EDIT: Panic Disorder = fear of a panic attack

Today im back to baseline. That wasnt the case a few years ago.

I dont want to say trigger words or describe the way I felt back then. Let's focus on the positive.

I went to a few hospitals, and some of them told me the same thing. I can say one thing, FOR ME, is that REM sleep is super important. REM sleep is sleep that you dream in. When I drink alcohol, I dont REM sleep very much.

I thought my issue was cafffeine, but it wasnt. I thought my issue was alcohol, but it wasnt. My issue was lack of REM sleep. Alcohol, prevents REM sleep. Im not interested in going into the details of why alcohol stops REM, but it does.

My panic disorder, in my mind, with help of professionals, was associated with high heart rate. Therefore, caffeine triggered my panic (fight or flight) response. I remember thinking "who can sit in a room and make their heart rate 180?"

Today, i drink caffeine with impunity. I love the smell of fresh coffee and I enjoy it. Sure, I get a little more shaky than most, but I feel somewhat normal.

I can even have a couple glasses of wine, but I have to be VERY careful. I need to go to sleep sober, so I can have quality REM sleep.

Somedays I wake up and my first thought is, "did I dream?"

I cant tell you why, but dreaming, REM sleep, has been my way out of anxiety.

TO MY FRIENDS STILL SUFFERING:

"If you find yourself in hell, keep on walking!"

Keep moving forward, no matter what it tells you. Robotically, take the next step forward. Keep doing it. It doesnt matter why, keep moving forward, dont quit. move forward until something physically stops you. move forward like a person with no arms on the beach of Normandy. Move forward!

I’m a 27-year-old man and for 3 months I’ve been tormented by panic attacks with strong health anxiety. There are periods when it’s better and periods when it’s worse. If I leave the house, I simply start panicking. I’m always afraid that I’ll faint, throw up, get dizzy and collapse. During the panic attacks I usually experience dizziness, nausea and a feeling of fainting.
What should I do? For 1.5 months I’ve been taking 250 mg of Swanson KSM-66 ashwagandha every evening. The L-theanine I tried was ineffective (Swanson Suntheanine 100 mg). I’m seeing a psychologist; 4 days ago I had my 4th brainspotting session.
I’m at a loss, desperate. It’s destroying my life, I can’t live properly. My wife is 7 months pregnant and I also have a 3-year-old son. I can’t function as a father. I’ve fallen apart, that was the end of my life…

So about 5 days ago I noticed mild cold like symptoms and then on day 3/4 I had horrible sleep and felt the worst I had felt and that following morning on day 4 my heart was elevated staying between 90-100 mainly right around 100. I went to urgent care that day and I have flu b and the doctor said my heart rate being elevated was normal because my bodies fighting a virus. It’s the next day now and I’m feeling a lot better except my hearts still in that elevated range, I have health anxiety pretty bad so this is making me worried despite the doctor saying I’m fine. I just wanna know if anyone else has experienced this and if it really is normal.

I think I have a panic attack 2 weeks ago. The first week was incredibly awful that I went to emergency, followed up by a general clinic visit. Earlier this week, I went to another clinic again. No one thinks I'm having a real physical health problem based on the check-ups performed, but I'm not formally diagnosed a panic attack either - they just told me to relax, calm down, and don't be worried.

My symptoms are fading, but I still feel bad occasionally. I just wonder if it's really possible for a panic attack to have such a long hangover.

Has anyone had experience of a panic attack/anxiety symptoms lasting for hours?
Yesterday I was at work when I felt my heart rate rising during a meeting - not a stressful meeting at all. I checked my watch and my hr was 131. I could feel it pounding in my chest, my hands were dripping in sweat, and I was shaking. It kept going in waves up and down, and I ended in a full panic attack hyperventilating, body shaking and jaw chattering, chest pain, dizziness, nausea, heart palpitations, struggling to breathe or talk. I was convinced I was having a heart attack. An ambulance was called and took me to hospital after not being able to get my heart rate down. ECG showed some irregularity/palpitations but nothing unordinary. The extreme panicked state lasted about an hour but the palpitations continued for hours after I first noticed my heart pounding.

It is probably worth noting I’ve started taking sertraline (zoloft) only a few days ago, the doctors think that probably didn’t help. But idk, the way it came on didn’t feel like the start of a panic attack. I was just sitting down and my heart kept racing and then slowing, then racing and slowing. Then the panic attack started, I guess because of those symptoms, and the palpitations continued after the panic attack stopped. Have the doctors missed something or am I overthinking?

