Lyme induced panic attacks.. how to recover from them?

So, I've had lyme for a year now. Thought I had gotten rid of it last month. So, I began eating back to my old ways again (sugar, carbs, and coffee). Yesterday, I had a panic attack from drinking too much coffee. I thought I'd be safe, but I thought wrong. Last year, this was the first symptom (and worse) that sent me to the ER and began my lyme journey.

I haven't had one of these for months. They usually last several hours and it takes days to weeks to recover from one. During the attacks, I can't walk because I am afraid I will pass out. I also shake like crazy, and have an uncontrollable anxious feeling. I get this weird pressure in my head and behind my eyes after the attacks, and the anxiety and head pressure stays with me for days. Sometimes a headache too.

Is there a way to reduce the anxiety and head pressure post-attack?

And..This sounds crazy, but I feel so much worse and more sick when I'm in public rather than my own home. I'm so sick of dealing with this.. also...... what abx would you all recommend? Would IV be something to consider? I have been off abx for about two months. I will call my doctor tomorrow and tell him it's time for me to go back on.

My only symptoms left are eye and head pressure, trouble sleeping, and now panic attacks/anxiety again.

I feel right back to where I started a year ago. Feels like I've made no progress now.


[Symptoms began Aug. 2016. Diagnosed Jan. 2017. Doxy from Jan. to May. Zithro June to July. Tested negative for co-infections, but LLMD suspected Babesia. Mepron for 2 weeks (w/ Zithro), got bad heart palps, so stopped Mepron. Stopped Zithro shortly after when PVC's continued. No abx since.]

Honestly, if you can afford it I would continue to treat with a natural protocol...I know you got tested for co-infections but I have bartonella and it gives me bad anxiety, perhaps you might want to ask your doctor about that. I never tested positive for it, but I definitely have it as I have been treating it and herx from the treatment... just a thought.

In addition to treatments, detoxing is so important and I've also found meditation helps with moods, anxiety or anything else. There is an App called Calm you can download for free that has many free meditations if you want to try it.

I think the biggest trick to panic attacks is to know what it feels like before it happens, and tell yourself that it's about to happen. Then just relax, let it wash over you, and it will be gone in a couple minutes. Just do nothing. Don't make any decisions during the panic attack. Don't make any actions. Just be silent, and go on auto-pilot.

My dr wasn't clear on why he didn't want to continue the Babesia treatment. Maybe now that I realize I am still sick he will put me on something for babesia when I continue with the abx

Girlie said...
I'm wondering why you stopped treatment?

I see in your sig line that you did only two weeks of Babesia treatment and stopped because of herx or side effects.

Did your dr not have a Plan B?

I think you should treat Babesia - either pharmaceutically or herbally.
Maybe try something other than Mepron - Artemisinin or Alinia - see how it goes.

I have not. A few months ago, I had a blood test for my adrenals and everything looked okay, so my LLMD said a saliva test was not necessary for me. It would make sense because I feel the worst when I drink caffiene or sugar in excess amounts and it takes a long time to recover.

Traveler said...
I do have the same questions as Girlie, but also, have you had your adrenals checked with a 4 point saliva test for cortisol levels? A blood test won't be helpful, as it's only testing your cortisol levels one time during the day and there's no way to get a good understanding of what the adrenals are doing throughout the day.

You describe some of what I deal with when my adrenals are stressed - I dove down into Addison's about 3 years ago, and while I'm now making good progress, it's a long haul!

I would be open to treat herbally, I'm just skeptic that it won't work. But yeah, my only symptoms left are the head pressure and anxiety attacks and they're my least favorite symptoms to have.

WalkingbyFaith said...
Head pressure sounds like Babesia to me, and the intense anxiety and panic could be from Bartonella.

If you're open to herbs, you can treat all of them with or without a doctor or antibiotics. Just like for people to know there are options.

Zithromax is a good abx for Lyme -and a good start for Bart and Babs but something else will need to be added after awhile to be effective

When I eat the wrong things (yes usually carbs, sugars, glutens) I will get a lot of my old symptoms back and sometimes new ones. And no it's not crazy that they are worse when you are in public around more people. This disease has made me a shut-in scaredy cat, and the mildest stress can set it off.

