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"Ok, so the last week or two I've been having weird episodes. My mind will start racing, but it doesn't make any sense. My heart starts racing and I get short of breath. Does anyone know what this could be?" asked apeclark2008 in The CafeMom Newcomers Club.
ProudArmyWife88 replied: "I get those. I also get this burning in my chest that goes up the back of my neck and I can't breathe and I feel like the walls are closing in and then I have to try and make it stop. Mine are panic attacks. Yours could very well be!"
If you've ever experienced shortness of breath, dizziness, and a rapid heart rate out of what seems like nowhere, you may be having a panic attack. I'm no stranger to anxiety, but don't just take my word for it. The Mayo Clinic definition of a panic attack is "a sudden episode of intense fear that develops for no apparent reason and that triggers severe physical reactions. When panic attacks occur, you might think you're losing control, having a heart attack or even dying." They come without warning and can last anywhere from 10 minutes to a few days. The list of symptoms are:
- Rapid heart rate
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Shortness of breath
- Hyperventilation
- Chills
- Hot flashes
- Nausea
- Abdominal cramping
- Chest pain
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Faintness
- Tightness in your throat
- Trouble swallowing
- A sense of impending death
The crucial thing to remember is that these can also be symptoms of other serious health conditions, so you should definitely go to your doctor and get checked out. You don't want to dismiss a heart attack for a panic attack. Also, if you're frequently experiencing these attacks you could have an anxiety disorder. In the meantime, how do you get through these episodes? I once had an anxiety attack so bad, I had to get medical treatment to calm me down. Luckily, not everyone will suffer so extremely.
Do you get panic attacks? How do you deal with them?
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Comments (20)
I hate my anxiety!!
i also have this...I just started counseling for them, and am hoping that they will get better.
I've had panic attacks for 30 years. Mine were diagnosed 14 years ago by a psychiatrist as being the result of a closed head injury (mini seizures). I have Klonopin (clonazepam) that I take twice a day. A panic attack is a result of the brain's overreaction to a perceived threat; remember the "fight or flight" response? The brain kicks into overdrive and tells us to get out of the situation we're in or be ready for confrontation, thus the symptoms. I still get minor panic attacks with the meds, but I prefer to take the lowest dose of meds so that my brain isn't numb all day. If I feel a panic attack coming on and can move, I will. If I can't, then relaxation techniques like deep breathing usually work. Sometimes I will just distract my brain by popping a piece of gum or candy in my mouth.
I have social anxiety disorder and have had panic attacks for years. And yes what you are describing is a full blown panic attack. I take medication for it and it helps a lot. In most people they are just a result of stress but if you keep getting them you need to see a doctor. They can be dangerous if you are driving and get one. The best thing to do is get to a place you feel safe until it passes.
My sister gets them, they're pretty intense for her. She was on meds but didn't like the way they made her feel so she quit the meds and started relaxtion nd sitraction techniques. Me, I just suffer from HIGH anxiety of just about EVERYTHING. My drs had me on Paxil but my dose just kept going up and I hated how it made me feel so off I went and now I'm learning how to prioritize my worries.
Initially I was diagnosed as having seizures, but when I was hospitalized and they kept missing my veins for bloodwork, lo and behold, IT started. IT was properly diagnosed as a panic attack and I've been prescribed clonespam. This medication works very quickly and calms me down immediately.
I have sever panick attacks and well they come on from nowhere... Right now I cant take anything for them... But I was put on 5mg of ativan...I can take anywhere from one to 4 pills at a time... I also do meditation. breatheing. and what I have found that works is a shower.... I havent had an attack so bad in about a year...
I had severe panic disorder for almost a year after I was raped by my ex boyfriend. Its the scariest thing ever. It feels like your having a heart attack!
I have them. Seeing a cognitive behavioral therapist works wonders. They can give you tools to help calm yourself down and/or stop the "catastrophizing" in your mind that leads to a panic attack. If this is an on-going problem that doesn't seem to have a root towards a behavioral problem (such as panicking as a result of a trauma), medication may be in order to correct an imbalance of the neurotransmitters in your nervous system.
I have had them for 19 yrs. i am on Prozac and Ativan . The way these meds make you feel at first, goes away w/ time and now I don't have any side effects from them ....I just don't have panic and that's the point. Thank God !!!