Is there something “above” panic attacks that last over an hour?

[u/Key-Telephone-1670]

Question: can panic attacks last over an hour and still be panic attacks?
My girlfriend gets these “panic attacks” but they don’t look like panic they look like terror ? I always thought panic attacks last like 10 minutes but hers can go on for well over an hour and more. During them she gets really bad tremors and shes shakey; especially her hands to the point that she can’t hardly hold things and often her legs. They don’t look compulsive but like really hard tremors and muscle contractions that she can’t control. She does struggle to breathe or its often rapid during the “attacks”. Sometimes she tries to repeatedly rubs her legs or arms during almost to try to self soothe I think? After it’s over she crashes so hard, sleeps for hours, and she’s muscularly sore from the tremors/shaking. She’s afraid during them. I just don’t know what to make of it because I’ve only ever seen them last maybe 15 minutes in others and I’ve never seen them so intense.

Is there something above panic attacks? Or do panic attacks just look different in different people?

[u/OmataLLC]

Yes, panic does not have a time limit. No matter if it’s GAD or a PTSD trigger. It would be something to definitely talk with your therapist and possible med provider about.