Stimulants and Anxiety

[bludevil]

I've taken just about every pre-workout there is loaded with stims. I've been pretty much a stim-junkie for the last 2 years. Weird thing happened about a week ago, I took my usual dose of pre-workout (this time it was ASGT, although I have Mesomorph, SuperPump Max, 1MR, Body Octane Game On). After about 20 minutes I started getting light-headed and heart started beating fast. I honestly thought I was going to have a heart-attack. I had to stop what I was doing and just concentrate on taking deep breaths to get my heart to stop pounding. After about 5 minutes I was fine, but ever since then, I get the same feeling after taking pre-w/o. I've even cut the dosage in 1/2 and still feel odd. I'm guessing now it's just anxiety issues with taking them, but wondered if anybody else has had these issues.
I love taking pre-w/o's for the focus and aggression they bring, but can't stand the feeling I've been having lately. It's kind of caught me off guard, like I said, I've been taking pre-w/o for a long time with no issues.

 

[carpee]

are you cycling off completely at all? (stim-free)

you need like 4-8 weeks depending

 

[bludevil]

are you cycling off completely at all? (stim-free)

you need like 4-8 weeks depending

After about 4-6 weeks, I usually take a 2 week break. Not to mention I only take on lifting days. So at most take 4 days a week.

 

[T-Bone]

I used to take stimulants years and years ago like you. Because of the problems you mention though I've stopped and never take any stimulants or pre-workout products. Of course when I used to take stimulants pre-workout products weren't all the rage like today. It seems as if today people can't live without there stims. A lot of people consider pre-workout supplements as a necessity and thats a shame. If you can't live without stimulants or pre workouts than you have a definite problem.

 

[carpee]

After about 4-6 weeks, I usually take a 2 week break. Not to mention I only take on lifting days. So at most take 4 days a week.

I think you need a longer break.

 

[Clickster]

I used to be a big time stim junkie.

Now I am pretty cautious with 'em as I have had similar and even worse experiences.

 

[bludevil]

I used to be a big time stim junkie.

Now I am pretty cautious with 'em as I have had similar and even worse experiences.

That is what has me a little confused. I took my usual "recommended" dosage that I have always taken, so not sure why this time felt like I was going to die or something. I could understand if I took double the recommended amount.

 

[T-Bone]

That is what has me a little confused. I took my usual "recommended" dosage that I have always taken, so not sure why this time felt like I was going to die or something. I could understand if I took double the recommended amount.

The supplement industry is unregulated. You may have gotten a higher dosage of certain ingredients.

 

[pigpen75]

I struggled w/ this for sometime. I don't think it has anything to do w/ needing a break or how long you've been doing stims; if anything a high tolerance would make this happen less. Anxiety/panic attacks are usually mental and can sometimes be triggered by stimulants, but usually they are related to something totally different. Example, i got to where i couldn't take a sip of pepsi w/o thinking i was going to flipout. There's got to be an underlying issue for why these are all of a sudden occurring? What i'n you life would cause you to be anxious/stressed?

 

[Clickster]

What i'n you life would cause you to be anxious/stressed?

Didn't you see his avatar? He is a Carolina Panthers fan. That is easily enough stress to cause a panic attack.

 

[Conagher]

I used to take stimulants years and years ago like you. Because of the problems you mention though I've stopped and never take any stimulants or pre-workout products. Of course when I used to take stimulants pre-workout products weren't all the rage like today. It seems as if today people can't live without there stims. A lot of people consider pre-workout supplements as a necessity and thats a shame. If you can't live without stimulants or pre workouts than you have a definite problem.

Well said.I was a stim junkie myself years ago.Like you said,if you can`t live without them,you need to reevaluate your situation and your priorities.
I know with the ridiculous hours many of us have to work in this country,it is sometimes hard to find the energy to want to workout,but relying upon stims to find the motivation to do it is not a healthy alternative.

