Panic Attacks Exacerbate Diabetes Symptoms
Repeated panic attacks in people with diabetes can lead to poorer control of the illness, more severe health complications, and a reduced quality of life. "Because panic and depression often go hand in hand, we weren’t certain that patients who have panic, independent of depression, would also have these indicators," study lead author Evette Ludman said in a prepared statement. For this new study, she and her colleagues surveyed nearly 4,400 people with diabetes. The researchers found that 193 patients (4.4 percent) reported panic episodes that affected their behavior. Among those 193 patients, 54.5 percent also had symptoms of depression. The patients who reported panic attacks had average HbA1c levels — a measure of long-term glucose control — of 8.1 percent, compared to 7.7 percent for those who did not suffer panic attacks. The usual treatment goal is to keep these levels below 7 percent. The people with panic attacks reported an average of 4.2 diabetes symptoms, compared with 2.4 symptoms for people with no panic episodes. Panic attacks may interfere with diabetes patients’ self-care and their ability to follow their treatment regimens, resulting in poorer outcomes, the researchers said. Doctors should look for — and treat — signs of panic and depression in diabetes patients in order to improve their quality of life. General Hospital Psychiatry, Nov 2006 =================================== DID YOU KNOW: High Fat Diets Cause Inflammation Leading To Diabetes And Heart Disease: A link between high fat diets and inflammation could mean new therapies to prevent both diabetes and heart disease. Researchers, presented their research at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions Nov 2006. Researchers found that a high fat diet ends up drawing inflammato Continue reading >>
Tips For Dealing With Anxiety And Diabetes
While diabetes is typically a manageable disease, it can create added stress. People with diabetes may have concerns related to regularly counting carbohydrates, measuring insulin levels, and thinking about long-term health. However, for some people with diabetes, those concerns become more intense and result in anxiety. Read on to find out more about the connection between diabetes and anxiety and what you can do to prevent and treat your symptoms. Research has consistently uncovered a strong connection between diabetes and anxiety. One study found that Americans with diabetes are 20 percent more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety than those without diabetes. This was found to be particularly true in young adults and Hispanic Americans. The link between anxiety and glucose levels Stress can affect your blood sugars, though research tends to be mixed as to how. In some people, it appears to raise blood glucose levels, while in others it appears to lower them. At least one study has shown there may also be an association between glycemic control and mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, particularly for men. However, another study found that general anxiety didn’t affect glycemic control, but diabetes-specific emotional stress did. Other research has found that people with type 1 diabetes seem to be “more susceptible to physical harm from stress” while those with type 2 diabetes weren’t. One’s personality also seems to determine the effect to some extent as well. People with diabetes may become anxious over a variety of things. These can include monitoring their glucose levels, weight, and diet. They may also worry about short-term health complications, such as hypoglycemia, as well as long-term effects. People with diabetes are at higher ri Continue reading >>
Anxiety Disorder In Life With Diabetes
Have you ever had a panic attack? In a life with type 1 diabetes and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, I’ve come to know all too well the feeling of paranoia, panic, and an intense fear I can barely describe. Your blood sugar level is one of the major components that makes you function as a human being. To be able to do everyday things. Cook, clean, eat, work, pee, sleep, care for your children, drive your car, walk your dog, everything. If you have diabetes, there is no avoiding it. It’s there in your face all the time, dictating what you do and how you feel physically. Now imagine being afraid of knowing what your blood sugar level is. How are you supposed to go about your daily routine? For the past 5 years, I have been trying my best to ‘avoid’ diabetes. It’s an intense fear I have and so I have tried to ‘avoid’ it and live a ‘normal’ life. The fear was so crippling that I just wanted to make it better, make it go away, instead of facing up to it and working through it. For 5 years I didn’t check my blood sugar or take my insulin properly. I was constantly high and feeling very sick – and still scared, no less. A panic attack is an awful experience. Having a real fear of something is an awful way to spend your time. But most people go on living their lives with those fears of spiders, heights and blood, and manage pretty well, too. When those situations come up, you just avoid them, have your episode, and continue with your day. Sometimes to relieve the pressure you pull your hair, or you squeeze your own hand so hard that you cut off blood supply. You start to cry and your feet can barely hold you up. You have this excruciating pain in your chest from your heart beating so frantically and your breathing being so off. Imagine if your fear wasn’t Continue reading >>
Blood Sugar Issue Or Anxiety Disorder Causing Panic Attacks?
