Please..how do you feel when you have a panic attack?

[luvu4u2003]

I for some reason just dont believe that my panic attacks are actually panic attacks. Could you all please tell me what you have experienced? I need some sort of reassurance. I think I need to just accept it and start working towards fixing it more but I just have this crazy feeling that its somthing more. Could anybody give me a in depth description of what happens to them when they have a attack???

[derek123]

i think its a lil dif. for everyone my first sign is my feet tingle for a sec. kinda like they felll asleep instantly then my hands get sweaty then i get hot cold flashes heart pulpations shortness of breath then tunnle vision thats when i pass out feels like a heart attack only it happens more often

[luvu4u2003]

Thanx Derek, I pass out sometimes but I think maybe I am holding my breath? Is that possible? I kinda feel like out of reality or body... My chest gets so tight and I feel like I cant get air into my lungs. Does this sound like a panic attack?

[racheldayb]

My panic attacks began about 3 years ago and would start with my heart racing, sweating, shortness of breath, and extreme desire to get away. More recently they've evolved into getting extremely hot and flushed and dizzy, seemingly out of nowhere. I also feel 'weird' and spaced out, like I'm seriously out of it. I was on beta-blockers so I hadn't had the heart pounding for a while but since I've been off them for about 2 weeks now I once again have rapid heart rate with the attacks.

[Pauly J]

Passing out from a panic attack? Majority of experts say that this is very near impossible to pass out of a panic attack, as with a panic attack, your blood pressure rises, and when you pass out it is sometimes caused by low blood pressure! Did you actually pass out? Or did you feel as if you were going to pass out? Many people say they "felt" as though they were going to pass out, but did not!

pauly j

[hotgirl]

My heart feels like it is coming out of my chest. I feel like someone is choking me, my hands go numb, my legs tremble, i cant catch my breath, tunnel vision, severe headache, feel like im out of my body lookin down, head goes numb, my blood pressure spikes. I feel like im dying.

[LiannaMichelle]

How interesting. For the past 15 years i thought i suffered from SEVERE migraines. Now, from reading these posts, i am thinking that i suffer from SEVERE panic attacks. I always thought a panic attack was heart pounding and shortness of breath. When I get a "migraine" I lose feeling in my limbs, lose my sense of balance and the concept of how near or far things are from me. My eyesight becomes as if i'm looking through a kaleidoscope. I can hear people talking to me but can't figure out how to respond. I immediately start crying. My tongue and throat go numb. It is terrifying. Then on comes the pain of the century! Its as if someone is driving a metal peg through my ears and temples. The pain in the back of my neck is excruciating. I tend to get VERY angry during these episodes. I absolutely can't function. It usually takes around 5-8 hours to come out of it. Then i feel so spacey the following day... like i'm on another planet. Several doctors have told me this is a migraine with an aura. However, migraine medication hasn't helped me one bit. Could this actually be a panic attack?

[Steven_2000]

My panic attacks began about 3 years ago and would start with my heart racing, sweating, shortness of breath, and extreme desire to get away. More recently they've evolved into getting extremely hot and flushed and dizzy, seemingly out of nowhere. I also feel 'weird' and spaced out, like I'm seriously out of it. I was on beta-blockers so I hadn't had the heart pounding for a while but since I've been off them for about 2 weeks now I once again have rapid heart rate with the attacks.

My symptoms are exactly as Rachel described here. Heart racing, sweating, shortness of breath, and extreme desire to get away. I also get very flushed. I don’t get dizzy during the attacks but I do feel spaced out. I am also on beta blockers. I described these symptoms to my medical doctor a couple of years ago and he suggested a beta blocker daily and xanax when I feel an attack coming. At the time that combination seemed to help me through those situations but not so much anymore.

Rachel, if you don't mind me asking, what triggered / triggers your attacks?

[ElectrifiedBrain]

Thanx Derek, I pass out sometimes but I think maybe I am holding my breath? Is that possible? I kinda feel like out of reality or body... My chest gets so tight and I feel like I cant get air into my lungs. Does this sound like a panic attack?

Absolutely. Even if you are holding your breath, if you feel like you're out of reality, that to me sounds like it could very well be a panic attack.

My panic attacks are normally triggered by me rushing. I feel as if my body was suddenly filled with air, especially around the outsides. Then my heart starts racing, and I have difficulty concentrating. I normally can't calm down until I'm no longer rushing.

[rrocco92]

The first time I had a panic attack it was for no reason at all. I ended up laying on my bathroom floor, heart racing, sweating, nauseous, and it felt like everything was slowly closing it to where I felt like I was going to pass out. It basically felt like I was having a heart attack. (I'm only 18 so I ruled that out) I had called one of my friends because I felt like I wasn't "in reality." For the next few weeks atleast twice a day it was the same thing, laying on the bathroom floor with the same symptoms, except I started to bring my inhaler and put a cold towel on my forehead. I had a follow up appt with my psyciatrist and she gave me meds for the anxiety and told me they were panic attacks. From that point on my panic attacks weren't as bad but still had the basic symtoms.