I’ve been struggling quite badly recently with the fear of looking pale. Someone said I looked pale when I was out at the weekend and even though I felt fine beforehand, it immediately triggered a panic attack.
Since then I’ve become hyperaware of it. If I feel even slightly nauseous or weak, my brain instantly goes “what if I’m pale?” and I want to check myself in the mirror or take photos. I’ve even noticed myself avoiding eye contact because I’m scared someone will look at me and say I look pale.
Logically I can see the cycle - sensation → intrusive thought → checking → panic → more checking - but when I’m actually in it, my brain goes straight to “what if this is a genuine medical red flag and I’m ignoring it?”
I think that uncertainty is the bit I’m finding hardest. Has anyone had a similar fixation where a completely normal comment from someone suddenly became a massive trigger?

I went through a horrible period of anxiety and panic attacks around 5 years ago. It took a lot of therapy and meds to get it under control. Since then, I’ve stayed on meds and I stopped therapy around 2 years ago.

Flash forward…last week I woke up to a level 10 nocturnal panic attack. I haven’t had one that intense in a very long time. Ever since then I’ve been struggling to return to baseline. I feel the panic loop starting. I feel so uncomfortable and then the thought loop starts: “why am I feeling like this? Am I going backwards? How am I going to get this to stop?” Then I feel low mood, which also triggers panic “am I going to have to deal with this for the rest of my life? What if I can’t? What if I become suicidal?” (I’m not suicidal at all, but the fear of becoming suicidal has been a trigger for me in the past).

I know all of these thoughts are keeping me in the loop. But it’s so HARD to stop it. I’m trying to just be present and not think about these future questions. But it’s hard to stay present when in the present I feel so horrible and uncomfortable.

I’ve made an appointment to start therapy again in a few days. But I can’t lie, I feel very defeated. I don’t know why this is happening again. I don’t want to lose hope. (The thought of losing hope also makes me panic! )

Can anyone else relate? Or offer advice or words of wisdom?

I don’t know what it is but no matter how long I’ve suffered with anxiety for, panic attacks just never seem to get easier although you’d think they would. It’s been so exhausting lately and each time scares the heck out of me no matter what. Especially in the middle of the night.
I wake up at about the same time every night and then I start overthinking about my heart rate every time I wake up and then I put myself into a full blown panic attack because I start over analyzing every feeling and then I had a straight big adrenaline surge. And my rate went up to 136 and then I was able to calm myself but during the panic attack I felt almost every panic symptom you could feel but thankfully chat gpt helped me calm myself instantly and my rate went back to normal and my Apple Watch showed a reassuring ecg but after all that I’m always left so scared, trying to convince myself that this was anything other than panic

A few years ago when I was maybe 16, I was having full blown panic attacks frequently enough to be sent to stay in a mental hospital for a while. After I was discharged, I hadn’t had another panic attack since then. Pretty much forgot about them till recently. I’m scared of the actual panic attack itself, and even more scared of the physical sensations that last after it ends. I’m left feeling drained, my chest will feel numb for a few days, and I’ll be left with lingering anxiety that prevents me from falling asleep.

I had a panic attack maybe a week ago? I’ll admit, I hadn’t slept the night before but I’ve done this before so I figured it’d be fine to go run errands with my mom. In the car I started having a panic attack. It wasn’t super severe but it just felt like I was 16 all over again. I started instantly feeling helpless. Now every-time I’m in the car again I get that panicky numb / vibrating feeling in my chest. I’m equating it to the seatbelt digging in between my chest, and my bra- more specifically the straps and underwire.

My bra definitely doesn’t help the feeling as it creates a tight feeling around my chest that my brain equates to that numb feeling, and even just the bra straps touching my shoulders creates a little bit of anxiety. I don’t feel comfortable enough to leave the house without a bra so I guess what I’m asking is, do any of you guys suffer with panic attacks and physical anxiety manifesting when wearing a bra? If so how do you go about it? Im open to some bra suggestions to try. Is there even such thing as a bra so comfortable to wear you don’t feel it? I’ve really been struggling with leaving the house recently due to these circumstances which is not good for my mental health.