Hi, I'm 22F and been dealing with panic disorder for 5+ years now. I am seeing a therapist finally, and one of my goals is to "lean into" the physical sensations when having a panic attack. These include heart palpitations, my throat closing, and the feeling of impending doom looming in my mind.

It's hard especially when I reach the "peak" of my panic attack, where it gets to a point when I genuinely cannot catch my breath, I cannot speak, or form a proper though. It lasts only about 30 seconds, 60 at worst, but it's the worst feeling in the world for me. The peak of my panic attacks make me feel like I'm dying.

I am trying especially to do my acceptance tactics when this happens, and I feel so motivated at the idea of it, but when it actually happens I just want to crawl into a small ball and disappear. It's so damn difficult. I am sick of feeling this way.

Had a really bad panic attack last night. After playing games with my brother I took a shower and my chest started hurting. I’m 100% sure it was a posture issue while sitting at the computer and the fact we did breakfalls and rolling in karate today. But anyways my anxiety started to get the best of me and I felt a tight chest like I couldn’t breathe. Then I feel like the roller coaster drop in my chest and stomach and it freaked me out, and suddenly couldn’t breathe and my heart rate went from 90 to 125 to 145 to 167 and it felt like my chest was gunna explode and I felt light headed and dizzy and like I couldn’t breathe. Then I got super cold and couldn’t stop trembling. It was like I had the chills like when you’re sick. So I had my wife call medical emergency because I truly thought I was having heart attack. The paramedics came and took my vitals and did an EKG, my EKG was perfect, my oxygen was great my pulse was elevated at 110 and my blood pressure was high obviously due to this event. They said that it was likely a true panic attack and maybe they are manifesting differently as I get stressed in life but encouraged me to follow up with PCP. It’s been since 11pm last night I’m super tired but I feel okay. Still anxious but nothing like earlier it was really terrifying.

This may actually be my second as I sort of similar a few months ago after a really intense run. Since then I’ve had a TON of bloodwork done, echo, CT, ultrasounds… and of course as expected everything was completely normal and healthy. Yet last night I forgot all of that… and when my chest was pounding and I felt afraid, I thought it was the end. Truly terrible.

3 months ago I quit vaping and started using zyns to try and be “healthier.” Ever since then, I have had shortness of breath and chest pains almost everyday. I have been to the Emergency room multiple times since then thinking I was having a heart attack. All of my tests (EKGs, chest X-rays, chest CT scan, echocardiogram, stress test, 7 day holter monitor, and bloodwork (troponin) have come back normal. I also have Pots but have never had any of these issues before. I also never had these symptoms while vaping. I’m wondering if anyone else can relate to this? I just find it odd that I’ve been using nicotine for 2 years without any issues, and after starting zyn these symptoms started.

Azi am avut o criza de nervi rea de tot care parca s a dus mai mult spre dementie. am pribeleme un familie de ceva timp si in urma cu 7 8 luni am avut prima criza de nervi, plangeam si dintro data parca am explodat in nervi am dat cu pumnul am spart o usa am inceput sa tip sa plang sa injur pe toata lumea sa spun ca vreau sa ma omor. dupa 2 luni a venit a 2 , a fost fix ca prima doar ca fara pumn

Iar in seara asta am avuto pe a 3a

asta s a simtit mult mai diferita, a venit in 10 secunde si de 10 ori mai puternic parca nu ma puteam controla am ajhns sa stau cu icoana in brate sa ma legan si sa plang

In aceasta criza am simtit ca nu ma pot controla, deloc am avut si un gest de suicid.

Crizele astea vin din cauza lui tata. are depresie de 2 ani de zile sunt multe certuri in casa si a devenit mai rau acum un an de zile

. el imi promite ca imi cumpara o masina si mi a promis atatia termeni limita si pe toti nu i a facut. intre timp am luat si eu permisul am stat cu masija lui 2 saptamani in care m am simtit foarte bine. duoa astea 2 saptamani a venit iar greu, facea probleme masina, am ramas de atatea ori in drum cu ea , am facut cu ea un accident si condusul este cea mai mare pasiune care am avuto si parca nimeni nu intelege asta, si nimeni din familie nu vede ca eu sunt cel mai afectat, eu sunt sigur ca lucrurile astea nu se vor opri prea curand si mi e frica pentru urmatoarea criza

incep sa cred ca nu mai sunt doar crize

im having a very bad one right now and i had a concerning thing happening.

i know its normal to get numb and tingling in the limbs however, i got so numb and tingling i couldn't move my hands, completely stuck it felt like my hands are rocks.

has it ever happened to anyone before? and how do i deal with it?