Now as far as quick relief (yes you'll want to reduce cytokines and inflammation so a generic antihistamine may help surprisingly with that, I take Loratidine generic Claritin and it works wonders).

Other calming agents that are more or less common household things: peppermint tea, chamomile tea.

Other less common supplements for calm and relaxation (if you don't have a sliver of benzodiazepines in a pinch, like Xanax or Clonopin) ...are:

L-Theanine will take the edge off of caffeine jitters,

Magnolia bark extract will calm a panic episode,

magnesium via tablet or epsom salt bath,

Taurine may slow down glutamate excitotoxicity (such as with MSG from food which gives me tachycardia personally).

Hope this helps, and that you may have some of this stuff on hand!

Okay thank you, I'll keep that in mind!

Girlie said...
Zithromax is a good abx for Lyme -and a good start for Bart and Babs but something else will need to be added after awhile to be effective

Thank you so much for the info, I'll have to buy some of those things. I have magnesium, and epsom salt for a bath, but none of the others. Anything that may help me I will gladly buy!

borrelioburgdorferii said...
When I eat the wrong things (yes usually carbs, sugars, glutens) I will get a lot of my old symptoms back and sometimes new ones. And no it's not crazy that they are worse when you are in public around more people. This disease has made me a shut-in scaredy cat, and the mildest stress can set it off.

Now as far as quick relief (yes you'll want to reduce cytokines and inflammation so a generic antihistamine may help surprisingly with that, I take Loratidine generic Claritin and it works wonders).

Other calming agents that are more or less common household things: peppermint tea, chamomile tea.

Other less common supplements for calm and relaxation (if you don't have a sliver of benzodiazepines in a pinch, like Xanax or Clonopin) ...are:

L-Theanine will take the edge off of caffeine jitters,

Magnolia bark extract will calm a panic episode,

magnesium via tablet or epsom salt bath,

Taurine may slow down glutamate excitotoxicity (such as with MSG from food which gives me tachycardia personally).

Hope this helps, and that you may have some of this stuff on hand!

kml1997 said...
I am not sleeping well. I don't fall asleep quite right, I don't feel tired in the same way I used to before I got Lyme. I instantly fall asleep at night, rather than gradually getting tired. It just doesn't feel natural. Most nights it is difficult to sleep completely through without waking up in the middle of the night.

and Lyme is well known to disrupt sleep, unrefreshing, waking fatigued; so much so that this has become a full-on sleep disorder for me: restless leg syndrome, severe sleep apnea, chronic insomnia for which I am seeking disability supplement. This disease is so fun! /s

kml1997 said...
I get this weird pressure in my head and behind my eyes after the attacks

Lately I have a new symptom (weird thyroid-y sore throat) and head pressure, along with the usual low grade fevers and (icy?)hot sensation in my skull. Pretty sure it's some strain of Bart or Babesia but I haven't officially tested for all the possible co-infections...

so fun! /s

Thank you so much! I will definitely mention the sleep aids to my doctor.

Intuition said...
Hi Kml,

So sorry to hear about what you're going through. I have had Lyme for several years now with various treatments on and off, and I can certainly empathize with Panic and Anxiety symptoms. They are truly debilitating and one of the only symptoms that I've found nearly impossible to "push-through" when it flares up.

I recently finished a few months of abx treatment and have taken the Summer off to try out Buhner's protocol and some herbal / natural remedies before returning to my Lyme Dr. to request additional treatment.

I would obviously consult a physician before trying this suggestion, but for restful sleep, I take a combination of Nighttime Pain Reliever / Sleep Aid (Acetaminophen / Diphenhydramine), Ashwagandha, L-Theanine, and L-Tryptophan. This may be too intense for some people, but within 45 minutes to an hour I am completely knocked out and can sleep for a solid 8-12 hours uninterrupted. I have taken the summer off of most responsibilities to rest, so I am not following a typical schedule where I need to be up at a specific time. If you need to be up at a certain time the next day, this might not be the best route as you can certainly oversleep and not realize it.

Hope this helps!