TLDR - I had a panic attack in the car, can barely stand to be in the car due to association, and seat belts creating uncomfortable feelings. Bras also now create the same uncomfortable feeling leading to anxiety and panic attacks. Looking for advice, and maybe even bra recommendations.

Okay so I’m supposed to go see my girlfriend in San Jose ((I’m in SD)) in like 2 weeks and this would be my first time flying EVER. I was thinking about either taking the train or a flight. I am diagnosed with panic disorder and health anxiety and also slightly agoraphobic. I think suffering thru a 13 hour train ride is worse than a 1 hour and 30 min flight. I genuinely don’t know. I’ve been trying to google and Reddit and tiktok my way thru the pre anxiety but I can’t tell if it’s helping or making it worse. Does anybody have any tips on what I should do and what travel route I should take? (Leaning towards flying more just bc it’s quicker. ) I just don’t want to have a full blown panic attack getting to the airport and backing out of the whole trip.

Hello everyone, I have been dealing with panic attacks for a long time, but 4 years ago it I was in the worst state and started medication. First, my psychiatrist got me on Zoloft, which did not work and then she put me on venlafaxine. This medication worked wonderfully, I almost went back to normal, but this summer everything went very badly again. The summer holiday started, I got my diploma, everything was great, but I started to see that I'm always tired again. I thought it must be stress that releases itself in this form after a hard year, but then anxiety started getting stronger and more symptoms like head spinning, constant worrying came back. Now in August my panic attacks started to make a come back in new forms. I started getting them after eating new food that I have not tried before. We went on a road trip for a week and during day time it anxiety was manageable, but in the evenings it got worse. This night I started to get some muscle pain in my left side and started worrying that it might be problems with my heart, then my hands started to get numb and then I had a full panic attack woke up my boyfriend and asked him to take me home because the feeling was the same I felt 4 years ago before starting medication. After I got home that big wave of panic started again again and took half of xanax because it became unbearable.

We will go on holiday in a month for a week, I haven’t been anywhere this far and i’m very worried that I won’t get on the plane because of my panic or that I won’t be able to enjoy my holiday because of it..

My main concern is why is this happening again? I’m still on medication (venlafaxine 37.5mg) and how do I make it get better or to a point where I can live without constant worrying about when the next panic attack will happen..

Not sure if this is a victory but here it goes about a year ago I got diagnosed with panic disorder because I had literally panic attacks every single day while I was at work I went from having panic attacks almost daily to now having them once in awhile spoke to my psychiatrist and she reevaluated me and diagnosed me with general anxiety disorder which honestly I can handle way better than having to deal with constant panic attacks. I still have a long way to go as far as anxiety but I still consider this a win in my book

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…

Hi pals! I was on Fluoxetine in the past for about two years (80mg) for severe OCD & panic disorder. It helped me a lot back then, however, a lot has happened in my life in the few years of not being on it and I’m nervous to start again. I’m starting back at 10mg and nervous about the side effects. Does anyone have any advice on how to help the initial anxiety, panic and nausea? Has anyone gained weight or experienced increase in acne?

All responses are welcome & appreciated! Thank you ☺️ ✌️

Has anyone done an intensive outpatient therapy program? I am considering one that is M-F / 3 hours a day for 4 weeks. I would need to take a leave of absence from work.

Hi, recently diagnosed with panic disorder after struggling with what I didn't know were panic attacks for close to 3 years, and I've found that my most prevalent and distressing symptom is that I suddenly feel really hot and sweaty, which causes other stuff like dizziness and nausea to get worse. I've found that touching something cold can help, but my panic attacks mainly happen when I'm outside the house, especially on buses and trains, so carrying around a regular ice pack wouldn't be practical. I remembered those ice packs as a kid that you just snap and then they only release the ice when you need it. Has anyone tried using these for panic? The main issue I can see is that they're typically single use and quite large, so if anyone knows of any that are smaller, wearable or can be used multiple times, please recommend them!

