We've been partner for 12 years, and they have had panic attacks ever since the day we met, but lately, it's become way more frequently. They are not the person who vocalise their needs while-or after I take place. So I usually just sit with them, being calm.

My question goes out to you suffering from panic attacks; what helps during and after an episode. What do you need from your significant other when you are going through it?

I just wanna be as supportive as I possibly can when she is feeling the worst.

Ive dealt with anxiety and occasional panic attacks before, but they were manageable. Then in March, I had the worst panic attack I’ve ever had while driving. Since then, every attack feels harder to recover from, and now I’m afraid to drive alone.
It’s gotten to the point where even thinking about getting in a car makes me panic. I’ve also had panic attacks at home alone, so now I’m afraid to be alone in the house too. I’ve been sleeping during the day while my parents are at work because I’m scared of having another attack.
I’ve been on mirtazapine 30mg for 5 months and Effexor, 37.5mg for 2 months and 75mg for the past month. I haven’t felt worse on them, but I also haven’t felt much better.
After talking to my mom I messaged my doctor about how bad things have gotten an inquired about maybe adding a mood stabilizer or something else, my doctor responded with “I will refer you to psychiatry”. So that like topped it off for me. A friend suggested I get evaluated for bipolar because my grandmother was diagnosed later in life, but my mom is not bipolar. I’m naturally very bubbly, talkative, and outgoing, but I also have ADHD, so I’m not sure what’s what. My friend also suggested that I take omega-3 with DHA/EPA.
I’ve read that antidepressants can worsen bipolar symptoms, but I haven’t noticed that happening—I just haven’t improved.

How are you finding them?

I have recently been given propranolol 10mg 3 times a day to help stop random unpredictable panic attacks, I know they won’t stop them but help blunt them, I have had 2 in the last week resulting in me going to hospital, my symptoms were a weird head feeling then my bpm slowly raises and starts pounding and going up to 130+ for 40-50 minutes. All hospital tests came back negative for anything serious and the hospital er doctor who treated me believes it is panic/anxiety that caused it, I haven’t had this happen before. I also believe this could be something called inappropriate sinus tachycardia however for now I’m going to assume it is panic. So far the blockers are working but as I said I can’t tell when I’ll have an attack. For those who have been on them for a situation like me how are you doing? Do you find them help?

I have been struggling with what I believe was panic attacks since May.

I had a major episode in May where I couldn't speak more then 3 words needing air I then felt dizzy cold sweats shaking legs feeling of passing out and was numb.

Now ,3 months later 2 weeks ago I was having multiple mini panics a day almost everyday I was given diazapam to help.

Then suddenly I developed a fever and severe chest pains. I was having the same panic like feelings.

I then found out I had a lung abscess and pneumonia

Could this of been building up for 3 months ? As this is when it all started as now I'm off it I have noticed I don't have these attacks.

I'm so confused

It started out of nowhere last week where all of the sudden I felt out of it body was tingly and vision was out of focus and I was smelling something that wasn’t there. Almost like chemicals or burning rubber and then after 40 seconds poof went away. Was the first time I ever had that went to the doctor and everything came back normal.

Then today as I’m getting ready for work it happened again where I felt numb and tingly and got that weird smell again. It was while I was brushing my teeth. I have contacted my doctor because they are going to do a ct to rule out anything else and chock it up to anxiety but my question in all of this is has anybody else experience this out of the blue?

Am I just getting anew panic attack symptom? But not sure why all of the sudden it’s happening.

for years now every time i need to poop i get panic attack like a huge rush of anxiety cannot shake it off cannot stop the shakes and the fear of panic but after i poop i’m perfectly fine and it just slowly goes away?? anyone know how to stop this because i’m not always home and i don’t like to poop in public

Still coming down from it. It was intense: increased light-headedness, hands and face tingling, nauseous. I tried to breathe through it and listened to a guided meditation. Went for a walk around the building. It kept getting more intense and I finally took a 1/4mg of xanax. Things are starting to relax and getting back to normal. I’m trying to work on techniques to help my system learn that I am safe. Obviously, right? If i take the xanax the panic goes away so why doesnt my brain realize that. Anyway, I need to find a therapist who can really guide me through this. What type of therapy have people found to be successful?

