I'll add my 2 bits.

I get certain visual problems before a migraine. It begins with what i would liken to tunnel vision, where i'm focusing very hard on the "centre" of my sight, if you will, and the edges become milky almost. I wouldn't say i lose my sight in those areas, but i "don't see" them. Then, distances start to morph, and i translate the distance between my head and my book/monitor/desk/hand as both very small and HUGE at the same time. Almost as though i'm considering it on a relative level (relative to the size of my body) and also on a molecular level, where the distance is astronomical. Then, having recognised this, the distance begins to change in front of my eyes, almost like zooming in and out on a camera very quickly. It's nauseating, and it gives me a panic attack, it's a really scary sensation. Other times i'll get blue sparks occuring all around the peripheral vision area, they're nothing special really, the better of the 2.

Then i get a terrible, terrible headache that lasts for at least half a day. Often it feels like such a great pressure in my head that i think it'll explode. Usually it only goes if i sleep. I'm incapable of doing anything while i have that headache, it's debilitating. It pulses in a sense, become more painful for a while and then less painful for a while. I need utter darkness, including any LED's in the room, literally every source of light has to be extinguished. Marijuana has helped, and when i've been drunk i've thought that i had a migraine, but it wasn't feeling anywhere near as bad as a migraine (and so is it? perhaps not).

During the "aura"(?) phase with the visual hallucinations and for a few days after the headache part, i find it hard to speak. I know i can say something if i want to, but when i try to speak i stutter a lot, and it takes me a while to say what i want to say, and i often feel distanced from things.

I've never had one at work or at university, i dread to think what i'd say/do if i had one. It's something i feel almost guilty about because i feel that if you've never had one you'd never accept/understand just how much it hurts. "Boss, i've got a migraine." - "Yeah, i've got a headache too, get back to work."

I'm actually feeling my hackles rise explaining it and remembering the feeling. I don't get any other the other stuff though.

I never knew about medication for migraines, i thought it'd just be painkillers. Gonna speak to my doc thanks to mintbbb's initial post.

Bwahaha, shes having a panic attack at the thought of exercise.
Wowwww

This ranks up there with those guys on maury that are afraid of bananas.

I was prescribed Zoloft by my doctor after having a single panic attack (in the middle of a perfectly boring non-stressful day too). It actually made me feel pretty good and sociable for quite a while, almost unusually so. Then, after a couple event-free months I lost my entire supply, or rather I should say Delta airlines lost my luggage, into which I had stupidly packed my entire supply. Little did I know that quitting Zoloft "cold turkey" would bring about terrible symptoms of physical withdrawal. I wanted to (but thankfully did not follow up on the urge to) punch myself in the temples to get at whatever was causing the awful pain in my head.

I camped out at the Doctors office for some samples, and spent the next two weeks gradually ramping down to ease out of what had apparently become a physical dependence.

I can't imagine quitting "cold turkey" and then immediately switching to something else. I would have gone crazy. No joke.

In the end it turns out that my initial panic attack was a fluke. Thirty some years without ever having one... Then, having one. Then, never having another one. I think I may have just hated my job.

I once had a panic attack where I was sure I was going to die that night. I think this man had the same sort of thing happen. Sitting on a plane, thinking of all the things that could go wrong. His mind just started going too fast for him to keep up. I don't know, that's what it felt like to me. I've never really been the same since then.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

SuperDuper - sorry. http://canada.videosift.com/video/Airline-Panic-Attack
*discard

Bizarre. I'm no doctor, but my guess is that there's something more than a panic attack going on there.

I had a guy exactly like this on a Continental flight from Newark to San Francisco once. He busted out a ton of jokes during the pre-flight and added this bit just before take-off:

"If you are talking to anyone who is not on this plane--unless you happen to be psychic--please end the conversation now and put away your electronic devices."

As impressive as his pre-flight was, I really admired him later when the woman seated directly in front of me, who was apparently scared of flying, had a panic attack after take-off. He and the rest of the crew did a fantastic job of calming her down and making sure she was okay for the rest of the flight. He personally spent about ten minutes holding her hand and just chatting with her to keep her calm. At the end of flight I shook his hand. He and his crew are the most professional people I've ever met--not just in the notorious airline industry but in any industry for that matter.

