rabidbadger
11-02-07, 10:44 PM
Hi all
I came across this while I was browsing the net. I found it interesting, maybe you will too...
A chemical called Lactate has been noted to frequently cause panic attacks in persons with Panic Disorder. Sodium Lactate is very commonly used as the basic solution in intravenous fluids given in hospitals. It is important to tell your doctor that you have Panic Disorder and cannot take it. (It is included in the letter for physicians at the end of this chapter.)
Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome is seen in more than 50 percent of agoraphobics. This is a condition in which the leaflets of the mitral valve in the heart allow some blood to go backwards. This occurs in almost everyone to some extent. In most agoraphobics, MVPS (also called “Barlow’s Syndrome”) is a benign condition requiring no treatment. However, it may cause you to have various sensations that may be very uncomfortable when you do not know what they mean. Some people experience a "floppy" feeling in their chests. Others experience the sensation of their hearts beating in their throats. Many times people go to their doctors because of these feelings but are told that there is nothing wrong. If this happens to you, don’t think you are imagining things. The condition is there and it is causing the feelings you are having. It’s just that they are not dangerous for you no matter how uncomfortable they may be and they do not need treatment. The condition can be diagnosed by an echocardiogram. This is a painless test that will tell you exactly how your mitral valve is performing. If you or your doctor is concerned that you may be one of the rare individuals who has a case of MVPS requiring treatment, she can order an echocardiogram for you.
Here are some more anomalies (differences - not abnormalities) seen in agoraphobics: First, there is a great sensitivity to hormone changes. Thus, hysterectomy, PMS, thyroid hormone, and adrenal hormones such as cortisone can all make panic attacks more likely. Also, agoraphobics are more sensitive to bright lights, especially the fluorescent lights found in large stores. Testing agoraphobics exposed to these lights has confirmed this by using the electroencephalogram or "brain wave" test. A way to enhance the EEG is to do it after a person has been deprived of sleep. When especially sensitive electrodes (wires) are placed in the nose (called "nasopharyngeal leads"), clear differences between agoraphobics and non-agoraphobics have been identified. More such differences will doubtless be discovered in the near future because of the new brain-imaging technologies that have recently been developed such as P.E.T and S.P.E.C.T. scans.
The list of physical differences goes on and on. It will certainly continue to increase as more research is done. (Lucky you.) A few of the more important ones affecting how you feel are as follows:
Galvanic Skin Response or GSR measures skin resistance to a tiny current. As people relax, the skin resistance goes down. In fact, just repeating the measurements shows a decrease as time goes by. Not so for agoraphobics. Perhaps this reflects the continued high startle response seen in agoraphobics even after repeated stimuli.
Panic Disorder and Agoraphobic patients have a much higher sensitivity to medications than other people. Thus, when medications are prescribed for the treatment of Panic Disorder, they need to be used in far smaller doses than when they are prescribed for people with other conditions (such as depression). I have commonly observed the development of many side effects in agoraphobics at normal doses of antidepressant medications. To be helpful, these must be started “lower and slower” than usual. Then, if need be, they can gradually be increased.
Lastly, it is clear that being simultaneously exposed to a number of confusing stimuli such as lights, sounds, conversations, heat and bodily sensations all together create disorientation and the release of adrenaline in agoraphobics far more easily than in other people. You can see why agoraphobics have trouble in such places as crowded grocery stores. And you can see that there is a physiological reason for why you may prefer to go after hours when the store is quiet and few people are there.
The URL is http://www.phobics-awareness.org/panicattack.htm if you want to read more.
Regards
Chris
I came across this while I was browsing the net. I found it interesting, maybe you will too...
A chemical called Lactate has been noted to frequently cause panic attacks in persons with Panic Disorder. Sodium Lactate is very commonly used as the basic solution in intravenous fluids given in hospitals. It is important to tell your doctor that you have Panic Disorder and cannot take it. (It is included in the letter for physicians at the end of this chapter.)
Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome is seen in more than 50 percent of agoraphobics. This is a condition in which the leaflets of the mitral valve in the heart allow some blood to go backwards. This occurs in almost everyone to some extent. In most agoraphobics, MVPS (also called “Barlow’s Syndrome”) is a benign condition requiring no treatment. However, it may cause you to have various sensations that may be very uncomfortable when you do not know what they mean. Some people experience a "floppy" feeling in their chests. Others experience the sensation of their hearts beating in their throats. Many times people go to their doctors because of these feelings but are told that there is nothing wrong. If this happens to you, don’t think you are imagining things. The condition is there and it is causing the feelings you are having. It’s just that they are not dangerous for you no matter how uncomfortable they may be and they do not need treatment. The condition can be diagnosed by an echocardiogram. This is a painless test that will tell you exactly how your mitral valve is performing. If you or your doctor is concerned that you may be one of the rare individuals who has a case of MVPS requiring treatment, she can order an echocardiogram for you.
Here are some more anomalies (differences - not abnormalities) seen in agoraphobics: First, there is a great sensitivity to hormone changes. Thus, hysterectomy, PMS, thyroid hormone, and adrenal hormones such as cortisone can all make panic attacks more likely. Also, agoraphobics are more sensitive to bright lights, especially the fluorescent lights found in large stores. Testing agoraphobics exposed to these lights has confirmed this by using the electroencephalogram or "brain wave" test. A way to enhance the EEG is to do it after a person has been deprived of sleep. When especially sensitive electrodes (wires) are placed in the nose (called "nasopharyngeal leads"), clear differences between agoraphobics and non-agoraphobics have been identified. More such differences will doubtless be discovered in the near future because of the new brain-imaging technologies that have recently been developed such as P.E.T and S.P.E.C.T. scans.
The list of physical differences goes on and on. It will certainly continue to increase as more research is done. (Lucky you.) A few of the more important ones affecting how you feel are as follows:
Galvanic Skin Response or GSR measures skin resistance to a tiny current. As people relax, the skin resistance goes down. In fact, just repeating the measurements shows a decrease as time goes by. Not so for agoraphobics. Perhaps this reflects the continued high startle response seen in agoraphobics even after repeated stimuli.
Panic Disorder and Agoraphobic patients have a much higher sensitivity to medications than other people. Thus, when medications are prescribed for the treatment of Panic Disorder, they need to be used in far smaller doses than when they are prescribed for people with other conditions (such as depression). I have commonly observed the development of many side effects in agoraphobics at normal doses of antidepressant medications. To be helpful, these must be started “lower and slower” than usual. Then, if need be, they can gradually be increased.
Lastly, it is clear that being simultaneously exposed to a number of confusing stimuli such as lights, sounds, conversations, heat and bodily sensations all together create disorientation and the release of adrenaline in agoraphobics far more easily than in other people. You can see why agoraphobics have trouble in such places as crowded grocery stores. And you can see that there is a physiological reason for why you may prefer to go after hours when the store is quiet and few people are there.
The URL is http://www.phobics-awareness.org/panicattack.htm if you want to read more.
Regards
Chris