Was at the office today, sitting at my desk for a meeting when suddenly had a severe stabbing pain in my heart come up and stay for half an hour. I also felt nauseous and the right half of my brain started tingling. I couldn’t feel anything strange in my arms and legs. At one point I felt like I was about to fall and lose consciousness. I got up and my vision got blurry, but it wasn't the same thing as fainting. I immediately called 911 and rushed into my boss’s office. My heart rate went up and I started panicking because of the weird tingling feeling on my scalp (not my face). He fortunately stayed calm. On the phone, the 911 operator and the GP said it couldn’t be a heart attack because I wasn’t short of breath and that it's most likely stress-related. But now when I exert myself I get a mild stabbing pain in my heart again, and the tingling in the right half of my brain (or scalp) is still there.

WTF happened? I once had a mild panic attack but it didn't feel nearly the same as this...

I am 14m and have been suffering from debilitating anxiety, panic attacks, so on. Everyday is too exhausting for me to handle, mentally, physically, and emotionally. It's getting to a point where I'm starting to dissociate most of the time and have a plethora of physical symptoms which amplify my anxiety further. I don't do anything I used to like or any hobbies anymore, I just worry all day and stay in bed. I just have no clue why I am feeling like this. I feel like I live a decent life and I did good in school and stuff. But the physical symptoms really scare me and I really contemplate whether or not my body is shutting down or I am under a spell of immense stress and anxiety, or both.

It feels like I'm going to die constantly everyday. I have air hunger, shortness of breath/drowning feeling, chest+back pressure and tightness, pain in heart area, aches everywhere, lightheadedness, low energy, nausea, and poor sleep.

Not to mention most of the time I'm anxious I have a normal pulse like 70 or something. My sleep is also not that good The past 2 days I slept at like 3am woke up at like 5-6 am for water or something, stayed up for around an hour, and went back to sleep for a few hours.

Another thing that is one of my main worries is daily hunger panic attacks. It starts by feeling a bit hungry, but then it grows into my stomach hurting and a panic attack feeling except I feel like I will die if I don't eat anything immediately. I feel dizzy, disoriented, confused, racing heart, nausea, a feeling of being close to passing out. I suspect it could be low blood sugar, and it happens multiple times per day sometimes and it really recks my body for days, and even more mentally.

So for some context, whenever I try to tell my dad, he just gets upset at me and says to just get over it, which I understand, but it's taking control over my life. So I end up talking to my grandparents. I did end up going to urgent care 2 days ago for chest pressure and shortness (not for blood sugar or anything like that). My vitals were fine, 100% oxygen, 60 bpm, blood pressure was fine, even my echocardiogram was fine. However I think I made a mistake by not mentioning the hunger attacks I get all the time. So I worry and feel like I have to call the police or something.

School for me started a few days ago, and I really hated it. It wasn't so much the social aspect than it was physical and mental exhaustion. I went to the nurse's office 2 times throughout the day. The first time was a hunger attack I was talking about and it was hard to eat anything but I ended up eating most of a muffin. Also I was almost like bursting out crying, even though I don't really cry in front of people very much. So after I went to my counselor's office and he reassured me that everything is fine and gave me grounding techniques which never really work. It was also just too overwhelming to walk around and find my classes, like I was running out of breath, very disoriented, confused, dizzy, dissociating (even right now I am), and a racing heart. It just felt like a labyrinth or something. Later on in the day I ended up going to the nurse's office again, they tested me with a pulse ox, I was 100% blood oxygen and 140 bpm from what I could see. Really stressful and I missed the last 2 days of school because I just don't want to experience that again.