I tried Salvia recently, the decision based on a video I saw right here on VideoSift! What a sheep eh?

Few things to note on what he says. He mentions designs a lot, it's definitely a very graphical trip. I personally saw a parquet waterfall that was so real that I kept putting my hand on the back of my buddy so he wouldn't fall over it. There's a lot of grids and graphs and stuff.

He also says at the beginning that he wished it would stop, that's very real too.

The sites I read while researching warn people of going too far, but don't mention what happens if you do go too far. It's actually a safe drug to try physically, (this is the reason I tried this, I've never taken a mind drug in my life and only smoked pot maybe 10 times and don't like it at all). What happens when you over do it though, is a panic attack. I had to consciously avoid the thought that this might last forever because I felt intense panic when I did.

In this video he also says/does goofy stuff towards the end. That's not really genuine, you lose your desire to not be fake for a time and start making stuff up that really isn't happening. Best way I can describe that.

Afterwards there's no huge desire to try it again. My buddy still has some left over and he hasn't touched it and none of my friends want to do it again themselves. We only maybe want to watch someone else we know do it for entertainment, but not really. It's not a 'fun' drug.

CNN recently put something on TV about it, with a woman whining that Salvia killed her son, but doesn't mention at all how he actually died. I assure you it wasn't an overdose, he probably fell over and hit his head or something and she felt the need to blame the drug instead of blaming bad luck.

Gupta talked about what Salvia does to your brain. Your brain has specific parts that process their respective sensory inputs and Salvia causes those areas to overflow into each other. Something like that.

So basically it's the safest mind-trip drug I've ever heard of. 8-10 minute high, no lasting physical or mental damage, no addiction. The soccer moms are all over it like the cum dumpsters that they are because they don't want their children to experience anything that might cause them to stray from the path to sheepdom they have set in front of them.

If you've ever wanted to try a one shot experiment, this is it. For me it's actually removed any desire to try acid or mushrooms, there's no way I would want to put myself through an elongated loss of control like that. No way.

Forgot about this one. I actually had to walk out of it because the sound effects induced a panic attack.

Looks like the guy is now suing "for unspecified monetary damages, claiming they used excessive force and violated the Americans With Disabilities Act "
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-011707taser,0,6813210.story?coll=la-home-headlines

I'm guessing the disability is "Bipolar Disorder". Reminds me of a guy I tutored in college who got his disability parking permit and 2x time on finals because of "Panic Attacks".

But seriously, if this guy gets millions from the state because his bipolar disorder prevented him from cooperating with the guards, that's an entirely new level of ADA abuse.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, obscenesimian. Ok, I was just asking about your experience because I've met a bunch of guys who say, "Oh yeah, I know all about (insert technique here)." Then I really ask them and find out they've spent 4 hours at a seminar on restraint techniques. And I agree about points standing on merit, it's just hard (and pointless) to have a technical discussion without the knowledge base in place.

1. The health of persons being choked. I'll give you that it is more dangerous to choke an intoxicated person. However, in that case the officer should be able to tell that person is intoxicated (and in most other similiar situations). And yes, the panic, adrenaline, etc. are factors, but proper training and competition encompasses all of these factors. And as for the struggling...well, a properly executed RNC should not give room for the chokee to be injured by resisting. In any case, the health of the perp is also a factor when tasers are used. It's a problem, but there's nothing the LEOs can do about it, and it doesn't justify not using the things when the situation calls for it.

3. Malice. My argument is that, without a ref, it is up to the officer to use his judgement as to when to stop. If the cop has malice and cannot control himself, he should not be on the force - I mean, the same applies for a gun, not just a choke, y'know? And as for the suspect, if the suspect has a knife or especially a gun, I'd rather be taking the guy to the ground for backmount or mount and disarming him. Of course the choke will have to be dropped, but it's not a terrible position to start a weapon defense in.

4. Poor Training. I think we can both agree that everything rides on proper training. And I agree that training for LEOs needs to be much, much better than it is now. But that's neither here nor there.