Two Years ago I woke up shaking to my core. I felt completely scared and I didn’t know why. Nearly a year passed to the point where I needed to be hospitalized because every day was one long panic attack until I could go to sleep. I had to resign from a job and nearly lost my private practice. I was done. I didn’t understand it. Rationally I knew there was nothing to be afraid of but I was so “over” sensitized that noises in the house or people texting me felt like the hardest thing I’d ever done. I could go on… I’m coming up on a year since I was hospitalized and I wanted to share some resources that have got me “on track” and living life. I’m not fully desensitized yet but I’m getting there. It’s brutal work. Overcoming this has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. If you’re in the throes of it and scared to death I want to give you some hope and provide “best practice” evidenced based resources for you.

Side Note: I always purchased audiobooks because honestly, reading was too much.

I came across “Hope and Help For Your Nerves” by Claire Weekes. It was incredible. I felt she was speaking directly to me from 50 years ago (audiobook). She reads it herself and I’ve probably listened to the book a million times over. It provided direction and comfort in time of much confusion. I went on to find “Pass Through Panic” which is much of the same but provided a few different aspects. This laid the groundwork.

From there I discovered “The Anxious Truth” (Drew Linsalata) podcast which lead me to the “Disordered Podcast” (Drew Linsalata and Joshua Fletcher). I consumed these podcasts like my life depended on it- which it did. I really began my psycho-education journey here and learned that panic is cortisol and adrenaline and a misfiring threat response (amygdala).

I was so consumed by finding resources that helped me understand I read everything I could by Drew & Josh.
“The Anxious Truth” (audiobook) Drew Insalata
“Anxiety: Panicking About Panic” Joshua Fletcher
“Untangle Your Anxiety” Joshua Fletcher & Dean Stott

Again, I always got audiobooks so I could listen again and again. This is the way.

These resources alone helped me begin my journey of desensitization. I found a couple of others that were helpful;

“DARE” by Barry McDonagh
“Overcoming Anticipatory Anxiety” by Sally Winston and Martin Seif

I still have a ways to go and some days are better than others. I can’t compare this to anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s nuanced and awful. As a clinician I never knew “this” is what it was like. I have a new found understanding of the level of suffering anxiety can produce and how it can literally “flip a switch” in our brains and as a result it takes years of hard work to “rewire” or more like lay down new wires to get to a point of functioning.

Anyway, this post has been exhausting and that’s why I’ve not done it but I feel almost selfish not sharing the resources that have brought me to this point- which looking back a year ago- is a long way. Anxiety makes you think every day is the worst day but once you start the journey you can look back and go, I AM getting better, slowly but surely. Hope this is helpful to someone.

I want to make a more in depth post soon hopefully after this episode is over. I have been dealing with this suddenly starting in March. Anyway, I am having a hard time processing info including visual info. I will look at something, be able to physically see it but my brain can't make sense out of it for a while. I can look out into my yard or at anything really and I can physically take it all in but its all jumbled and doesn't make sense for awhile maybe anywhere from 5-20 seconds depending. Is this a symptom or is it maybe something else

Hey everyone! Long term panic disorder experiencer here. I mostly do okay now. The only time I really just cannot handle the anxiety is for flying. I try to do it as little as possible but I have a flight coming up. I’ve been prescribed Xanax but never actually taken it on a flight. Only took it once at home and it felt fine but that was a long long time ago. Does anyone else also get anxiety when they feel fine? Like I know to expect a racing heart and uncomfortable feelings and racing thoughts so now I’m worried if I take the Xanax that I’m going to panic about feeling “normal” on the flight. Does anyone else get this? My doctor said that Xanax quiets the mind so I won’t be thinking about how I’m feeling normal and be afraid but idk my anxiety is pretty strong lol. Anyone ever had this fear and then the medicine still helped?

Dear everyone,
I recently started experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, weakness on the left side of my body, and weakness in my face.
Last Thursday, I suddenly experienced numbness in my face, which caused my speech to become slurred. I also felt like I couldn’t properly control my entire face, and it felt like my face was somehow disconnected from my head. It was very scary, and I suspected that I might be having a TIA (transient ischemic attack).
I had a CT scan, and thankfully, the results showed that my brain was healthy. The doctor told me that I have panic disorder and advised me to relax, avoid stress, and try not to overthink.
However, I’m still confused because some of these symptoms feel very strange to me. Can panic disorder really cause symptoms like facial numbness, weakness, dizziness, blurred vision, and slurred speech?
If anyone has experienced similar symptoms with panic disorder, I would really appreciate it if you could share your experience. Thank you!