 

[T-Bone]

Yeah the first time I heard of a "Pre-workout" type of product it was called V12 by San. As far as I remember it didn't have any stimulants in it. I guess it slowly progressed from there with companies adding all sorts of stimulants to products similar to V12. Like I said though V12 was the first I ever heard of a pre-workout. Now its sickening seeing how many different pre-workout products there are with a ton stimulants in them. How about just getting better sleep and working harder at the gym?. I just don't see the point of further raising your blood pressure and heart rate while exercising. Sure for the energy but you wouldn't need it if you got proper sleep. If you didn't get enough, sleep, get over it, man up and gtf out of bed and get your ass to the gym. Suffer through it pansy ass!.

*for the people that take offense to this post, take your dress off and stop bitchin.

 

[bludevil]

Didn't you see his avatar? He is a Carolina Panthers fan. That is easily enough stress to cause a panic attack.

LOL, so true. And the 1 true player we do have "Steve Smith" is wanting a trade. Not sold on Cam Newton, we'll have to wait and see.

 

[bludevil]

I struggled w/ this for sometime. I don't think it has anything to do w/ needing a break or how long you've been doing stims; if anything a high tolerance would make this happen less. Anxiety/panic attacks are usually mental and can sometimes be triggered by stimulants, but usually they are related to something totally different. Example, i got to where i couldn't take a sip of pepsi w/o thinking i was going to flipout. There's got to be an underlying issue for why these are all of a sudden occurring? What i'n you life would cause you to be anxious/stressed?

I think your own to something here. In my earlier days, I would dabble in smoking weed and at one point swore I was having a heart attack. From that point on, I couldn't smoke weed again without having the heart-attack feeling. Now the exact same thing is happening again with the stims except I'm safe.

The only thing I can think of outside of work that is causing stress is my wife is wanting another kid. We have 2 already, and I'm 37, so I'm a little hesitant about having another just because I'll be at retirement age when he's in high school. But I gave into the wife and we are trying, other than that it could be work-related. We just went through a lay-off were I work at but I was ok.

How did you overcome the panic attacks?

 

[T-Bone]

I think your own to something here. In my earlier days, I would dabble in smoking weed and at one point swore I was having a heart attack. From that point on, I couldn't smoke weed again without having the heart-attack feeling. Now the exact same thing is happening again with the stims except I'm safe.

The only thing I can think of outside of work that is causing stress is my wife is wanting another kid. We have 2 already, and I'm 37, so I'm a little hesitant about having another just because I'll be at retirement age when he's in high school. But I gave into the wife and we are trying, other than that it could be work-related. We just went through a lay-off were I work at but I was ok.

How did you overcome the panic attacks?

I think this something you should talk to a licensed professional about. Not Pigpen.

 

[Vegking]

I think your own to something here. In my earlier days, I would dabble in smoking weed and at one point swore I was having a heart attack. From that point on, I couldn't smoke weed again without having the heart-attack feeling. Now the exact same thing is happening again with the stims except I'm safe.

The only thing I can think of outside of work that is causing stress is my wife is wanting another kid. We have 2 already, and I'm 37, so I'm a little hesitant about having another just because I'll be at retirement age when he's in high school. But I gave into the wife and we are trying, other than that it could be work-related. We just went through a lay-off were I work at but I was ok.

How did you overcome the panic attacks?

Lot of people that have used weed, or just about anyone who has used on a regular basis has had some panic attacks on weed. Most of the time it relaxes people, but sometimes people use a strain that does not jive with their body chem. It is usually the sativa heavy strains that cause the panic. Or strains with a heavy THC to CBD ratio that cause panic. The strains that have a much healthier balance of THC to CBD are the best for overall health and well being and not getting the panic feeling. With that said, I have not used any in 5 months. I loved my time with it, but at this time life is better without it.

 

[Aleksandar37]

I love taking pre-w/o's for the focus and aggression they bring, but can't stand the feeling I've been having lately. It's kind of caught me off guard, like I said, I've been taking pre-w/o for a long time with no issues.

You can't be diagnosed over the net, but it sounds like either something else was stressing you out that day and you now associate panic attacks with a pre-workout drink, or you have generalized anxiety which can be set off by stims.

