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        New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> Panick Attack!!!!!
        
(Message started by: sueellen83 on Sep 9^th, 2002, 2:45pm)

Title: Panick Attack!!!!!
Post by sueellen83 on Sep 9^th, 2002, 2:45pm

My cycle started 3 weeks ago. I have been on Methylpredonisol and Verapamil and they have been keeping the beast at bay. Now in the middle of this my Dr. says he is uncomfortable cont. the steroid. He is going to refer me back to the neurologist but, that could take days. I have 1 pill left!!!!! What am I going to do??!!! I know after I take that pill the beast will take over!!!!!

Title: Re: Panick Attack!!!!!
Post by Slammy on Sep 9^th, 2002, 2:49pm

That sucks!

Sueellen.. think positive! Hopefully the Verapamil is working as a preventative! Get him to scribe you O2 and an abortive like Imitrix or cafergot in lieu of the steroid... good luck! :)

Slammy 8)

Title: Re: Panick Attack!!!!!
Post by don on Sep 9^th, 2002, 3:28pm

Don't get yourself into a tizzy.

The verapimil may very well be at a theraputic dose and will stave off the beast.

What dosage of verap and for how long?
What dosage of pred and is it a taper?

Title: Re: Panick Attack!!!!!
Post by Drk^Angel on Sep 9^th, 2002, 3:33pm

Doctors suck... The whole lot of 'em. They like to mess with ya anyway they can. "You'll have to talk to your neuro about that" "But I don't see my neuro for a couple months yet." "Oh well... Thanks for helping me pay for my new car." Drop 'em all off a short pier.

PFDAN.......................... Drk^Angel

Title: Re: Panick Attack!!!!!
Post by Ueli on Sep 9^th, 2002, 3:39pm

sueellen,

You should call your doctor immediately if you have only one Methylprednisolone left !!!

It is mandatory to taper down steroids slowly over many days. Methylprednisolone shuts down the body's Adrenalin production and to allow it to recover you should not stop the steroids cold turkey.

PFNADs
Ueli

Title: Re: Panick Attack!!!!!
Post by Tom on Sep 9^th, 2002, 5:04pm

A small correction be allowed:
It's correct: "It is mandatory to taper down steroids slowly over many days", because a l l extrinsic = surplus = given as meds corticosteroids cause a (temporary) atrophy of the c o r t e x (= "bark" = the outer layer) of the suprarenal glands , where our absolutely necessary body own self produced corticosteroids (and also the so called mineralocorticoids...) are produced = "negative feed back mechanism - that's why we have to reduce the initially high doses of corticosteroids step by step, i.e we have to allow the suprarenal cortex to recover. This part, i.e. the cortex, doesn't produce a n y of the so called "catecholamines" like adrenalin or noradrenalin, so our production of adrenalin/noradrenalin is not concerned by the extrinsic input of meds like methylprednisolone.
And why not ? - because the catecholamines like adrenalin/noradrenalin are produced e x c l u s i v e l y in the "medulla" = the marrow of the suprarenal glands, and this medulla is n o t concerned by the level of the corticosteroids in our body.

Furthermore, the information "I have one pill left" = no information !, because we don't know whether this last pill contains 1-2 mg of prednisolone - if yes, then you can stop prednisolone after that last pill, there wouldn't be any damage for your body (but I don't speak of the effect on CH now !). If this "last pill" contains 10 mg, then be cautious, you should go down to 1-2 mg/day in smaller steps !

For more informations about this pretty complicated topic look at:
http://rmoskowitz.tripod.com/endocrine.html , for example.

ATB! Thomas

Title: Re: Panick Attack!!!!!
Post by sueellen83 on Sep 9^th, 2002, 10:48pm

Thanks guys!! I have been on the methylpred. for 2 weeks. The last pill is 4mg and has been tapered down from 24mg per day to this last pill. I take 240mg of Verapamil twice a day (I've been on this for 3 weeks) The Verap. wasn't controlling it alone but, the combination of the 2 meds. kept me where I could function without the dance and get some sleep.
After I wrote about my panic attack I got a call and will see the neuro. tomorrow morning. I just kind of freaked out because this is the first time since they quite
making the ergotamine inhaler that I've actually found something that helped control the beast.
Thanks again for being there.