Why is my dog having Panic Attacks?

Question
I have a 12 year old Shepard/Husky mix who has epilepsy. She was on Barbituates for a long time and we realized she was having the same amount of seizures off the meds and on. So my husband and I decided to take her off the medication about 3 years ago. Once we took her off she was a whole new dog again. She didnt seem so "ughhhh", like she was out of it.
Anyway, I wanted to tell you a little of her background before I ask you about her panic attacks.  For about a month now she has been having these attacks. Usually it will happen at night when we are in bed. Our two dogs sleeps in our romm. She will wake up panting really bad, then she will walk back and fourth, banging into walls, closing herself in our bathroom. We will take her out in the middle of the night, she may or may not use the bathroom but it doesnt stop. Some nights we have to close her out of our room but then no other room in the house is safe.
I came home today my sons forgot to close their room door. Well, needless to say the room was a complete disaster! She chewed a rubbermaid hamper apart and was all over the place by the look of fur everywhere.
My overall questions are.....do you think her age is taken its toll? or should we just take her to a vet? Do you know what the basic lifespan is for this type of mix? Financially, it will be difficult to take her to a vet but if you dont know or think we should take I will have to. Thanks in advance for your advice!

Answer
Hi Kim, it does sound like something mentally is happening to her in the middle of the night.  The first sign of stress in a dog is panting, whether it be mental stress or physical stress.  The lifespan of a shepherd & a husky are about the same, 12-15 years.  I do think something is mentally wrong whether it be from the epilepsy or something else wrong in the brain, that is hard to say and would probably cost you a lot in vet bills to find out.  They can put her on something to get her through the night each night if you wanted to go that route, but that obviously is a personal choice you would have to make.  They do tell you not to take a dog off epileptic medication once they start as it can cause more problems, but if you have been off it for 3 years, then I wouldn't attribute it to that.  I do believe something has gone wrong in the brain itself, again who knows from what, and it just comes down to if you want to put the money out to try and figure it out or not.  You could talk to the vet about just getting her through each night too.  Wish I could be of more help,

Dawn