was fine, and gave me a clean bill of health, except for some high cholesterol counts.

Great, so now I go back to LC after getting back up to 270 lbs, and after a year of putting the most severe of the panic attacks behind me.

After about a weekon LC, and after I had put them behind me for 6 months, the panic attacks returned. Primarily a feeling almost like an adrenalin rush right at the point of falling into a sleep. The overall body itching has returned on and off again as well. My doc attributed all of this to panick attacks.

Has anyone come across this? Does the LC way of life make one who is already susceptible to panick attacks, even more so? I wonder if the dehydration that comes with induction had anything to do with it (i.e. muscle tightness and dry skin)?

I'm beginning my fourth week, have lost 17 lbs :D, have 50 more to go :( . Getting my vitamins and supplements this time, and feeling much better than last time overall.

Thanks for any information.

danrs

Sorry to hear about your panic attacks and I doubt I can shed any light on them.

It sounds like you are doing better than last time - perhaps its the vitamins and perhaps its a different, more educated perspective.

Since you mention dehydrahation, I recommend that you really hit the water hard. For you, about 80 oz a day is a minimum and I would recommend going for a full gallon (128 oz).

Hang in there and Keep the Faith!

Danrs, I'm curious - among your supplements are you taking potassium? Often a potassium deficiency manifests as panic attacks - chest pains, rapid heart rate, feelings of anxiety. 400 mg a day is what the Eades recommend. You can either take 4 of the 99mg pills or get yourself some "NuSalt" and take 1/8th of a teaspoon in a very large glass of water. It should make all the difference in the world.

Nat

Nats advice sounds like a must do. Also, I had anxiety attack experiences when I tried a low carb program in the past. I found out that I am sensitive to coffee and that once I stopped the high carb lifestyle I could not tolerate it at all. It made me batty (and made my insulin spike)!! I stopped the caffeine, went through withdrawl (not fun), and now I am doing pretty good on this thing. Some people are just really drug sensitive and can't take stimulants. I hope you find what is causing you so much discomfort. Good luck!

Betsy

Panic attacks
 

Let me say at the outset that I am not a Dr. of medicine nor have I suffered myself but a family member has and I have done some limited research to understand it.

As far as I can determine there is no physiological link between LC and panic attacks. However if you, for whatever reason worry about your diet, get concerned about the scales not working or perhaps become concerned about different but quite normal workings of the body e.g. insomnia, slight headaches etc. which sometimes occur with LC, then it is the "worry" not the food that triggers the attack. It is very difficult to always know what the trigger is because, if you are like others the onset is quite rapid from feeling fine to feeling dreadful and yet the worry may have been building slowly all the time.

It is like a simmering ember that suddenly erupts into flame.

Your own Dr. will have told you that the feelings are indeed due to a rush of adrenalin. This powerful chemical is very useful when we really are in danger it gives us energy to fight or run away. "Fight or Flight" as it is known. With some people this chemical reaction which is produced by a signal from the brain will spring into action by a threat which is not real but vividly visualised in the brain. If you can visualise clearly someone coming at you with an axe the brain does not wait to work out real or imagined it sends signals to the body to get the H out of their.

We ALL experience this in some form or another. Who has not jumped in their seats in the cinema or had prickly sensation on their neck.

The good news is that for most panic attack sufferers it is possible to overcome them. The symptoms vary from individual to individual and can include feelings of:

electric current moving through the body
hot prickly sensation moving through the body (itchiness)
intense heat or burning pain moving through the body
"unusual" intense flows of energy throughout the body
rushes of 'energy' shaking the body
tingly sensation moving through the body
creeping sensation moving through the body
wave-like motion of energy moving through the body
vibration moving through the body
white hot flame through the body
ice cold sensation through the body
"ants crawling" sensation over the body.

Of course there can be other explanations for any of these symptoms and only a Dr. should rule out other possibilities. But your Dr has said what he thinks it is.

Fortunately there is something you can do and it is the perfect compliment to LC.......EXERCISE. Yes simple exercise. What has been proved to help is breathing exercises, Yoga, stretches, and most other exercises. It is you taking control back of you body and telling it what to to rather than it doing its own thing.

So you need to learn any of the relaxation methods that appeal of takes your fancy. There are some that you can do lying down in bed that combined with breathing can actually calm an attack in progress. This combined with general fitness will put you firmly back in control.

This is not to say that we will never have any worries in life if we exercise, of course we will, but fortunately axemen round the corner are very rare. Many people who do extreme sports try to create the rush that you are desperately trying to stop.

I hope I have taken one worry away by telling you that LC does not cause panic attacks.

Thanks for the great responses.

And Rustpot, you hit it right on the head with your first symptom of "electric current moving through the body" which is odd, because I've not seen that description in my research on the subject, and my doc looked at me a little wierd when I was trying to explain it to him in exactly those words. QUITE the un-nerving feeling right as you are about to fall asleep!

That was a great post, describes many of my symptoms, and only the second time I've seen itching described as being associated with panic attacks. Especially the "ants crawling" one, really fits.

That was the information I needed. That will go a long way towards me putting the fear of doing my liver "further harm" on this diet (I don't drink anymore, btw). I believe I've researched the subject enough to know better than to have that fear, but still, you know how you can get those nagging doubts that never quite go away. When that happens, every little bit of assurance helps.

As far as potassium, I'm taking two Centrum Silver w/o iron a day, so that puts me at 160 mg. I'll take Natrushka's advice and add to that. Also taking Cal/Mag 333/133 twice daily, and folic acid 400mcg once daily.

Will say, that with the exception of the panic attacks working their way back into my life, I've not felt better in two years since I started back LCing 3 weeks ago. Only need 6 hours versus 10 hours sleep a day, and feel more energetic than I have in two years. Last time I did it, I went the no supplement route, and that was a mistake, was very weak and drained.

Thanks again.

Danrs, try taking the cal/mag 4x a day (one with each meal) and one an hour before bed time. Magnesium is what allows the calcium and potassium to do their jobs - RDA for it is between 400mg and 600mg a day. It also has a soothing effect - if you think you're sleeping well now? Mag increases the quality of that sleep :)

Nat