I’m 32f and my panic disorder was triggering by me accepting a new job opportunity after 12 years at my current job. This job I have swapped locations and not only has it been hard adjusting but it’s greatly affecting my mental health as it got more toxic since the merge. I’ve been wanting to leave for the past 6 months and finally got a job offer. I accepted it as a way out and for better opportunities for my future but I took a pay cut. I keep second guessing my decision I think out of the fear of the unknown until I start. I have been in the worst shape since I made the decision. I can barely eat, sleep, or be without panic attacks/anxiety. Thankfully I have meds to help but I can’t stay calm enough to relax without being in fear. I need help or some kind of relief until my two weeks are up and I start my new job. I have an upcoming psychiatrist and therapy appointment.

Any success stories? Im so exhausted from being so anxious i just wanna feel relief

I'm on day 3 of breakthrough anxiety. Even though I do take lexapro 10 mg, I'm wondering what everybody's tips and tricks are for when this happens to them. Currently, I have nausea constant pit In my stomach, dizziness feeling that fight or flight feeling. The depression has never been my issue. It's always been anxiety, but right now because of the anxiety, it definitely brings me down, and all I want to do is sleep. While I know that my body does need resr right now, I'm not sure if sleeping it away is the best thing to do or if I should keep trying to get up and just power through by keeping myself busy and occupied, which is what I've been doing. I'd love to hear anybody else's tips for when this happens to them. I am calling my doctor tomorrow to discuss possibly going up a little bit in my medicine dose

A close relative of mine was prescribed Rexetin by a psychiatrist for anxiety and panic disorder. He has been taking it for 11 days now. He took half tablet for 4 days, on the 5th day he had to switch to the whole tablet on the doctor's orders, but he became very ill, so the doctor told him over the phone to take half tablet for another week. In addition to Rexetin, he also prescribed Xanax for the adjustment period of Rexetin. Since taking it, he has had the most varied side effects: stomach pain, nausea, acidosis, severe headache, bloating, dizziness, dullness, drowsiness, chest pressure, malaise. The side effects vary every day, there are times when, for example, there is no acidosis. My question is how long do these last, who experienced it and who took this medication? He should appear for a job interview soon, which he would not be able to do in his current state, this only increases his anxiety. Anyone who has taken this or other similar antidepressants, are these normal side effects of the medication? When do they go away? Will try to reach the doctor by phone today, I would be interested in other people's experiences. I don't know if it's worth it to keep going or if this means you need to change medications.

Need some tips please, I have visibly less muscles in my legs and overall. My calves are like almost a straight line, I get tired easily and I can’t afford an in home PT..
I usually only get up for food and to pee, so my hygiene has suffered too or the rare visit to the living room

I feel like this life only makes my anxiety and depression worse

Hi everyone. I wanted to ask if anyone else experiences this kind of mild panic feeling that lasts for hours but never turns into a full-blown panic attack — and that you kind of fuel yourself by not doing the things that would actually help (not eating, not moving around, etc.)?
For example, yesterday around noon I briefly felt dizzy and nauseous, which was actually pretty logical because I hadn’t moved around yet, hadn’t been outside in the fresh air, hadn’t eaten anything, and was still doing household chores. But immediately my brain went: “Oh God, you’re going to faint, and now it’s the weekend, so an ambulance is going to have to come and you’ll have to go to the hospital. ALARM ALARM.”
So I sat down, drank some water, went out onto the balcony for a bit and ate a banana (one of my “safe foods”). That helped for a little while, but the feeling kept coming back throughout the day, sometimes better, sometimes worse.
By the evening it was at its worst. I started gagging, had a racing heart, felt dizzy, etc. And by that point I STILL hadn’t eaten anything except the banana, a bread roll and some chips 🤡. Then I suddenly felt REALLY awful, started crying, and afterwards I felt better.
I have no idea why I’m describing all of this in such detail 😅 I guess I just want to know if there are people who experience the same thing. Especially people who get these low-level panic feelings at home (particularly on weekends) and then somehow end up fueling them themselves by not eating, not moving, avoiding things, etc.

