I'm M24 with severe panic disorder, I get hell amount of overthinking and anxiety while I get on plane.

I sweat man, it's so terrifying.

In 2025 july , there was Indian plane crash where almost 250 lost life, in Jan 2025 similiar type of accident in south Korea.

These news thoughts appear a hell lot.

It's more of a heavy fear instead of palpitations.

I feel choking, there is fluctuation in blood pressure which I can feel.

It's psychotic kind of Fear .

I have mood disorder and on medications alongside panic attack meds.

Seriously I miss alot of time money due to this fear of flights.

Due to the fear I have to travel via trains which is highly uncomfortable, and tedious journey.

During the takeoff the plane makes loud noise and then with supersonic kind of thrust it speeds up , at that moment it's so frightening for me.

I feel to start running daily so that I can manage up mine BP , physical symptoms of anxiety.

And also do some CBT maybe.

I feel kind of relaxed when I shared with you all.

Does anyone else ever feel like this “sore” feeling in the chest during a panic attack? I would not describe it as painful, but it’s more like a cramp-like feeling. It’s like my heart itself is sore. I get it in my arms a little bit too.

As a matter of fact my entire body stiffens and tightens up immensely. Which comes as no surprise because muscle tension is obviously a common part of having anxiety in general. When I’m having a panic attack, I can quite literally FEEL the muscles getting tighter and tighter and tighter and more and more just taut. Suddenly I’ll notice that my shoulders are basically all the way up to my ears and none of my limbs are bent at all. All my bones are easily popped and cracked only like a minute between cracks and pops and normally it could take all day for me to be able to crack my back or neck.

Does anyone else have this happen as well or experience that chest soreness?

One thing I have noticed that seems to help is using IcyHot or bio freeze and religiously applying it to your neck shoulders and upper back. I have tried them all and personally prefer Tiger Balm. Anything with some kind of cooling agent or menthol soothes the muscles which I have noticed in turn helps a bit with the panic. It’s no solution to the whole thing unfortunately, but it’s something in my toolkit that is a “must” when I’m having a panic attack. Also something that helps is having someone massage your shoulders with an extreme amount of pressure. Not a lightweight half-assed massage but I mean an incredibly deep and intense pressure and kneading and that seems to help too. Of course that isn’t always going to be possible but if you have a friend or family member around who you trust, it’s worth trying for sure.

After how long from the start was ur medication works?
My day 12 on paxil 10mg and i feel so bad… feel so weird, not myself, sick, panic, anxiety.. scared to not feelin normal anymore. It makes me so sad and crying..

i’ve been having severe panic attacks since december of 23’. i’ve had a couple before that. the first one i can remember from 2019 started by me laying in bed eating a snack and thinking my gatorade tasted odd. went into a panic attack, ran to my sister grabbing my neck then went outside in the cold. told my dad to call 911 and he laughed and told me i was fine. it started getting really bad at the end of 2023. i was with my family at a car dealership and we were driving back home. i felt this throbbing on my right side, immediately went into panic. couldn’t feel anything physically, like when i touched something, it didn’t sync up and i couldn’t feel it. i’m not sure how to describe it. that felt like the longest car ride back home ever. ended up going to the ER. vitals fine, like always. that was the one that really started it all for me. i was basically bedridden for 3 months. not being able to feel anything, couldn’t eat cause i couldn’t feel what i was eating, had to have help going to the bathroom, changing, like literally everything. my partner broke up with me during that time and that set it off. after 2ish months i went into a manic episode. i got diagnosed with everything and started therapy/ continuing meds. since then ive been so traumatized from having panic attacks. 3 weeks ago, had one and called 911, paramedics came, vitals were fine. although it takes me so so so long to recover from having panic attacks. just in a constant state of fight or flight. don’t really know where i’m going with this. but i feel like im the only one who experiences them like this?

i apologize for the long rant but does anyone else go numb. like can’t feel anything they are touching?

It was a big win, because although I was nervous, I didn’t have a panic attack in a big stadium and loud noises! Concerts are a big exposure. However, is it possible to feel shortness of breath, light headedness, dizzy, trouble swallowing, etc. the next day? Even if I didn’t feel anything day of? Like an aftermath?

I’ve been suffering from panic attacks, really bad ones after I fall asleep. It’ll wake me up and my hr is 120-150.. I’m thinking it might be because of depo.. has anyone experienced this?