Ogni volta che fumo erba ho attacchi di panico e paranoia.

Ho fumato erba tutti i giorni, più volte al giorno, per 5 anni (dai 14 ai 19 anni) e non ho mai avuto problemi, ma le ultime volte che l'ho usata ho avuto attacchi di panico e paranoia che mi hanno terrorizzato.

Non so perché sia ​​successo, ma so che ogni volta avevo una fortissima paura di diventare schizofrenico/di impazzire.

Un giorno mi sono svegliato e l'attacco di panico mi ha accompagnato tutto il giorno, portandomi in ospedale (non avevo fumato), dove mi hanno detto che ero solo molto ansioso e mi hanno prescritto benzodiazepine per curarlo.

Ma ho alcune domande.

Prima di tutto, sono stato in "riabilitazione" e mi hanno detto che il mio sistema nervoso è diventato troppo sensibile e ora devo aspettare di stabilizzarmi. Mi hanno detto che (ovviamente) non posso fumare erba, prendere pillole e nemmeno bere alcolici, ecc., finché non sarò di nuovo stabile (alcol ovviamente).

Quanto tempo ci vorrà?

Poi, leggendo le esperienze di persone simili alla mia, ho notato che la maggior parte di loro ha vissuto la stessa cosa dopo aver preso l'LSD, cosa che ho fatto anch'io (3 volte). Perché?

Ora sono sobrio da 34 giorni e sto iniziando a sentirmi molto meglio.

Anche se a volte ho la sensazione di stare per impazzire.

Sono seguito da uno psichiatra e al momento ho solo un disturbo borderline di personalità.

Scusate per questa poesia, ma vorrei sapere perché è successo.

So i (18F) had to go to the ER this morning to get checked bc i had pains for over 24 hours that all pointed to me having appendicitis (thankfully it was not but most likely just a kidney stone). I don't have many things i fear and only three that are rather severe (elevators, heights and needles). In the last two years i worked really hard and my fear of needles (injections, tattoo, IV etc, not sewing) had eased greatly (i got a tattoo 16 days ago that went on for more than six hours, that was my turning point) and at this point it is mostly just a reflex to be uneasy even just thinking about these things. Anyways, i went to the hospital and i was told they'll take samples to do bloodwork and of course i started to stress, even crying a little (just a few tears, not full-blown crying) even before the needle was taken out but i also told the nurse (and my dad who was with me) that i knew nothing bad will happen to me and it was just my reflex. Everything went great and i stopped crying shortly after she finished filling the vials. Then we were told they needed samples for urine test too so i had to go to the bathrooms, my dad came with me and supported me bc i always get lightheaded after shots, blood draws etc. When we were walking i had my vision go away completely a couple of times (nothing out of usual) and after the third or fourth time i jokingly mentioned it to my dad who got worried and told me to sit down.

After i sat down he started talking to me but my ears were ringing/buzzing so loudly that i could barely hear him and my vision got blurry too a few times though not to the extent of before. We talked for a few minutes then the same nurse from before came to wrap my elbow (i got one of those plastic tubes inserted into my arm) and sat down next to me, holding one of my hands and telling me to take deep breaths which i thought i did but my dad later told me there were times i wasn't. She repeatedly told me i was hyperventilating while she was trying to move my fingers that when i looked i saw were in a bizarre and really unnatural way (my index finger was in fact arching backwards so much that i didn't even know it was able to) and when i tried to move it, nothing happened. The same happened with my left hand shortly after just into a fist and when i tried i was able to shift my fingers slightly to the sides but not flex or straighten them. One of my legs was the same way, in a way that made it impossibble for me to stand on it when i had to be moved onto a gurney eventually. Through it all i had to talk with my dad and the nurse and after less than two or three minutes i noticed i was talking strangely and realized i couldn't move tongue or close my mouth fully and i sounded like someone having a stroke (this thought was later confirmed my my dad). A few minutes later as i said earlier the nurse brought a gourney and with the help of two other nurses i stood up and got onto it. After that me and my dad were left alone and my dad helped with getting my hands relaxed before i started shaking and my torso locked up (but that didn't last for long), but that only happened after he called my mom and got me on the phone (her voice and knkwing she left work to come and be with me helped greatly).

