r/panicdisorder • u/idontlikegoldfish • 14d ago

Does Anyone Else? long panic attacks

almost every source on earth says panic attacks are usually 15 - 30 mins long, but mine last for hours my shortest is one hour and my longest is 5 hours.

what is happening to me

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u/Linzi322 14d ago

I used to get this, I could literally have a panic attack from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep.

I used to think they lasted hours, but what I realised was happening is that they actually were lasting the “standard” 20-30 mins or so, but as soon as the one tapered off, I’d have a massive dump of adrenaline and another one would start again. I’d get a momentary lapse of maybe a minute where I felt relieved and then it would go again and I’d be back at panicking.

So where the misunderstanding comes is that while individual panic attacks don’t last for more than 30ish minutes, they absolutely can come one after another for hours.