If it's the first, you need to break that connection which is WAY harder than creating one. Check out anxietycoach.com. Dr. Carbonell is a good guy and has a great book, but you can get a lot off of his site and newsletters for free. He'll have some tips. You can try taking a pre-workout without actually working out and focus on what happens to your body and realize that no matter what you're not going to have a heart attack.

If it's the second, then you need to learn to just workout without stims.

 

[StackedCop]

I used to take stimulants years and years ago like you. Because of the problems you mention though I've stopped and never take any stimulants or pre-workout products. Of course when I used to take stimulants pre-workout products weren't all the rage like today. It seems as if today people can't live without there stims. A lot of people consider pre-workout supplements as a necessity and thats a shame. If you can't live without stimulants or pre workouts than you have a definite problem.

This is true. I have a major stim problem and it is getting worse everyday.

 

[ohiostate2827]

I've taken just about every pre-workout there is loaded with stims. I've been pretty much a stim-junkie for the last 2 years. Weird thing happened about a week ago, I took my usual dose of pre-workout (this time it was ASGT, although I have Mesomorph, SuperPump Max, 1MR, Body Octane Game On). After about 20 minutes I started getting light-headed and heart started beating fast. I honestly thought I was going to have a heart-attack. I had to stop what I was doing and just concentrate on taking deep breaths to get my heart to stop pounding. After about 5 minutes I was fine, but ever since then, I get the same feeling after taking pre-w/o. I've even cut the dosage in 1/2 and still feel odd. I'm guessing now it's just anxiety issues with taking them, but wondered if anybody else has had these issues.
I love taking pre-w/o's for the focus and aggression they bring, but can't stand the feeling I've been having lately. It's kind of caught me off guard, like I said, I've been taking pre-w/o for a long time with no issues.

Maybe its just ASGT..

 

[RenegadeRows]

Panic attacks can happen to anyone. Its not related to stims. You said you have used stims for 2 years w no problem.

Panic attacks are mental, and no one knows what causes them. I woke up in the middle of the night one time and had one. Called an ambulance thought i was having a heart attack.
Ive dealt with them when i was young too.
,
I believe panic attacks are essentially your mind panicking which releases a flood of adrenaline. Hence the rapid heartbeat, tunnel vision, etc.

I would only relate the stims to causing you to be more tense causing it. Its culmitive and not immediate.

Might be a good idea to cycle off regardless. Even though I dont think the stims had any relation to your panic attack, cycling stims is usually a good idea regardless.

 

[Aleksandar37]

Panic attacks can happen to anyone. Its not related to stims. You said you have used stims for 2 years w no problem.

Panic attacks are mental, and no one knows what causes them. I woke up in the middle of the night one time and had one. Called an ambulance thought i was having a heart attack.
Ive dealt with them when i was young too.
,
I believe panic attacks are essentially your mind panicking which releases a flood of adrenaline. Hence the rapid heartbeat, tunnel vision, etc.

I would only relate the stims to causing you to be more tense causing it. Its culmitive and not immediate.

Might be a good idea to cycle off regardless. Even though I dont think the stims had any relation to your panic attack, cycling stims is usually a good idea regardless.

I agree with everything you said except that stims can induce panic attacks, especially if you don't know what panic attacks are. You are correct that it is basically your body going into the flight or fight mode when it shouldn't be, but stims may increase heart rate, body temp, etc. Those then trigger a panic attack by making you worry about what is happening and it just snowballs from there. As long as you realize that increased heart rate, body temp and other things happen all the time and won't harm you, you can break the cycle and avoid a panic attack, but this takes practice.

 

[RenegadeRows]

Good point. I agree with you. Thats not really the stims causing it though. Thats the mind panicking due to the effects which could be caused by other ingredients in the supplement as well, not specifically stims.

 

[Aleksandar37]

Good point. I agree with you. Thats not really the stims causing it though. Thats the mind panicking due to the effects which could be caused by other ingredients in the supplement as well, not specifically stims.