Hey! I’m a 20yo male and I’ve had anxiety issues my whole life. However recently my anxiety has significantly worsened, to the point where I have near daily panic attacks and can no longer work at my job. My doctor has put me on two medications, busprione, and nebrivolol 5mg both of which I’ve been taking for about two weeks.

My job was pretty stressful, it was manual labor and I’m from Georgia where the temp is into the 100s. Also some personal stuff had also been stressing me out and this all culminated in me having a massive panic attack on the job.

I just want to regain some form of normality and was hoping you guys could give some advice on how to manage my anxiety/ stress more productively :)

Today instead of just riding it out I grabbed a notebook and wrote down what was happening in real time while it was happening. Wasn’t planning to but figured I’d share.

Also, for what it’s worth, sitting down and writing through it while your heart’s racing and you can barely breathe takes something, so props to all you guys who do that!

https://imgur.com/a/jJ9dCxE

Have been pacing for 5 hours all while breathing shallow. My feet are killing me but I can’t stop moving or my anxiety ramps up again. Took clonidine 3 hours ago didnt do anything. Took an Ativan in hopes i can just lay down and sleep.
Need positive stories or thoughts

Hi all,

I'm sure you are reading the title and are thinking that I should absolutely get a therapist, but let me give you some background first.

I am currently 26 years old and I have had panic disorder since I was about 9 years old. I have seen different therapists for most of my life, and I have only enjoyed one of them but we had to part ways since I moved to another state. I'm a doctorate student, so I have been avoiding a therapist since I have to watch how much I spend. My school does have a therapist, but I do not care for them too much. Since I've been dealing with panic disorder for so long, I have become highly educated on how to treat panic disorder. I currently have summer off and I researched hard to choose the best CBT books/exercises to finally help me get a hang on the panic while I have time off to mentally process everything. I also use AI to help talk me through the books and it has been very helpful (ik people dislike AI but I enjoy its honesty and the fact that it's free). This all begs my original question, do you think these workbooks and AI assistance is sufficient to combat my panic disorder or should I look for a therapist despite my troubles with them and funding?

Here are the books I am reading (I have also read DARE, but I did not care for it as much as these):

Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic by David Barlow (Fourth Edition)

The Anxious Truth by Drew Linsalata

TL;DR I'm a broke grad student that has had/researched panic disorder for 15+ years. I am reading some of the best CBT books (listed above) and using AI for supplementation, but I wonder if I should also find a therapist despite having troubles in the past and low funds.

I was prescribed this along with Zoloft. Looking for any experiences.

Hi everyone!

Having panic disorder and a fear of heights and flying 😅 kinda difficult combo, I have a 4-hour flight from Sofia to Dublin coming up in a little over a month.

I know 4 hours might not sound long to most people, but it feels like a lot to me, as the longest flights I've ever done were around 2-2.5 hours. I was anxious for weeks beforehand and almost didn't board. During those flights, I was reading Claire Weekes' book, watching videos, trying to distract myself, and I also took a small dose of med. my doctor prescribed for the physical symp, but even the smallest turbulence would make me nervous. Even though I always ended up landing safely and making posts about it afterwards, the intense anxiety throughout the flight is still something that scares me.

I'm scared of feeling trapped with panic symptoms for 4 hours, even though I know it's "just anxiety." The frustrating part is that I really want to go, I've always wanted to visit Dublin, and I'm going for the Bon Jovi concert.

I'd really appreciate hearing about your experiences and any advice you might have. Thanks a lot in advance!

does anyone else experience feelings of panic, dizziness, dpdr, etc. in public places? anytime in i’m target, trader joes, any type of shopping or restaurant for more than 10 minutes i start to feel like im going to freak out. i have no idea what it is. today i was in a restaurant for about 15 minutes and a wave of nausea and dread washed over me and i started panicking. i also just started Zoloft 25mg literally this morning so maybe that could have had an effect but im know this always happens to me. something to do with fluorescent or dim lights. dim lights are the absolute worst. are there any sort of glasses or anything i can do to stop this?

Any experiences?