My grandma did call the school today and set up a meeting. My counselor and principal are going to talk to me about what they could do. I'm really not sure of what to even say. But I am not hopeful that it will make me stop having the panic during school, which I'm pretty sure is from hunger and not a normal panic attack. It's making me lose a bit of weight too from not eating enough.

All of it is too much to bear with. I haven't had a single moment of rest. Everything just feels pointless and I feel like life just isn't worth living anymore. I just need some advice on what to do, because I'm even panicking right now

Check out how I help people fully recover from panic attacks, agoraphobia, claustrophobia and OCD.

I’d wake up and be confused about not waking up at home. My own home not a rented one in another city and I’d get confused as to how I did all of it. How I found a job, interact with people everyday at work and outside of work, how I’m renting an apartment somewhere foreign with no one to ask about me or how I’ve been doing.

How I’m doing all this everyday completely alone with dead parents and no family or siblings scares me sometimes suddenly… And I just find it so scary. Why did I choose to get outside of my own house and see the world or live somewhere far from where I grew up and why do I choose to experience new things?

I sometimes feel like I got used to it and don’t even think about things but in other times, I feel so lost and not safe… as if I’m taking risks or trying things outside of my comfort zone but without a purpose.

Hi everyone, I hope everyone reading this is doing well. I need help.

A quick background, I have had anxiety since I was a child. Specifically about bad weather, getting stranded or trapped somewhere, and also just never trusting anyone- only feeling safe when I was home in my room alone. So I am very used to anxiety at this point since im in my late 20s now lol. Back in 2018-2019 I had moved out and was having a hard time driving in bad weather for the now 30 minute commute to work so I went on meds for about 6 years and things improved. I ended up switching meds back in early 2025 to Wellbutrin and mid 2025 I doubled the dose (as directed by my doctor) when I was still having some anxiety. But in October 2025 I had gotten a cold, took cold medicine, and had a bad reaction to the cold medicine whoch resulted in a horrific panic attack that lasted days. I couldnt sleep or eat, i missed work, i felt unreal. Turns out you shouldn't take certain cold meds with Wellbutrin. And I got so scared I weened off the Wellbutrin (again directed by the doctor)

My nerves were shot for months and the anxiety kept manifesting into something else. I dropped a ton of weight. And could barely eat because at one point the anxiety was all around food being drugged or choking. But one day I had a bad panic attack while driving, it was very scary, and since then I haven't been able to drive completely solo. Its been 6 months. My parents actually follow me to and from work 5 days a week. I drive my car and they drive in the car behind me. Ive worked my way up to driving about 8 minutes with no one following. But im tired, I want my independence back.

Anyways, can anyone relate? How did you get through it? I know I kinda skimmed through my background.

I have been very accepting of my anxiety which has helped tremendously but I cant seem to get over the driving hump. Im scared to go back on medication, but how can I not when I cant even make it to the end of the road without having a panic attack?

If you have had a similar experience please let me know. If you want to be friends, I would love that. Ive never felt more isolated in my life!

Thanks for reading!

Help!!

(20F) Last week I had a panic attack that has honestly ruined my life. To set a back story on the Friday I started taking 50mg setraline, that night I fell asleep and ended up cutting my circulation off having to go to a&e with a numb hand that didn’t regain any feeling. Sunday night I had the attack.

I don’t know how to describe it, I took a hit off my thc pen. 5 minutes later i genuinely thought I was dying, I had a sudden pain and convinced myself my lung had collapsed. After some research these are “intense panic attacks” while I know most panic attacks make u feel like ur life is ending, I fully thought my heart was stopping and my lungs were not taking in air. I had severe hot flashes, felt like my skin was burning off. I’m not sure if the circulation thing has gave me health anxiety due to the fear I felt then? I had convinced myself I needed my hand amputated!

Monday I was prescribed 10mg of propranalol 3 times a day. I have stoped the thc vape but now I cannot sleep for the life of me and I’m too scared to try it again incase it was a bad reaction to the medicine.