True too. Sometimes just a small change in your "'normal" condition is enough to start the cycle into a panic attack and that can happen sitting on a couch totally relaxed. It's just a good idea to avoid stims if you are prone to panic attacks, as with those with generalized anxiety, until you learn how to deal with the symptoms.

 

[norcal0722]

i have anxiety and its horrible. i usually stay away from stims/pre workouts just because im worried i will have a panic/anxiety attack when it kicks in. idk if someone answered it already but when they do happen you just have to take long deep breaths, relax, and just tell yourself everything will be okay. usually works for me. hope everything works out for you bro.

 

[leftcoast]

I have had a few panic attacks in my life time.

The first was induced when my heart skipped a beat in bed one night. Thought I was dying, having a heart attack, felt scared, tunnel vision, heart pounding like crazy. Taken to the hospital, hooked me up to ekg. Few days later got a my heart visually checked out (ultrasound) and was cleared for any form of anomalies in all tests.

I'm pretty sure I also had a panic attack when I took a double dosage of Pre Workout with Beta Alanine for the first time. I was dead lifting and felt my whole body and face get super tingly all of sudden. I had no idea this was normal, so for 30 minutes I thought I was having a heart attack (really just a panic attack mixed with stims/pump agents doing what they do and making the physiological changes more prominent and conscious).

I just have to realize I'm not dying, sit down for a few minutes, just take long slow breaths, and that my body is probably releasing all sorts of chemicals making me feel even less normal. I know my body will figure everything out, I just have to stop letting my brain over analyze every normally unconscious feelings I'm having.

 

[bill86]

i take medicine for anxiety and used to stay away from ANY caffeine/stimulants... first preworkout i tried was noxplode when it first came out. i eventually returned it because i was having the same types of issues at just 1 scoop or less. later on i realized it probably had to do with other factors (i was starting my freshman year of college in a different city, which was, in hindsight, a major factor)... a couple years later i bought no xplode again and started with just half a scoop, eventually working up to taking full doses of whatever i use nowadays. if youve never taken a preworkout before, i can see how it could make your anxiety/panic attacks worse because the increased heartrate/jacked up feeling makes an already anxious person even more anxious, which can contribute to the attacks. but for someone thats been on them for a long time, id say its probably an underlying issue, but im not a doctor, just someone whose dealt with anxiety for years.

like i said, i usually start low when trying a new product, but always find myself working up to the maximum dosage by the time im done, and i usually dont have anxiety-related problems now that my tolerance is up (except when i tried 1-mr and thought i was going to have a heart attack at the gym). i find that my anxiety comes and goes (even taking medication), and can be triggered by a number of things that you wouldnt really think of (just day-to-day stresses, really)...... go see a doctor about it. also, i like taking my blood pressure once in a while to make sure whatever PWO im on isnt increasing that or my resting heart rate too much.




btw - now im all anxious after reading all these posts, i havent cycled off a preworkout in months (just switched from assault with creatine to white flood for about 10 weeks to cycle off the creatine, and was planning on starting super charge next week when my wf runs out, now im freaking out over being on pwo's nonstop, haha)

 

[bill86]

and yeah, stims can induce the attacks because people (like us) that have anxiety typically like to worry about worrying.... the increased heart rate, etc, kind of freaks us out and makes us think were going to have an attack, and its a self-fulfilling prophecy.... if you have anxiety, id recommend starting with even less than what the label recommends for beginners just to assess it (like i said, my first PWO was half a scoop of no xplode)

 

[Vegking]

Here is how to stop an anxiety attack in it's tracks.

take two deep breaths. After the second breath hold your breath for 10 to 12 seconds. Repeat the process for up to 10 minutes. Attack should stop within that time. The reason for holding your breath after the second deep breath is because adrenaline gets filtered through the kidneys. If you starve it from oxygen, you stop the adrenaline process. I recommend practicing a few days a week even though you may not be having a panic attack. For example, just do it on a drive from work. I got this technique from a anxiety specialist. He is very good at his job and understands anxiety better than anything I have come across yet. Since starting this technique, I have felt attacks come on but have stopped them. This gave me great confidence that these things can longer scare me or hold power over me. Those of us that have had the anxiety attacks know how terrible they are and how helpless one feels while it is happening. Not anymore for me. Anyway, give it a try and good luck guys.