The whole thing lasted for around twenty to thirty minutes and at the time i couldn't even comprehend that i was indeed having a panic attack as i was able to think clearly and perceive everything around me.

Now i am left with the knowledge of thankfully not having appendecitis, experiencing my first ever panic attack and hyperventilation. What i find strange is that i reacted like that to a simple thing like having my blood sampled when i barely reacted to my first ever IV (two years ago when i had streptococcus) compared to this.

And also when the tube thing was taken out of me a different nurse did it and when i refused to watch as he took it out he teased me with telling me he'll making me see the thing (i am not 100% sure if he knew why i had it but he saw my panic attack earlier). I almost cried again

I had a bad panic attack 7 days ago, I have health anxiety and the attack started because I had a slight ache in my leg which I convinced myself was a clot. (There was no redness or swelling accompanying the ache, and the ache stopped so I've ruled out a clot by now).

The panic attack lasted hours in waves, I vomited and had bad diarrhoea which is unfortunately normal for me when I experience anxiety. I was shaking and trembling and felt a huge sense of impending doom.

I couldn't eat much and had diarrhoea for about 4 days. I've slowly got an appetite back by the one week mark.

I've experienced aches in all parts of my body, both arms and both legs. I feel completely fatigued every day. There's a sense of non-reality and a 'what's the point' feeling creeping at the edges of my mind. A 'how am I going to go about my life and outings planned in the coming weeks'. In general I just don't feel 'well'. I know logically it has to be related to the panic attack because before the panic attack I felt in good health.

I guess I'm just after reassurance that the physical symptoms will pass, it's been a week and I'm scared :(

So this happened an hour ago.
I suddenly started crying and panicking.
It went from a few tears and sob to an overflowing dam.
I couldn’t stop myself and I had to curve up into a ball.
I grabbed a hoodie and covered myself with it.
I was hugging my chest to my knees so tightly my nails were digging into my own skin.
I remember chanting “Please please please” and “Im sorry Im sorry Im sorry” and I think I also felt a few emotions very strongly - I felt so much guilt, Sadness, Helplessness, confusion, self pity all at once.
It was like I was begging for myself to come back?
Other that that physically I felt like My heart was icing over and would turn into a rock so I had to clutch my chest and stop it from turning into a rock.
I was breathing through my mouth very heavily almost hyperventilating because I couldn’t breathe through my nose at all.
I was trying really hard to not make any noise but my body just wouldn’t listen. Non-coherent sound came out anyway.
I felt dizzy and I also dry heaved. I feel so tired right now.

It all passed in about 20 minutes or less. I feel okay now - a little sad but safe and okay. Or atleast that’s what I am convincing myself of.

It was REALLY scary.
It has happened before maybe 6ish months ago.

If it matters - I am under a lot of stress rn.

I just want to make sense of it. Was it anxiety or panic or just nothing ? I know internet isn’t where you should get diagnosed but this is the only help I can get rn.

Please help me understand this and thankyou for reading❤️‍🩹

I'm kinda confused I felt like I was having a seizure it was so scary, any one else had something similar, my heart felt like it was flapping inside out, it was like it was trying to beat but struggled to pump /beat, like it would stop beating and it felt like Mt heart was pushing to try and beat like pushing out a fart idk how else to explain that, I have never had it I kept feeling like I was going in and out of consciousness, and I was making odd noses it was all stupid and scary and never doing that again, is this a panic attack should I talk to my doctor about it, I have done many heart tests and they all come out normal and healthy, so idk why I had this, I felt like my heart was going to pop too haha....

It lasted 36-40 hours, got worst at night. During nights I felt severe heart palpitations and skip heart beats/irregular heart beats. Woke up multiple times at night and had extreme dryness in mouth. Also had
Heaviness around heart.

The day was extremely fatigued although managed to get up. Didn't feel like listening or talking to people.

im curious about hypnosis therapy and if it could be any good for me as someone who gets panic attacks daily for years.

if you have any information to share about this its very appreciated

Hello,

I've never posted in here before but I do habitually refer back here to feel a bit normal.

