Hi all, this is my first time posting on a sight like this, I am an adult living with add and panic disorder without medication, let me tell you it's been a long hard road,But I made it this far without too many scratches, but tonight that all changed. My seven year old son...huge Harry Potter fan, lives in a world all his own some days, the teachers at school have him pegged as a good candidate for ADD already and he is only now entering grade two, I can deal with that, we will work it out somehow, he is very, very bright and highly creative just like his Mom...lol. But tonight, oh Lord tonight , Ryley had his first full blown panic attack!!!!!!! Age seven I want to cry for him, I pray it's the only major one he ever has to have, I was emotionaly disabled for over a year with my disorder at the age of 25. But 7??? I know I had a lot of wierd things going on in my head at that age, and nightmares that would make an adult call for his/her mommy, but did I get full blown attacks??? I can't remember. Tonight he was up a bit later than he should have been, I know..bad Momma, he was complaing of chest pain, calling it indigestion, not the first time lately either. All of the sudden he says Mommy I need a treatment I can't breath, (Sorry forgot to mention he has weather induced asthma, mild most of the time as long as he doesn't catch a chill.) So I took him upstairs and put him on the nebulizer for a treatment, but instead of getting better he started getting more panicky, that's when I knew, oh God it is genetic....My poor baby was shaking so bad, I had to keep pulling him down beside me because he was running around the house hyperventilating and saying I can't breathe I'm gonna die...I was on the phone with 911 by this time and kept telling him Honey they're comming you'll be okay Mommy's not gonna let you die, but nothing I could do or say helped, been there done that, nothing anyone did for me helped either, not even the ativan, couldnt even ride a bus for a year, the hum of the motor would set me off. The paramedics got there in about fifteen minutes felt wayyy longer, once the pretty lady paramedic sat him down and got him talking about Harry potter, he started to calm down a little, it still took another ten minutes or so before he fully stopped hyperventilating, but Miss pretty was very good at keeping him focused on Harry Potter, doesn't hurt that he already appreciates pretty and likes older women...lol. have to laugh, or cry myself to sleep. After the paramedics finished convincing my poor baby he wasn't going to die, we agreed that he would be okay without the long drawn out wait in emergency, with the understanding that I was free to call them back if I felt they were needed, that helped Ryley to hear that too. I snuggled my baby into bed and lay with him until he fell alseep, he was still complaining he couldn't breath very good, but he told me it's okay Mommy I know I need to stay clam, but if I get worse I'll come and get you. This whole entry is likely over long and with much babbling, but I really needed to vent and am very thankfull I found this site, as I said in the beginning, I have lived with this condition all my life and made it through without too many scratches, but seeing my son go through it ripped my heart out. I will take him to the pediatrician tomorrow, but for tonight, thank you all for being here and listening to my ravings, I would appreciate any and all advice, It's one thing to have panic syndrome, it's another to watch your 7 yr old shaking and terrified of death.
Thanks all...Sharyn

Oh wow Sharyn..thank you so much for sharing that with us.

I can remember having panicky attacks at the tender age of 5, and they scarred the heck out of me. My worse ones were of severe thunderstorms, especially after getting caught out at the lake during a tornado in Kansas. I still get panicky when we have severe weather no matter where I live, but now I clean the house like a stark raven mad woman. I think I do this to try and keep the panic attack under control.

I bet you find it difficult to keep from panicking when your son has these attacks as well. I know being ADD and having panic attacks it's like a huge freight train about to derail when I have to make a quick life or death type of decision. I'm not only panicking but there are a gazillion thoughts rushing through my head trying to find a solution at the same time which then only adds to my panic attack because I can't come up with a quick resolution.

As far as something to help calm you son in these situations, my mom used to talk to me about those little things kids love to talk about, just like the paramedic did. That and she would put very soothing music on. To this day I use the soothing music like Ocean waves with instrumental back ground music or the pidder padder of a gentle rain fall or even the gurgling of a creek with bird or animal sounds. Also Lavender scents help calm us, well unless your hyper-sensitive to fragrance like my daughter is. Boogiebutt has had a few panic attacks over the years and I pretty much used the same techniques that was used on me as a child. Although now she is 15 years old and her choice of calming music sends me through the roof. It's heavy metal all the way for her. *shrugs shoulders* ;) That's what head phones are made for..lol
I also enjoy listening to Enya, I listen to her everyday, turn it on the first thing in the morning and by the end of the day I have went through all my Cd's of hers and a few other Celtic music Cd's, but I'm calm and was able to get all my work done.

Just a thought of some things you could try. Find things that your son enjoys and seems to be calm while he is enjoying them. Try different music and even try the lavender to see what effect it has on him. A few drops on his pillow or a nice warm bath with a few drops also makes for a very sleepy little boy come bed time. ;) I use this myself being an insomniac like I am, and it really helps me to fall asleep more peacefully every night.

Good luck hon and let us know what you find out that works.

I had panic attacks as long as I could remember, I'm 40 now. For me, Loud noises cause them as well as too high stress. I also have a son who has panic anxiety too.
The good news he looks to me as a support but now that he's at his Dad's who knows.
I'm on Lexapro, which has removed much of my panics, though I also am very good at avoiding what sets me off. I love Hockey and I have to shut my eyes and plug my ears for the opening for there are indoor fireworks and spiralling lights that raise my anxiety up, even though I kinda like them. :)

I think my panic attacks started when my dad left...it triggered a lot of abandonment issues, causing high anxiety, especially when I was expected to go out to his place and see him with his new girlfriend - talk about a blow! And to add to that, I found out around that time that he wasn't even my biological father, that my bio father had left before I was born (he wasn't abandoning us, though - he offered to marry my Mom but neither of them were ready for the commitment so Mom turned him down as to save them from a potentially bad marriage, but at age nine/ten, I didn't understand that) so I got even more paranoid about abandonment.

I used to get soooo upset when my Mom went anywhere without me. She used to go to Al-Anon meetings because my grandmother is an alcoholic and obviously I couldn't go with her and she often went to have coffee with friends afterward so she was gone for two or three hours and I'd be crying on the stairs the whole time, calling her cell repeatedly to find out when she was coming home. I hyperventilated and got light-headed often. In high school, I started having more panic attacks, mostly due to school stress and noise/light stimulation..I'm on Klonopin (anxiety med) now, but it doesn't help much. :S