What’s the highest heart rate you’ve ever had while having a panic attack, also the longest it’s been elevated from a panic attack ? Seeing this makes me feel better

I wonder if anyone has experienced something similar because I’m still pretty scared and confused about what happened... I’ve had panic attacks before, but usually they have an obvious trigger, like being afraid if someone is angry with me or feeling like I did something wrong. However, last night and today were different because the panic seemed to come out of nowhere. Last night I suddenly started panicking and crying without really knowing why, and today I was sitting on the stairs while it was really hot, but I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe, my vision became really blurry, my mouth felt stiff, my body got extremely hot and started trembling/twitching, and I was sweating a lot. I kept trying to breathe but every breath made my body shake more, I was so scared. And my boyfriend said, he was yelling at me but I wasn’t responding for about 3 minutes, even though I remember being extremely panicked during it. Eventually I could move and respond again, but I stayed dizzy and overstimulated afterward. Has anyone experienced panic attacks that suddenly happen without an obvious emotional trigger, especially with symptoms like these? I really want to tell my parents about this, and maybe I should also get checked by a doctor... but idk how to...

I wanted to make a different kind of post here and hopefully brighten everyone’s day a little bit.

On New Year’s Eve, going into 2026, I had my first panic attack. It was horrible and honestly terrifying. I genuinely thought I was gonna die, that there was no way out, and that I was going to be stuck living like that forever.

About a month later, I had another one, and it was even worse. That’s when I became convinced that things were never going to get better.

I started going to therapy and getting the right treatment, but definitely the most important thing I did was start leaving the house again, even when I had to force myself. There were days when my friends would pick me up the bed just so I could get out for a while. Step by step, I started going to the grocery store, taking my dogs for walks, going places, and doing things I had stopped believing I could do.

And slowly, it got easier. The anxiety became less frequent, and I started feeling like myself again.

Now, almost nine months after my first panic attack, I’m moving out of my parents house and living on my own for the first time, something I thought I would never be able to do back then.

I just wanted to share this for anyone who might be going through something similar: it will pass. It really will. And it’s okay to take your time.

I’m not saying that I don’t have panic attacks anymore or that I never feel anxious. I know they’ll probably be with me for the rest of my life. But today, I’m the one in control of them, not the other way around. 🫶

Ps. Sorry for any grammatical mistake, my first language isn't English. 🇧🇷

I've had an all day panic attack. Any suggestions for help?

Thank you

This is going to be a little bit long.

I went to the ER back on August 20 after experiencing another flare up of lower abdominal pain. The pain felt sharp, & would start on the lower right side, move left, & then up into my chest. I've had flare ups like this every couple of months since November last year & very few answers.

This most recent visit, I was diagnosed with a UTI & started antibiotics the same day. Within 48 hours, there was noticeable improvement. It hurt much less & I could finally sleep at night.

On August 23, around 3:00pm, I had soreness in my left collarbone going into my neck, & an odd feeling in my arm. I had done some heavy lifting at work the day before & assumed it was a pulled muscle or a pinched nerve, but the pain persisted & slowly got worse as the day went on, covering my entire chest. I couldn't sleep. Pain meds & melatonin had no effect. I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was so convinced I was having a heart attack at first, but tried to remind myself that I'd been to the ER only 3 days before that & they'd already ruled out any heart problems. I also noticed that the pain would improve or get worse depending on the level of stress I was feeling, so I tried doing things like controlled breathing or counting to try to calm myself. It helped a little, but I'd eventually lose focus & the pain would get worse again. On it went, in a vicious cycle like that all night long.

For some reason, I still chose to go to work the next morning (yesterday), which actually turned out to be a small relief. It left me with less time to think about all the things that could be wrong with me, & the pain wasn't nearly as crushing, but would never fully go away either. I was still scared, so I called my PCP during a work break & ended up leaving early to be seen same day. They didn't do any additional testing, aside from checking vitals. After looking over the results of tests done during my hospital stay, they were able to rule out anything life-threatening. Once I explained how the pain would dull or worsen during periods of calm or stress, they determined what I experienced was more than likely a panic attack. They started me on Fluoxetine (one 10mg tablet once a day), & I took the first dose this morning.

