hi

[lefkia]

iam 54 female from limassol cyprus i had AF 1O Days ago iam suffering from panic disorder i do not know if this affects the situatio iam in betablocker concor 2.5 daily plus xanax o.5 mg daily and seroxat 20 mg it was more scaring than panic attacks

[Hidden]

Not a doctor, but be aware that Xanax is short-acting, so if you only take it once per day you are possibly going in and out of mini-withdrawals. Sending hope that you will find the right health provider and maybe also a therapist to help sort this out.

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Lefkia

Sounds like you are in a right 2 and 8 as we would say. Now I can't do anything about the panic attacks, but perhaps just perhaps I can alleviate some of your fears about AF.

Firstly the way not to feel so scared, and so panicky when an AF attack comes on is quite simply to understand more about it. You need to read and find out as much information as you can about your condition, and the very first thing you will find out is that scary though the attacks are, and we all know that feeling. It's not life threatening.

I know you are sitting there saying, how can that be true when my heartbeat is over 200 and I feel like it's jumping out of my chest, well because you are now talking to over 2000 sufferers of the same condition, and we have all been there.

The real risk from AF is stroke not what you might think of as a heart attack, and at 54, unless you have other medical conditions, your likelihood of stroke is low and even with AF relatively low. You can goodle CHADS2VASC and test yourself and get your score.

So please read and learn as much as you can about the condition.

Secondly you need your doctor to refer you to a specialist, not just your family doctor, you need a cardiologist and preferably an electrophysiologist if there is one in Cyprus. (Google it I found at least one at Aretaeio Hospital)

I can't promise that this will help your panic attacks, what I can promise is that the more you learn about AF the less you will have to fear and that can only help.

Lastly you are amongst friends and fellow sufferers. We are here to support and assist, you only have to ask.

Be well

Ian

[IsobelBrown54 in reply to Beancounter]

Wise words from Beancounter. It must be very difficult for you having panic attacks and AF as I imagine one excites the other. I used to suffer with panic attacks many years ago and have always had an excitable heart. I was diagnosed with AF two years ago and would recommend your taking up mind calming techniques such as relaxation, mindfulness and meditation to help reduce or shorten your times of panic. I believe that, with practice, these techniques can also help with managing AF , along with your medication of course. They certainly won't cause any harm, so must be worth a try. I also found sipping iced water helped a little when I was in panic mode , which again can't do any harm. You can find out how to practice mind calming techniques on many internet sites if you google them. Hope you find this helpful.

Best wishes,

Isobel