8 years ago I wonder if you could go to a free clinic for a simple fasting blood test? You would fast for 12 hours and just get have them test your morning sugar levels to see where you are right now. Do you have a friend who is diabetic? They could use a new needle and give you a little test. Did you have a childhood where you have a parent who didn't make you feel very safe, like one who had panic attacks, traumatic stress syndrome, or lost a parent at a young age? That can also cause panic attacks. It's hard for anyone on here to diagnose you, not knowing your situation, as we are not doctors or therapists. Anxiety can also come from taking certain medications. If you take any, check for side effects. 8 years ago The mental and physical feelings a diabetic can get when the blood sugar goes up suddenly,like after a starchy meal, can sometimes mimic an anxiety attack in being slightly disoriented, unstable in walking, totally brain fried, or the opposite after an hour or so, very sleepy and lethargic. Likewise, when blood sugar drops -- usually several hours after a large meal with not much protein and having a lot of starch, a panic feeling can result. If this happens and you haven't eaten for a while, try 4 oz. of orange juice or just a teaspoon of sugar under your tongue and see if the attack goes away in 15 minutes. This will be a big clue that your "attack" may really be sugar related. Keep a record of when the attacks hit you in relation to your previous meal. Write down what you ate and how long afterwards the attack hit. Also write down any stresses you are feeling. Sometimes just stomping around the house and yellng out loud at the furniture can disapate the attack. Also breathing regularly and slowly or exhaling into a paper bag and rebreathing your exhaled c Continue reading >>
Difference Between Panic Attack And Low Blood Sugar
Tags: Stress , sugar Would you like to speak with a doctor by video or phone at a time that suits you? Our [email protected] service, delivered by Doctor Care Anywhere, offers a doctor appointment by video or phone at a time that suits you. Find out more The answer A panic attack is very sudden in onset and includes a very intense fear and anxiety. There is often no warning and no apparent reason for it, but they are often triggered by a stressful event such as bereavement. During a panic attack your body to goes into fight or flight mode ¬– your breathing rate increases, muscles tense and heart rate quickens. Low blood sugar – or hypoglycaemia – is when the glucose level in your blood is too low. It is often associated with being diabetic, but can also be caused by other factors such as binge drinking. While the two are very different, some of the symptoms – such as trembling, sweating and a high heart rate – are similar. Here is a full list of symptoms for both so you can differentiate. Symptoms of low blood sugar A low blood sugar level can cause a number of symptoms that get better a few minutes after eating sugar. They include: Paleness Trembling Perspiration A feeling of weakness Rapid heartbeat Hunger Agitation Difficulty concentrating Irritability Fatigue Blurred vision. Symptoms of panic attack These are the common symptoms that people can feel during a panic attack: Over-breathing (hyperventilating) Palpitations and/or accelerated heart rate Dry heaving and/or gagging Sweating Trembling or shaking Sensations of shortness of breath or being smothered Feeling of choking Chest pain or discomfort Nausea or abdominal distress Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded or faint De-realisation (feelings of unreality) or depersonalisation (being detached from oneself) Continue reading >>
The Shocking Diabetes Trigger That Can Strike Anyone
It’s the opposite of what most people worry about… Everyone knows about high blood sugar and the devastating effects it can have on one’s health and longevity. But low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) can be just as dangerous—and it does not get nearly the attention that it should. Simply put, hypoglycemia occurs when the body does not have enough glucose to use as fuel. It most commonly affects people with type 2 diabetes who take medication that sometimes works too well, resulting in low blood sugar. Who gets overlooked: In other people, hypoglycemia can be a precursor to diabetes that is often downplayed by doctors and/or missed by tests. Having low blood sugar might even make you think that you are far from having diabetes…when, in fact, the opposite is true. Hypoglycemia can also be an underlying cause of anxiety that gets mistakenly treated with psychiatric drugs rather than the simple steps (see below) that can stabilize blood sugar levels. That’s why anyone who seems to be suffering from an anxiety disorder needs to be seen by a doctor who takes a complete medical history and orders blood tests. When a patient comes to me complaining of anxiety, hypoglycemia is one of the first things I test for. What’s the link between hypoglycemia and anxiety? A sudden drop in blood sugar deprives the brain of oxygen. This, in turn, causes the adrenal glands to release adrenaline, the “emergency” hormone, which may lead to agitation, or anxiety, as the body’s fight-or-flight mechanism kicks in. THE DANGERS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA Hypoglycemia has sometimes been called carbohydrate intolerance, because the body’s insulin-releasing mechanism is impaired in a manner similar to what occurs in diabetics. In people without diabetes, hypoglycemia is usually the result of eati Continue reading >>