 

[bill86]

ill try that... another technique i was given was to tense up your whole body (like youre flexing every muscle) and hold it for a few seconds then repeat when you feel one coming on. seems to have worked for me, but i also take medicine that has really helped

 

[touchdownthirty]

When I try a new pre-workout that gives me anxiety from the stims, I take it with 500mg of GABA and it always does the trick and keeps me mentally calm

 

[Pro_MAX]

Slim extreme almost killed me.....Crazy anxeity

 

[RenegadeRows]

When I try a new pre-workout that gives me anxiety from the stims, I take it with 500mg of GABA and it always does the trick and keeps me mentally calm

White FLOOD, we've already added the GABA for you

 

[JoHNnyNuTZ]

White FLOOD, we've already added the GABA for you

Thats cool. I've still yet to try this product. nDont know what Im waiting for:far2t:

 

[T-Bone]

GABA actually gave me a panic attack back in 2003 when I first heard of it and got the powder from 1Fast400. I just remember after taking it I had to keep moving because if I didn't something might just happen....It was late at night so I just cleaned the apartment.

 

[pigpen75]

I think your own to something here. In my earlier days, I would dabble in smoking weed and at one point swore I was having a heart attack. From that point on, I couldn't smoke weed again without having the heart-attack feeling. Now the exact same thing is happening again with the stims except I'm safe.

The only thing I can think of outside of work that is causing stress is my wife is wanting another kid. We have 2 already, and I'm 37, so I'm a little hesitant about having another just because I'll be at retirement age when he's in high school. But I gave into the wife and we are trying, other than that it could be work-related. We just went through a lay-off were I work at but I was ok.

How did you overcome the panic attacks?

ya bro, some of my earliest ever panic attacks were when I was on weed. Haven't done it in like 10yrs now. Eventually after having so many I've just learned how to kind of talk myself down. Everyonce in a while I might feel one coming on and my immediate reaction is to panic, but then I just remember nothing has ever serously happened from them and the feeling just subsides. It may help to cycle off stims and than after about a month just start w/ like 1/2 scoop of something and go from their. Good Luck

 

[Conagher]

ya bro, some of my earliest ever panic attacks were when I was on weed. Haven't done it in like 10yrs now. Eventually after having so many I've just learned how to kind of talk myself down. Everyonce in a while I might feel one coming on and my immediate reaction is to panic, but then I just remember nothing has ever serously happened from them and the feeling just subsides. It may help to cycle off stims and than after about a month just start w/ like 1/2 scoop of something and go from their. Good Luck

Weed is awful for anxiety.I do not understand why so many people are in love with it.Kills your motivation,very detrimental to short term memory and makes you paranoid as hell.Have not touched the s*** in over twenty years.

 

[bluehealer]

Maybe its just ASGT..

^^^this^^^

I have no problems with any stim (SX included) but ASGT did the same thing the OP mentioned, to me. After 3 days of use, all was good though.

 

[bludevil]

^^^this^^^

I have no problems with any stim (SX included) but ASGT did the same thing the OP mentioned, to me. After 3 days of use, all was good though.

Interesting, I'm going to try a different stim and see how it goes. By the way, nice avi bluehealer :thumbsup:

 

[norris21]

Anyone seen the movie Wanted with Angelina Jolie?

Her co-star James Mcavoy has severe panic attacks that are ruining his life, he then finds out he is the son of a professional assassin and learns to use them to slow time down and curve bullets.

well thats the bad@$$ version of how I deal with the attacks...I will go running or do something slightly scary that gets my heart rate up like Parkour. Im not sure if its the psychological aspect that I then have a reason to feel the fight or flight response but it sure does help. too bad it doesn't slow down time!!