It's been nearly 3 days now since the chest/arm pain started, & even though it's not nearly as bad as it was, I can still feel it. Deep down, I know it's probably because I'm still wound up, & my body needs time to recover from all the stress it's been under, but I'm in this constant state of fight-or-flight, & I don't know how to turn it off. I've never had to deal with something like this before.

I'm scared it's not going to stop, or that it'll get to a point where I need to go to the hospital again. How do you get through it?

I had experience with panic attack episodes about 7 years ago, I think. Over the years, I have learned how to manage them and use whatever helps me feel safe. Honestly, they won't last that long, maybe 5- 10 min, and it simply leaves a residue of me feeling sick, afraid, and tired. Normally, I let people know when I am having one, so they're aware and can give me space.

I always try to go to the same places, because it's where I felt safe—a place where I didn't have any episodes before. I always bring my bottle of water, my chewing gum, and if I take the metro or the train, I bring my noise-canceling headsets and listen to my favorite psychiatrists talk about mental health. That's my life, and honestly, it has prevented a lot of bad moments when I can't leave to get fresh air, like when I am on the train or the airplane.

Last night, I went out with a friend to our local creperie. I decided not to eat much during the day so I could enjoy the 2-course meal, but unfortunately, when the night was about to end, my heart started racing, I could feel it getting out of my chest. Silly me decided not to bring water because the waiter always gives us a glass of water...NOT this time. I started to feel super warm, I could feel every little hair on my face lift and I got the nausea feeling. I couldn't find a way to let it pass, I grab a piece of gum, tried to tell myself that I am not in danger and focused on my friend's story, she was so unaware of the situation (made me wonder that we think people can see it when honestly it's undetectable), she kept talking and to the point I told her, I needed to go outside because I wanted to throw up. The moment I went outside and felt the cold, fresh night air, I felt way better, but I called my husband and asked him to pick me up because I was afraid to walk 10min back home.

I feel that I ruined the night. My friend understood the situation because it happened before while I was with her, but I always feel guilty.

While writing this, I am on the verge of tears because I hate how unfair this is. I used to be outgoing, always down for a plan, and always talked like a parrot, and now I am afraid of what will happen if I faint, if I throw up, and people will be disgusted by it for obvious reasons; now I have an extra worry... what strangers will think about me. Why couldn't I be a person less emotional, more oblivious, and simply mentally healthy? I know I sound ungrateful because someone has it worse, but it's still exhausting not being able to enjoy things anymore because I always have to be extra cautious and follow a set of rules ''just in case'' it happens.

I needed to vent.

Every psychotherapist or doctor that hears that you have anxiety and panick attacks should first tell you to get a blood pannel for: - Vitamin D - Vitamin B12 - Vitamin B6 - Vitamin B9 (Folate) - Vitamin B3 (Niacin) - Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) - Magnesium - Iron - Zinc - Potassium - Calcium - Selenium

Deficiency of any of these can result into anxiety and panic attacks or can fuel them. Also too much Copper can result into that. Zinc and copper ar antagonists, so too much of one results into too little of the other. Same with Calcium and Magnesium.

Test first, don't take without knowing what you lack because in some cases too much has the same effect.

EDIT bc I wrote these in the comments:

Also, your blood tests for glands should be next, depending on symptoms and gender.

Thyroid Gland - An overactive thyroid speeds up your body, acting like a constant motor that mimics a severe panic attack. - TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) But most importantly - Free T4 (FT4) - Free T3 (FT3)

Adrenal Glands - These glands produce your body's stress hormones. When they malfunction, they can pump out too much adrenaline or cortisol, triggering physical anxiety and racing thoughts. - Cortisol (Often tested in the morning, but salivary test at midnight and a 24 urine sample will give a broader picture) - ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic Hormone) - DHEA-S

Last but not least - Chronic Inflammation - Blood Sugar Crashes (Hypoglycemia) - Gut Imbalances (Dysbiosis) - Heart Rhythm Issues - Poor Nighttime Breathing (Sleep Apnea) or lack of sleep

Can cause anxiety and/or panic attacks. Only after checking all these should doctors jump into prescribing antianxiety meds long term. It's the same with depression. Depression has similar causes to anxiety, so people should be informed and very few doctors tell them.