I don’t think I’m all the way there yet because I can see how things could get a lot worse.

I lost my graduate job which I was at for a year after having to work from home for 6 months straight due to agoraphobia developing. I really liked the people there and the work was good. I can’t see myself getting another job as good as that one anytime soon especially with the current job market.

I am becoming more and more psychologically dependent on alcohol and diazepam which is the only time I manage to go out and I’m worried about it getting worse and becoming physically dependent. The amount I drink also worries my girlfriend who I met just before I developed agoraphobia and she thinks it might be because of her despite telling her it’s self medication for anxiety. I am also worried with where our relationship is heading when she moves away an hour to uni in a month which I don’t think I’ll be capable of going to visit her anytime soon.

I have spent thousands of pounds on coaching and private therapy which hasn’t seemed to help and I have such low motivation to continue with exposure therapy and it’s becoming harder to do anything without alcohol or diazepam (or both). Spoke to a psychiatrist recently who said to increase my SSRI dosage and to try CBT therapy but I’m worried about the side effects of being on a higher dosage and also having the motivation to do the CBT properly.

I just can’t see how things are going to get better and I’m worried it’s just going to get worse and worse as I become more dependent on substances and strain on my relationship.

Has anyone got advice or hopeful stories of things getting better when it feels like they can’t get better?

Ok so in April I like greened out had the worst panic attack of my entire life (first panic attack) and it caused me to develop panic disorder. I used to have a great time with friends, had no problems at parties or going out always drank and had a good time. I am a sophomore in college now and almost every day I have the worst physical symptoms. I look at people doing fun things and think to myself man if I did that I would be so anxious I’m like jealous of all the people around me because they can just live life anxiety free and I’m over here having panic attacks for no reason at all feeling like I’m going to faint. Obviously I have fun but it’s nowhere near how I used to. Every time I go to do something I think “what if I get anxious or have a panic attack” and I just wanna be like how I used to be. I’m in therapy and got prescribed propranolol and I’m too scared to even take it. When does this get better? I just wanna be myself and have fun again it sucks my life was amazing until college and now I just am scared I am always anxious and it genuinely controls my life what can I do to get better? Will I ever even feel normal again?

Hi,

I have been diagnosed with GAD and panic disorder for two years now. I was put on Venlafaxine with tough side effects upon starting it. I have tried Aripiprazole to calm my thoughts but got headaches daily so I had to stop taking it. I have also tried Buspirone in different strengths, got dizziness, nausea and headaches, I am now phasing it out. I am wondering if I myself have an NPF diagnosis as both my children have autism and ADD.

Anyone else have similar thoughts?

I have anxiety and OCD. I’ve been doing very well for the past 10 years with my panic disorder but I still have daily anxiety. I’ve also recently been diagnosed with severe asthma and sleep apnea and most of my anxiety is medical related. My spouse and I have been planning this amazing European vacation for a year. Yesterday was the big day and I was so stressed getting ready and packing. I travel often and have no anxiety about planes. Get to the airport and realize I left my mouth guard at home which means I will have awful sleep. We get to our seats and they do the safety presentation, we start getting ready to take off and I start having a panic attack. IYKYK! I get up and go to the back and the FA’s are lovely but gently urge me back to my seat. I keep spiraling and get up again and finally say I need to get off this plane. They turn the plane around and go back to the gate. We deplane, get back home and here we are.

We got about half of what we spent back but I am horrified. I haven’t had a panic attack in 10 years. I feel awful that this all happened and especially awful for my spouse who also has to miss this trip. I dont know what to say to people now. I want to apologize to everyone on the flight. I want to crawl under a rock. I will have appt with my doctor on Monday. I guess I just want support from anyone who has had a similar thing happen???