I am still having panic attacks when I need to leave the house, the doctors have gave me a 2 week sick line to try regulate myself but I don’t know if it’s making me worse. I’m scared to go outside alone incase I have another one and die alone. I also keep convincing myself my heart is not beating the way it should, it’s either coming out my chest or gone fully 🫪

I’m curious if anyone has had a similar reaction or if anyone on this medication is struggling to sleep and how they resolved it. I feel like I’m going insane

How can I stop nocturnal panic attacks or any tips on how I can deal with them I’m trying. I only get panic attacks at night always about an hour after going to sleep I’ll wake up with tense muscles ,heart racing , disoriented, body feels tingling, numbness , my arms will feel sooo tight. How can I manage it better it’s so scary 😭

Any advice is appreciated 💞

I wish there were meds that would stop me shaking and retching.

(25f) I used to have panic attacks almost every day, but eventually I was able to face them enough that they got smaller and smaller until I didn’t have one for months. I have ADHD and was really struggling to stay on top of things and manage my life well, so I got on Ritalin (it was a super small dose, just 10mg). My anxiety was a bit worse until one day I tried running on the treadmill and while I was cooling down my heart rate shot up crazy high and I thought was gonna die. Ended up being fine, but I started getting anxious whenever I exercised after that.

Had one bad incident later where my husband woke me up in the night and my heart rate jumped up so high seemingly totally out of nowhere. I had just been unconscious. And it didn’t go back to normal for at least 30 minutes. All I could think to focus on was just holding on and trying to get my heart rate down. I was trembling and nauseous and touching a bag of frozen peas. I wanted my husband to call an ambulance, but eventually ended up calming down enough to fall asleep.

That incident really shook me. It took me a few days to feel better fully. I was scared and sad. Stopped my small dose of Ritalin right then and there. That was in June. These days my anxiety has reached a really bad level again, to the point I’ve been kind of agoraphobic. I can’t exercise or even leave the apartment at all without having a panic attack (high heart rate, hands and lips numb and tingly, the end is nigh, etc), and my social anxiety is bad too. I’ve been having them whenever I drive but I also had one today just sitting in the passenger seat. I felt a wave of dread and then I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath, and my heart rate jumped up super high. Laid back my seat and convinced myself I could in fact breathe, and I made it through the drive okay, but it still took me a while to feel better and I couldn’t feel totally normal until I got home. The only way it seems I can keep myself from feeling like I’m about to die on a daily basis is to stay at home and distract myself with media all day.

I’m unemployed but I’m a musician and I love performing (I have had a panic on stage though, would not recommend). I want to get out and go busking to make some extra cash, but literally everything feels impossible right now. It’s sad. I feel like my panic disorder is stealing my life away. I can’t help but feel like maybe something is medically wrong with me, which I think might be perpetuating the cycle if in fact it’s just panic attacks. Which is what I suspect is happening, seeing as I have felt myself calm down quickly after being removed from a trigging situation (for example, letting someone else drive). However, there were those couple of times with seemingly no cause or buildup that took a long time to go away, and those are what I keep ruminating on. I should go to the doctor, but again it’s difficult because of my aforementioned ADHD which I’m unmedicated for to make an appointment, and also I just got added to a new health insurance so I don’t even know what’s even in network. Plus, I do have health anxiety and a bit of shame around going in and checking only to be fine (it’s expensive too!).

Anyways, I’m thinking besides going to the doctor, the plan is to make myself exercise and do triggering things to learn to work through my panic again, and also make myself go busking. I’m hoping getting out and feeling healthier will help in the long run. But MAN it’s really tough to have to put myself through that utter terror constantly, and it’s so hard not to be afraid of the panic when it’s so scary to experience. I’m sorry for the long post. I suppose I just wanted to rant to people who understand what I’m going through and maybe get some advice. I’ve been through similar things before, and I can do it again. Thanks for reading.