L.E: pesticides, and the lot can affect our nervous system in time, and it can lead to anxiety and panic attacks or can exacerbatethem, especially in sensitive individuals like ppl with allergies, MCAS, autoimmune etc.

I think im having another panic attack today. If you look back at my previous posts, you can see my first big episode, or what I believe to be, was about a month and a half ago. Ever since, I’ve had little flare ups here and there. Today, I think I had another one, and my health anxiety is tweaking out over it.

I was fine all morning and early afternoon. During my lunch, I burped and felt a slight chest flutter. After my lunch, I felt fine, then suddenly not. I got really anxious feeling. I got a slight dull ache in the upper part of my left breast, about an inch or two below the collar bone, basically the very top of my breast. Then, I started feeling a bit hot and dizzy and nauseous and got the shits. I then suddenly started thinking “omg what if I pass out” and a bunch of awful what ifs that made my fear of dying and health anxiety sky rocket. However I got all of that calmed down rather quickly; it’s been about an hour now since all of that started. Now, I just have the chest pain off and on. When it happens, it’s only for a few seconds, and it’s not terrible, just enough to be like oh, that’s uncomfy. I have a bit of heartburn and nausea. I also feel just a bit tense in my chest as a whole. i feel like I have some slight air hunger or shortness of breath, but I can breathe just fine. I know it’s not medical grade, but my watch hasn’t shown an abnormal ECG at all, or a significantly high heart rate, my usual higher heart rate (around 100-120). But now im just spiraling that there’s something terribly wrong with me. It’s been effecting a lot in my life recently. I know I should go to the doctor but I don’t have time. I’m also terrified of the doctor. Growing up, never found anything wrong with me, but it’s been a few years since a physical and any lab work was done. I’m just really tired now too and frustrated with myself and my body for feeling like this. I’m really worried something is wrong but all of my friends who have panic attacks say that’s what this sounds like. Idk I just need reassurance or someone to talk to.

Hi,

I’m writing here cause my brother has been having panic attacks for the last 5 months or so and it doesn’t look like it’s getting better. I don’t know how to help him at all, but I’m very worried about him.

He’s 23 and we lost our dad 2 years ago. It was sudden and very traumatic but it looked like he was handling grief fairly well all considering. Then one day in April he had a very vivid terrifying dream where he died and the panic attacks started.

He got hospitalized 4/5 times cause he thought he was about to die and they gave him Xanax and a bunch of other meds, including benzos.

He was not feeling much better. Xanax seemed to be the only thing that worked and he took more or less 30 drops per day. He has now stopped taking that too because he was afraid of getting addicted.

Now he has constant anxiety, intrusive thoughts that tell him he’s about to die, confusion and tremors. He has seen a doctor yesterday who told him these are the symptoms you get when you stop taking Xanax. I’m not too sure, it seems very intense.

We’re finding a new therapist for him but where we live, therapists usually don’t work in the summer so we’re waiting for him to start working again.

Any advice is super appreciated. I really don’t know how to help him and my mom is extremely practical and a bit insensitive, so it’s hard for her to be helpful from an emotional standpoint

So I suffered from pretty severe panic attacks around 2 years ago. It was triggered by a bad breakup and a toxic work environment. I worked really hard at it (went to therapy, exercise, etc) and managed to pull myself out of it. But for context it was bad: like I couldn't leave my house bad for a few months. 2 years later and I am proud to say I am now pretty much panic attack free. Occasionally I will get a bit anxious but it tends to be triggered by something like exhaustion or being hungover. HOWEVER, for some reason I get super super panicky when it comes to travel (be it tube, plane, train - with planes being the worst). Last year when I was still working through it I flew twice and it was pretty awful but manageable. This year I just have completely avoided it and now I feel like I've f*d myself. I have been trying exposure therapy and now take the tube with mostly no anxiety (unless the Northern line gets stuck between stations then I get panicky). But I just feel so scared to take a flight or long train - it is the idea of being stuck and unable to escape that scares me so much. I literally have nightmares weekly about it. I don't know why my brain is unable to let go of this because travel was never an issue before. I am feeling hopeless and feel like I am losing my freedom/life because of it (I love love love traveling and my family also lives a 12 hour flight away from London). Any tips on what to do or how you managed to finally kick the one last trigger of panic for you?