As for my comments about time until unconsciousness and injury, of course there will be mitigating factors, but that does not at all take away from the fact that chokes can be used viably. Average times until unconsciousness will vary in an LEO's line of work, but it's a good starting point to start looking for when combined with a knowledge of how to know when the chokee is out (limp arms, neck muscle relaxation, etc.). And obviously, one of the hugely important things that is looked over in a lot of physical restraint training is knowing when to release the choke. As for your example, I couldn't find the incident online so I can't comment on the facts, but panic attacks should always be taken into consideration for a choke, I don't see how a taser is less dangerous for someone with a heart condition, and I don't see how schizophrenia could have an effect on the choke (maybe the medication or his reactions?).

By all means, the taser is a great thing. But the choke and taser have different purposes and cannot be thought of in the same ways. Tasers and chokes can both be dangerous, but good training and awareness of the LEO will severely reduce the number of related injuries and deaths. It's a sad world where LEOs are required to get the job done but have their toolboxes taken apart bit by bit because people are too lawsuit-crazy.

Ok Rembar, I thought my previous post might be misconstrued as an attack on MMA Judo BJJ police etc.

First I don't need to lay out my credentials, my points have to stand on their own merits, as well as do yours. The validity of a claim does not follow from the credibility of the source. But I will give my credentials anyway. 4 years of Judo, 2 while in HS, 2 in college, I have competed in several USJA tournaments in San Francisco, lost most of the matches, but I did win a few. My highest rank was a brown belt, and some would say I needed more time in to get that far. I know my way around a choke, from both ends. Beat time? None. Club security, 2 years. And you can get shot, stomped, and stabbed as easily as a cop.

That Said, I did not mean to criticise anything about fighting arts and competitions, just the application of chokes and strangles in subduing citizens. I will attempt to clarify my previous arguments.

1. The Health of persons being choked. The problem is not with the ease of choking, it is the ability to withstand and recover. Your average victim of a police incident is not an athlete, and in many instances is intoxicated. It is unequivocally more dangerous to cause an intoxicated person to go unconscious. In addition for most people, being choked can cause panic, which causes struggling that can lead to injuries not associated with the actual choke to both officers and suspects.

2. Excess adrenaline. I'll concede the point. Both cause much adrenaline to be spent. Although a good MMA fighter can control their emotions, and control the adrenaline to some extent.

3. Malice. What happens in a match when a guy is choked out, knocked out, or his joint is manipulated causing pain and damage? The ref stops the fight or someone taps out. In a police incident, the cop is the Ref. If the cop has malice, lookout, if the suspect gets the cops gun, or has a knife, bloodshed and death may follow. I'll take the malice evident in a controlled sporting event over the malice in a "real world" encounter any day. MMA guys just don't get stabbed, bitten, or shot, eye gouged, fishhooked etc. (ok maybe there has been some biting and fishhooking)

4. Poor Training. Duh right back at ya. The operative word here is POOR. Everyone reading this is not stupid. We know that cops need training in order to do their jobs without causing physical harm unnecessarily. It's a given. When training is inadequate, bad stuff happens. I think that was clear enough without additional comment.

I would like to comment on your points as well.

"I know the approximate times that my opponent will lose consciousness, will suffer permanent damage, and regain consciousness after the chokehold is released."

Really! Okay, the guys you practice with or fight ought to be similar, weight, age fitness. But how quickly will a 190 pound asthmatic college student who snorted meth all week take to pass out, and when will he wake up? Does he have a heart condition, suffer from panic attacks, have schizophrenia? These unknowns caused a french tourist in las vegas to die from a choke applied by metro several years back. By all accounts, the choke was applied properly. The taser is safer for the cop, as far as the suspect, I wouldn't guess that it is any safer.

"The Taser was developed to reduce the number of FIREARM-related deaths. FIREARM-RELATED DEATHS."

It was developed in response to a murder of 2 of the inventors friends as a non lethal weapon that did not classify as a fire arm and thus could be manufactured without the red tape the BATF would require. It was not actively marketed to police departments by taser int. until 1998. It was adopted by police departments as a non lethal weapon to be used to reduce officer injuries AND reduce shootings.

I do not have any arguments with your conclusion.

very clever

that one guy in the orange shirt started to breathe heavily
he probably wouldve had a panic attack if they didnt stop it soon enough