How To Deal With Hypoglycemia Anxiety
I have strong memories of hypoglycemia anxiety from my early days of living with Type 1 diabetes. I would wake up anxious throughout the night. I was dreaming. I had always hated math, but after weeks of constant carb counting, recording my blood glucose levels, and noting my insulin doses, I had numbers in my head all night. That made me anxious, and so did the fear of hypoglycemia. Sometimes early in the morning, my blood sugar would drop low, making me shaky and sweaty. Those are the symptoms of a panic attack, but also of low blood sugar. Every day people with diabetes (PWD) who use insulin risk hypoglycemia (a low blood sugar level). Each time they check their blood glucose, PWD have to examine the reading and decide how to proceed. We are balancing the need to maintain good blood glucose control with the fear of hypoglycemia. This fear is well founded. Hypoglycemia is not just unpleasant and embarrassing- it can be fatal. I counsel people with Type 1 diabetes, and one of the most stressful parts of diabetes for many people is the experience of being hypoglycemic. I have met a number of people who let their blood sugar levels run high in order to have a break from the lows. Many of them live with substantial guilt about this coping strategy. They often worry about the long-term effects of their elevated blood glucose levels. The fact that they choose the guilt and worry over the risk of going low shows how intensely they fear hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia anxiety can diminish their quality of life, and often results in an ongoing elevated blood glucose level that causes other health issues. However, we can treat hypoglycemia anxiety and find the courage and motivation to maintain good blood glucose control. There are effective methods to reduce and manage anxiety. Cog Continue reading >>
![[deleterious Results Of Safety Seeking Behaviours In Panic Disorder: Polydipsia And Diabetes Mellitus Type 2].](https://diabetestalk.net/images/xyXYhIuHdQRSaySB.jpg)
[deleterious Results Of Safety Seeking Behaviours In Panic Disorder: Polydipsia And Diabetes Mellitus Type 2].
[Deleterious Results of Safety Seeking Behaviours in Panic Disorder: Polydipsia and Diabetes Mellitus Type 2]. Kurt E , Karaba , Yorguner N , Wurz A , Topuolu V . Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder that involves recurrent panic attacks, which emerge when a harmless stimulus is interpreted as "catastrophic". In an attempt to avoid the panic attack or prevent confrontation, the patient exhibits a dysfunctional attitude and behavior, such as evasion and safety-seeking behavior (SSB). Dysfunctional behavior leads to an increase in the recurrence of panic attacks and affects the patient's life in a negative way. According to the cognitive behavioral therapy model, SSB contributes to the continuation of unrealistic beliefs (e.g. physical experiences) regarding and prevents the patient from grasping new information that may potentially contradict the unrealistic cognitions. In this paper, we present a case with a primary diagnosis of panic disorder. Interestingly, this patient developed diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 and psychogenic polydipsia (PPD) as a consequence of his SSB. PPD is a common occurrence in patients with psychiatric disorders, especially in schizophrenia. Up to now, no case of a panic disorder with either DM or PPD has been reported in the literature. While it is accepted that major depression poses a risk for DM type 2, panic disorder may also increase this risk. Treatment of the panic disorder with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) resulted in improvement of PPD and DM type 2. In conclusion, the role of SSB in medical disorders accompanied by psychiatric disorders should be kept in mind when treating these patients. Continue reading >>
Conditions Linked To And Confused With Panic Disorder
Conditions Linked to and Confused With Panic Disorder Reactive hypoglycemia and mitral valve prolapse. Conditions associated with and/or confused with panic disorder There are two medical conditions that come up very frequently in consideration of panic disorder. They are said variously to be confused with the disorder because of a similarity of symptoms or to be related to it because they occur together. They are reactive hypoglycemia and mitral valve prolapse. The more important condition is reactive hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia means low blood sugar. It is not an illness but simply a physical finding. It can be caused by a number of conditions of varying seriousness, and in turn can cause a variety of symptoms which seem at first glance to resemble those of a phobia . These include lightheadedness, shakiness, sweating, weakness and fatigue, nervousness, fast heart- beat, blurring of vision, and tingling of lips and tongue- among others. They are relieved promptly by raising the blood sugar to a proper level. The terms reactive hypoglycemia or functional hypoglycemia are used vaguely to refer to a condition in which someone for undiscovered, or undiscoverable, reasons overreacts to the ingestion of sugars by a rise and then an abrupt fall in blood sugar levels, precipitating the symptoms listed above. There is some doubt about whether reactive hypoglycemia actually exists. There is no question that the great majority of times the diagnosis is made, it is made in error. Anxious people (often phobics who are concerned about the possibility of suffering some obscure physical illness) come to the attention of a careless physician who performs a glucose tolerance test and without further investigative procedures informs them that they have hypoglycemia, which will have to b Continue reading >>