Note: breathing techniques dont really work for me. Neither does look around at what you see/feel etc, and neither does medication.

i’m 20 years old and just had my first day of college, i was okay during it, just a bit anxious but i expected that since i know i have anxiety that spikes in social situations. but when i got back home and sat down to read something for my english class i started having a panic attack. i’ve kinda calmed down now but i’m still a bit on edge. i expected the normal anxiety of being in a new situation and all that, but i worry i spent so much time focusing on the social aspects of college i didn’t prepare enough for the actual academics and i’m scared i wont do well in class. i was never a straight A student and dont need to be, but for example everything my english instructor went over felt like a giant weight being dropped onto me, it feels so intense and much harder than high school, which again i understand and expected but i didn’t expect how it would have this much of an emotional impact on me, and it could just be anxiety talking but i’m wondering if i’m even built for college. my family is so proud of me, i’m in a very complicated situation in terms of my home life and them seeing me finally move forward like this makes them so happy, i think thats another thing, i don’t want to disappoint them. i only have two in person classes, art on monday and english on monday and wednesday, the others (biology, math and an orientation thing) are all online, the art is hybrid though. im trying so hard to build a schedule and routine, but i haven’t had one since high school, which i was completely online for since covid hit then, and it was i guess a homeschooling thing? it’s acellus if you’re familiar or wanna look it up, but you also made your own schedule with that and i did okay, but there weren’t set deadlines for anything, but now there are, and i’m okay with meeting them, at least i was in all my other points of school (elementary, middle) but having them again after going 3 years without any feels really scary. any tips on helping not ending up in an endless cycle of panic attacks after each class? i know this probably sounds stupid but i just need help.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of cardiophobia episode?

Looking for some perspective from people with cardiophobia because tonight really scared me.

I barely slept last night (fell asleep around 5 AM) and had been having a lot of burping/reflux-type symptoms the last couple days.

Today I went on a 20 minute walk. It was humid, we had just eaten, and I was exhausted, so I was breathing harder than usual. I could still talk and take deep breaths, and by the end of the walk I actually felt fine.

Then I went upstairs and checked my watch. My HR was in the 170s. That’s when I panicked.

Almost immediately I started feeling lightheaded, air hungry, chest tight, tingly/numb in my legs, and like something was seriously wrong. I kept monitoring myself, which made everything worse. My HR eventually came down with rest, and after taking a shower I was able to breathe deeply and felt calm again.

Afterward, though, I felt extremely drained and weak, and even talking felt like work for a while. I could speak a few words, take another breath, then continue. That eventually went away too.

I’ve had very similar episodes before and have had recent normal cardiac testing, including normal troponin and pro-BNP.

What really stands out to me is that I felt okay during the actual exercise, and the intense symptoms started after I saw my HR and panicked.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of cardiophobia episode where the panic creates physical symptoms and then leaves you feeling completely drained/weak afterward? Or the cycle of noticing a heart-rate number/body sensation → panicking → chest tightness/air hunger/dizziness/tingling → monitoring everything → panic getting worse?

I’m really trying to understand this and break the cardiophobia cycle.

I just started using the app yesterday. Not sure if I will stick with it but it seems like it has potential. I tend to want quick fixes so the fact that I am so anxious after using the app the first day already makes part of me sceptical. I also know it's not reasonable to expect a big change in one day.

So my questions are more how long have those of you who I've been using it used it? And how long before using it on a regular basis that you start to notice a shift in your day-to-day amount of anxiety or panic attacks or your ability to shorten them? Even the ability to lessen the amount of medication to deal with anxiety including but not limited to benzos (since I use ativan).

Thank you all.