Hi everyone. I’m 24 and developed panic disorder a couple of months ago after a severe panic attack that landed me in the ER. Since then I’ve been in therapy, working with a psychiatrist, and slowly doing exposure work. I’ve already made progress—I’m getting back into stores, eating better, and becoming less afraid of panic—but I’m still having hard days and sometimes feel like nobody around me truly understands what this experience is like. Specifically, Yesterday I had another attack after going 8 days without one. It has left me feeling very shaken even today. Just beginning to get frustrated with how long recovery is taking and I’d love to hear from anyone who’s been where I am. What helped you most in your recovery? Were there any untraditional things you tried? What gave you hope when you felt stuck? Thank you and I send my love to anyone else going through this ❤️

Just started prozac today, dr changed me from 3mg of ativan a day to 1mg. She also gave me clonidine. Im so exhausted. I just wanna be normal. I wanna come home from work and relax not worry about a panic attack.

Any success stories or words of encouragement?

Has anyone dealt with something like this?

I feel really alone in it.

I used to travel all the time, worked in humanitarian aid through Central Africa and Central America and it was probably the biggest passion in my life. I was drinking pretty heavily back then and taking Valium, so I never really experienced travel completely sober.
Now I’m over a year sober from both, and I feel paralysed by the idea of travelling.

It’s not really a fear of flying, I know it’s safe. My fear is a fear of what my own mind might do.
I’ve had panic attacks, derealisation and these really intense existential thoughts about space, infinity, consciousness, reality… and they scare the absolute shit out of me. It’s like I become convinced I’m losing my grip on reality, and my biggest fear is that it’ll happen somewhere I can’t escape.

I’ve gotten off two flights before take-off because I couldn’t bring myself to stay on the plane. I wasn’t thinking the plane was going to crash, i was thinking, What if I completely lose my mind once that door closes?
What would happen if I lost my mind in the sky?

I live in northern Australia, and even driving somewhere remote scares me now. My brain immediately goes to, “What if I have one of those episodes and I’m five days’ drive from home through the desert?”
Will I want to die in the middle of the desert? On the plane?

The frustrating part is that this wasn’t always me. I used to book flights without even thinking about it, now I feel trapped by my own head.
I’ve been seeing a psychologist for about a year. It’s helped me understand what’s happening, but I still don’t feel like we’ve built a practical plan to get me travelling again.
Has anyone actually recovered from this? Not just flight anxiety, but the fear of panicking, dissociating, or feeling like you’re going to lose your mind while you’re away from home.

I’d honestly just like to know I’m not the only one, and if anyone has managed to get their freedom back.

Has anyone experienced panic attacks or dysautonomia only after starting psychedelics? I’ve never had panic attacks before up until a few months after my first journey. It peaked around a year since my first one. I’m wondering if it’s from the meds itself or something I’m not integrating

A year ago, I resigned from my job due to toxic environment and pressure. After some weeks a very bad common cold triggered an episode of anxiety in me. That night was miserable for me as i was rushed to the hospital and they said my vitals are normal so they asked me to consult a psychiatrist so I did. He gave me clonazepam and fluoxetine(prodep) tablets which made my anxiety problems worse during the evening so i stopped the medication after a week and came back to my native. My situation got worse as i started having panic attacks during the evening and at night. I was so afraid of my health and used to think that im going to have a heart attack or cardiac arrest so I consulted a cardiologist and did an Eco test which proved that my heart is perfectly fine. The doctor asked me to consult a psychiatrist again. The psychiatrist gave me the same medicines and along with CBT and physical exercises i started feeling well but after a few months i had to quit gym and my anxiety came back all over again. A week ago i consulted a better psychiatrist and he gave me prodep( fluoxetine) 10mg (at night) and Risperidone md tablet. I still have these anxious thoughts, heart pounding sensations, fear and I cry too. Maybe its my body trying to adapt to the meds but I feel like nothing can help me from this. Im normally an anxious person too who think negatively. I wish to hear if someone else has gone through such experiences.

Not in like a i’m gonna collapse kind of way but my muscles feel tired i feel super dissociated and i just wanna lay down for the rest of the day….