Diabetic Attack Symptoms
A person with diabetes may experience blood sugar that is too low, known as hypoglycemia, or blood sugar that is too high, known as hyperglycemia. Diabetes is a disease in which the body is not able to properly use insulin, a hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar. Blood sugar fuels the body, and an imbalance of blood sugar and insulin may lead to health complications. A person experiencing a diabetes attack may have a variety of symptoms. Video of the Day Mental changes are the first symptoms of blood sugar imbalance. Mental changes happen quickly and can progressively worsen with delayed treatment. Blood sugar that is too low or too high can trigger confusion and problems with memory. A person may seem unusually confused and have trouble recalling recent events or personal information. As blood sugar imbalance worsens, additional physical symptoms may appear while mental changes get worse. Dizziness may also occur, along with feeling weak. Without treatment, a diabetic may lapse into unconsciousness. He may be difficult or impossible to rouse or engage, and immediate medical attention is needed to prevent further complications. Thirst and Hunger High or low blood sugar changes how the body utilizes food for fuel. During high blood sugar states, the body pulls fluid from the cells, leaving tissues without proper hydration. A person with high blood sugar may experience increased thirst in response. Urination may also increase. Left untreated, high blood sugar can progress into ketoacidosis, a potentially life-threatening condition. Low blood sugar triggers the body to crave additional food for fuel, resulting in increased hunger. MedlinePlus suggests that eating foods with about 15 g of carbohydrates can help prevent even lower blood sugar until medical help can Continue reading >>
Stress Related To Managing Type 1 Diabetes
Almost three million Americans are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes annually. Formerly known as juvenile diabetes, type 1 affects mostly children, but adults have also been diagnosed. Those with type 1 cannot produce their own insulin, a hormone that regulates sugar levels in the blood. Thus, they must inject insulin into their bodies to compensate for the absence. When glycated haemoglobin, or HbA1c, levels in the blood are above average, patients are diagnosed with diabetes. After diagnosis, the lives for type 1 diabetics can be difficult to manage with all the daily insulin injections and careful diet monitoring. Such drastically adjusted schedules often take away from one's quality of life. This can lead to more health issues such as anxiety and depression. Led by Ragnhild Bjarkøy Strandberg, a study published in the September 2014 issue of Journal of Psychosomatic Research sought to determine if there was a relationship between the emotional distress revolving around diabetes and levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Studying Levels of Emotional Distress in Diabetics Recruited from an outpatient clinic, 235 individuals from ages 18 to 69 with type 1 diabetes participated in the study. Of the sample, 135 were male and 100 were female. Blood samples were taken from all participants to measure HbA1c levels. The average HbA1c level for the sample was 8.1%—the average level for someone without diabetes ranges from 4.5% to 6.5%. After HbA1c levels were recorded, Strandberg assessed levels of emotional distress using the following tools: Problem Areas in Diabetes Survey (PAID): 20-item survey assessing emotional responses. Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS): 17-item scale measuring emotional burdens, physician-related stress, regimen-related stress, and diabetes-related stress. H Continue reading >>
Struggles With Panic Attacks
First, I want to address a question that Envoy posted on my blog entry from two weeks ago. Envoy asked if I thought that depression was more common in people who have diabetes. The first answer is that I have always believed it is more common, and research has also indicated that it’s twice as likely to occur in people who have diabetes. That is part of the reason I suggest a yearly mental health checkup in conjunction with your annual physical. The percentage of people with diabetes who experience depression is quite significant, in the range of 20%. Hopefully, your health-care professional asks you questions about your moods, energy level, activities, sleep, and connections with other people at appointments. An open discussion of this type can give him or her enough information to begin an assessment for depression. It makes sense that controlling diabetes would be made more difficult if depression is left untreated. However, fewer than 25% of cases of depression in people with diabetes are recognized and treated appropriately. We clearly have a lot of work to do in improving mental health care for people with diabetes. Another mental health issue that has been shown to interfere with people’s diabetes control is panic disorder. Panic disorder is characterized by unpredictable, excessive fear or terror accompanied by a number of physical symptoms. Symptoms may include pounding heart, palpitations, sweating, difficulty breathing, numbness or tingling sensations, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, trembling or shaking, and chills or hot flashes. Many of these are similar to symptoms of hypoglycemia, or low blood glucose, and they could also resemble a heart attack. Therefore, a person may overreact (by visiting the emergency room, for example) or, thinking that his symp Continue reading >>