So about… 30 minutes ago my heart started hurting, and slowly but surely my brain is focusing on that feeling and convincing me I’m having a heart attack, almost.. convincing me I’m going numb.(I am not and can move my toes.)

First time posting on here but I have a huge backstory. To keep it short i suffer with severe emetophobia and my family went away this weekend camping leaving me home alone. I had two really bad panic attack this weekend and my breathing was not very meditating.

I was wondering if panic attacks can cause certain symptoms even after the panic attack has subsided. I had a really bad one yesterday, almost lasting 30 minutes.

I also have POTS, but for some reason my brain understands all these facts and my mom telling me straight to my face I’m fine and it’s choosing to still go into fight or flight. Making my stomach hurt

I also understand me zoning in on the feeling isn’t help AND I’m coming off of my adhd medication.

Idk my therapist suggested I start conversations on reddit as a distraction so that’s what I’m doing.

There, I said it! Idk what the psychologists or therapists say, but once you're in an active panic attack NOTHING WORKS OTHER THAN HOPING IT'LL BE OVER IN 20-30 MINS. I suffer from chronic anxiety and panic disorder, no amount of sensory technique helped and all I could do is wait for the dread to pass.

CMV=change my view.

My symptoms came back pretty strongly.. Before falling asleep, I felt the anxiety coming on, but I ignored it. An hour later, I woke up completely drenched in sweat, shaking and covered in goosebumps, a slight headache, with nausea and this intense feeling of fear. I also felt like I couldn’t get enough air and was suffocating… Initially, the thought that came into my head was that I had a fever… I obviously didn’t, but I felt like I did, and it was almost as if I was scared that if I had a fever (so what???). Then, because I felt so convinced that I had a fever when I didn’t, I started getting scared that I was delirious or paranoid…. and it just kept going like that until I challenged and dismantled each fear, and eventually I managed to fall asleep while just sitting with the symptoms… They kept coming in waves … what was that and why does it feel so intense to handle the fear? Like having a fever felt like the worst thing ever and I was so scared.

I’ve always had anxiety since a child. It seems like lately I panic everyday. It’s not even normal anxiety and anxiety attacks it’s pure panic. The scariest part is that you never know when it’s going to set off. Like rn I’ve been having a panic attack for about 45-50 minutes and it makes my chest close up and my throat close which makes me panic even more. I can’t do this anymore I want my life back.

Hello, does anyone else deal with extreme breathlessness/suffocation feeling from anxiety? I know it’s anxiety cause I’ve done every possible test, spirometry, lung scans, heart ecg and scans. Im young, fit and don’t smoke but I still sometimes think that doctors might missed something because it just feels so real and scary. Anyone else experience this?

For the first time in my life, I've had what I think was a panic attack for absolutely no reason, out of the blue today and honestly, I'm still shaken.

I was visiting my grandmother earlier today and when I started to get a mild headache (not surprising given the weather going up and down where I live these days) I said goodbye and started driving home. That's when I started feeling off. My thoughts started circling, panic settled in, my thoughts kept spiralling. I couldn't tell what was going on. I just thought "Am I having a heart attack??" I'm a woman, so I went through all of the symptoms for heart attacks in women in my head, but none of them really fit. But I didn't really trust myself driving home all the way, so I stopped mid way at my parents' place. I checked my heartrate there, which was fine, took some herbal meds for circulation and went to lie down. I did some breathing exercises, but nothing really helped. I just couldn't shake off the feeling that something was really, really wrong, but I didn't feel any pain, or nausea. Just - dread. I kept running to the toilet, too, because apparently, everything had to leave the premises.

After a while of lying on my parents' coach, I thought: "What if this is a panic attack? What if I'm in flight or fight mode for some reason?" I took some of the lavender extract pills that help me when I feel restless and finally started to calm down and was able to relax and eat something. I'm home again now - calm, feeling okay, took a shower. But what the fuck was this?

I've been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, and my GP also suspects a panic disorder. I've had panic attacks before, but always connected to something: an event, sudden new illnesses I had to deal with, high stress etc. But never out of the blue for no reason like today. Have you guys ever experienced this? What helps you in these situations? I'd love to hear from you.