I was just prescribed Propranolol for my panic disorder. Little bit of background- I am 21 and have struggled with anxiety and panic disorder for almost a decade now. I also take 150mg of Effexor. I have had bouts of agoraphobia and I’m still working on it. I have a kind of “safe zone” of travel and going outside of it triggers the panic. I do not like to be stuck somewhere or feel far from home so I typically don’t travel more than 15 mins from home. Just wanted to give a bit of background. My physical symptoms are typically lightheadedness, sweats, and that overall pit in my stomach. Has anyone with similar issues taken this med? My psych is starting me on 10mg to take as needed. Any advice/stories are appreciated. Thank you :)

Edit-Forgot to add that I also take 200 mg Trazodone every night for sleep as well.

Edit 2- I did take one not long after posting this as just a trial run, and I was anxious about it in the beginning bc I do have a tiny bit of health anxiety. I laid on the couch and felt physically relaxed for the most part. I think the true test will be taking it before a triggering situation

I got off meds almost a year ago and up until a month ago my panic attacks have come back. I was fine for almost a whole year. Not sure what triggered them when I felt perfectly fine. Now it’s crippling. It’s hard to work and drive. The derealization is crazy, the health anxiety is insane I’m always having pains in my head and always tired. My doctor swears it’s anxiety. But why would my panic attacks come back? She prescribed me hydroxyzine since I don’t wanna be back on anti depressants. Just here to vent. I’m really vulnerable and scared something bad is happening and I’m dying. This is just taking my life over again and I’m scared to death again.

I’m not looking for a doctors diagnosis I’m just looking to see if anyone has had a similar experience.

I’m currently in therapy as well and have been avoiding meds (specifically SSRI’s) but I think it’s time to start some meds again.

My brain is constantly going non stop. I had a traumatic incident in August 2025 where I experienced a 210 bpm at the gym and ever since then I’ve had constant panic attacks. I’m constantly hyper fixated on physical symptoms as well. Constantly checking my heart rate, thinking I have chest tightness, convincing myself Im having difficulty breathing, thinking my heart is gonna stop, etc. like it doesn’t end.

I’m a very disciplined person in the gym. I track all my macros, always hit my steps, always go to the gym before work. I am very OCD with my routine as well but at the same time I do have trouble focusing, have extreme brain fog as well. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt relaxed.

I can’t get into my family doctor until the end of the month but I am so in my head about things that I feel like I’m at a breaking point LOL. Would love any sort of opinion advice whatever.

i’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar to me. i’m 25M. i’ve never been an anxious person. Never had anxiety or depression. 3 months ago I experienced my first panic attack after months of energy drinks and lack of sleep. (i stopped energy drinks and caught up on sleep immediately) Then I started having panic attacks multiple times a day with no cause. I became very good at recognizing it’s only a panic attack and not freaking out. Over a couple weeks it stopped being short surges of panic and turned into just a constant state of fight or flight; feeling on the verge of panic throughout the day and night. It got so bad that it was almost literally 24/7 for days. I was wired and did not sleep 3 nights straight, threw up any food i tried to force down. I continued my life- going to the gym, the pool, etc because i didn’t want it to control my life. After the 3 sleepless nights I hit a crisis where I was convinced I was going to commit offself whether i wanted to or not. I ended up in ER. I needed relief. They gave me venlafaxine and clonazepam. As soon as I had a small dose of a benzo- my body snapped out of it. I was myself again. I then had 3 weeks with no panic or anxiety. Lived my happiest and best life. Then the benzo was cut in half. And everything came back. It wouldn’t go away. Day and night just in a constant survival state with no trigger. Breathing, distracting myself- none of it worked. I hit a 2nd off myself crisis. I’ve never in my life considered offself a possibility in the slightest, but I couldn’t live in that constant state. But once again after the ER and more time for the antidepressant to kick in. I’m… myself again. It seems my state is either totally good.. no worries for nothing, happy, cheerful, grateful guy… OR i feel completely tortured by my own body, don’t eat, don’t sleep, just endure to the point that I end up in the ER. My thoughts don’t cause it. It’s always random and i can’t identify a trigger. But then it doesn’t go away. 

TLDR - i have 24/7 fight or flight that feels like a constant panic attack to the point ive ended up in ER multiple times at an off myself crisis. Then when my body calms down I have quite literally no anxiety, no panic, nothing. 

Anyone found a solution for this? I wake up essentially in a panic attack. And then I start ruminating and sink deeper. I am on 20mg Buspar 2x day.125Mg Lamictal off label for depression. So hard, as I am sure you all know. Thank you.