How To Recognize And Treat Hypoglycemia-related Anxiety
Hypoglycemia and anxiety are conditions that are closely interrelated. Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, is a condition usually accompanying diabetes whose symptoms make it easy to mistake for an anxiety disorder or attack. While hypoglycemia's symptoms are a result of the bodily anxiety it induces, it requires different treatment and preventative techniques than regular anxiety. Though anxiety and hypoglycemia are interrelated, an anxiety condition cannot cause hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia, however, is a significant cause of anxiety, and it is important to be able to distinguish anxiety from a hypoglycemic attack so that it can be treated in a timely manner. Are You Worrying Too Much? Hypoglycemia can cause anxiety as a symptom, and those that have it may be concerned about their hypoglycemia to the point where they develop anxiety. If you haven't yet, take our free 7 minute anxiety test to score your anxiety severity and see how to control it. Start the test here. Signs of Hypoglycemia-Related Anxiety (vs. Regular Anxiety) It's not uncommon to have health concerns that can be caused by or related to anxiety. In some cases, people believe that their anxiety symptoms must be a health problem. In others, a health problem can cause people to worry. Find out more by taking my free 7 minute anxiety test now. Extreme hypoglycemia, as well as mildly low blood sugar, can result in a variety of symptoms recognizable as anxiety. These include: Heart palpitations (rapid or irregular heartbeat) Shaking Sweating Paleness, cold/clammy skin Nausea Seeing flashes of light. Dilated pupils (a common fear-response symptom) Moodiness Negative attitude Exaggeration of relatively minor problems All these symptoms match up to what you would expect to see or experience during an anxiety attack. Continue reading >>
Panic Episodes Among Patients With Diabetes.
Abstract OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of panic episodes in persons with diabetes and the demographic, behavioral and clinical characteristics associated with panic symptoms in persons with diabetes. METHOD: A survey mailed to 4385 patients with diabetes assessed recent experiences of panic episodes, depression, diabetes symptoms, quality of life, disability, smoking status and body mass index. Automated medical record data were used to measure diabetes treatment, hemoglobin A1c (Hb(A1c)) levels, diabetes complications and medical comorbidity. RESULTS: One hundred ninety-three (4.4%) participants reported recent panic episodes, among whom 54.5% also met criteria for major depression. After accounting for the effects of depression, panic episodes were associated with higher Hb(A1c) values, increased diabetic complications and symptoms, greater disability and lower self-rated health and functioning. CONCLUSION: Panic is strongly associated with decrements in disease status and functioning. Since panic is often comorbid with depression, efforts to address psychological disorders among persons with diabetes may need to pay increased attention to anxiety and mood disorders. Continue reading >>
- Medication Adherence and Improved Outcomes Among Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
- Evaluating Adherence to Dilated Eye Examination Recommendations Among Patients with Diabetes, Combined with Patient and Provider Perspectives
- Incidence of End-Stage Renal Disease Attributed to Diabetes Among Persons with Diagnosed Diabetes United States and Puerto Rico, 20002014
Anxiety
It’s normal to feel anxious or worried at times. Everyone does. In fact, a moderate amount of anxiety can be good. It helps you respond appropriately to real danger, and it can help motivate you to excel at work and at home. But if you often feel anxious without reason and your worries disrupt your daily life, you may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders cause excessive or unrealistic anxiety and worry about life circumstances, usually without a readily identifiable cause. Little is known about the relationship between diabetes and anxiety. Recent evidence suggests that the rate of anxiety disorders is elevated in people with type 1 diabetes. It is estimated that 14% of people with diabetes have generalized anxiety disorder. As many as 40% of people have at least some anxiety symptoms, and fear of hypoglycemia is not uncommon in those with diabetes. Anxiety disorders in people with type 1 and 2 diabetes may be associated with poor blood sugar control. Signs & symptoms of anxiety The signs and symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder can vary in combination or severity. They may include: Restlessness Feeling of being tense or on edge Feeling a lump in your throat Difficulty concentrating Fatigue Irritability Impatience Being easily distracted Muscle tension Trouble falling or staying asleep (insomnia) Excessive sweating Shortness of breath Stomach ache Diarrhea Headache Treatment of anxiety The two main treatments for anxiety disorders are medication (anti-anxiety drugs and/or anti-depressants) and psychotherapy ("talk therapy"), either alone or in combination. If you have difficulty controlling your worries, or if anxiety interferes with your daily life, speak with your doctor, diabetes health-care team or mental health professional. Continue reading >>