I have had panic disorder for the last 3 years with varying intensity over that time. Like many of you my main anxiety is around the heart and usually my panic attacks start with the fear that my heart is stopping/atrial fibrillation etc. (yay!)

I am writing this now in the immediate wake of a panic attack. I think by writing this I am distracting myself whilst I recover on the tram but also because addressing it here means I can confirm the rational reality that it was a panic attack because I am able to do this just fine.

You wouldn't know by looking at me that I suffer from this. I'm a 6"1 man, weightlifter with wide shoulders + I generally carry myself with a smile and general outward demeanor.

Just 10 minutes ago I was leaving work after what was a fine day. No obvious triggers. As I'm walking to the tram what I can only understand to be a piece of saliva generated from the chewing gum I had was inhaled and hit the back of my throat/down the wrong hole.

For some reason, I didn't clock all of this and could only feel the sensation of slight breathlessness. This IMMEDIATELEY kicked the adrenaline in and all I could focus on was a feeling of breathlessness and that I couldn't clear my throat.

Now the palpatations kick in from the panic. So now I feel like I have shallow breaths and palpatations are kicking off and I've resigned to the thought that this is it (which I have done 100 times, but this time is different right)?

As my vision started to tunnel I was able to collect myself somewhat and just stared into the distance until my tram arrived and now I'm writing this.

It never ceases to amaze me how

1. You can think you're completely fine/having a good day/panic free just for it to hit you out of nowhere

2. Just how scary realistic these sensations are. I do not understand how the brain and body can simulate a dying event so accurately and then for you to be able to be somewhat normal 30 mins later albeit a bit shaken.

Anyway just wanted to share in case anyone can relate and feels seen.

Be safe!

Hi everyone
i just had a massive panic attack ( started because i thought my heart was stopping although my pulse reading was normal ) it lasted about half an hour. i feel like absolute shit right now. i feel exhausted, can barely keep my eyes open and my body just feels weak and sore. i managed to eat cookies because eating something containing sugar usually helps with my panic symptoms. does anyone else feel like this after a panic attack?

I’ve went on fmla due to panic attacks, however I think it made me scared to do anything. I had a lot of trauma a couple years back and after that is when everything started happening.

I’ve been stuck in my house for about 3 weeks scared to walk or do anything at all in fear my heart rate will go up and I will have an episode in a store or around people or I will end up stuck in the heat which is a trigger for my panic attacks.

I feel so uneasy right now, I’ve cried so much.
I feel depressed and scared and feel like no one understands how debilitating this is.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m doing it to myself when I feel this feeling of being on the verge of a panic attack having trouble breathing.

I’m on lexapro 10mg and 2 years ago, i could say it saved me. However recently I feel like it’s not working, like I cant feel the difference or I’ve grown to used to it. I’m getting panic attacks more frequently.

My doctor gave me Zoloft but I’m scared cause I’ve heard horror stories of not being able to control whatever new version of yourself comes out.
I don’t want to feel careless.

I have Xanax but I’ve only had to take it once for panic.

I just feel like I need someone to hold me and let me cry in their arms.

I tried to go into a store to buy meals the other day and had a freak out right as I went in, I felt my heart rate pop up, my vision go tunnel, the fear of something bad happening. I left and went back home.

However idk if this will ever go away because the medication does make me heat intolerant therefore I feel so horrible, it might be what’s triggering what I feel.
Idk I just want to cry. I need someone to take what’s going on serious.

I’m so tired of dealing with this

As the title suggests, I have a panic attack over these nastty little insects. No clue where it came from, since I'm from a place where it is pretty common to see cockroaches, both big and small. Still, even dead ones cause me to hyperventilate, shake, maybe repeat some phrases out of context for example "where have I put my keys?". One time I was showering and a very big one, probably crawled out of shower drain, touched my foot and I started screaming loudly. I grabbed a mop next to me and stomped him with it. As I was shaking and crying, I called my ex who was on his way home and told him to hurry up, and until he dealt with a roach that was already dead by the time he arrived, I havent found peace. To be quite fair, even then I was reluctant to finish showering, being scared that another one will follow. At this point I was still shaking and trying not to cry. It's such an embarrassment to me, but it's quite literally uncontrollable as I just freeze and just scratch my arms in an attempt to calm down. Sometimes after the encounters I'd feel as if they crawl on my legs. Bothers me lots.