I suffered with panic attacks, almost daily, for a good few years. I haven't had a full-blown one for a while... touch wood.
I've never found the root cause of why I got them, although I suspect it was triggered when I had a severe bout of postnatal depression. I have never been able to get rid of the anxiety though, and I get this a few times a week, mostly at night time, and mostly if I'm tired or haven't had much sleep the night before.
I was on Diazepam for my panics/anxiety and I found that to be quite helpful. It was quite a high dosage though, and I'd probably recommend something a bit lighter to start off with... although your doctor will be much better qualified to advice you on that! lol.
Don't worry about not being taken seriously, because this is far more common than you think. I suffered in silence for years, and it wasn't nice. As soon as I took medication and professional advice, I was soon on the road to recovery.
I say I still get the anxiety, but it's a weird feeling really. I usually just say to my family that I'm feeling "panicky", and they get what I mean. For me, I tend to concentrate on my breathing quite a lot, and I have this mad thing going on with my pulse! lol. It sounds silly now, but at the time when it's happening, it's all very real.
Get professional help before it starts to take over your life. You are doing the right thing! :-)
I used to use a website/telephone line, which I found very helpful. It's called no panic, and they have an automated 24 line, that kind of talks you down from the panic attack. Again, that sounds a bit mental now, but for me it was a real help and I used it quite a lot.
I know exactly how you're feeling and I know just how horrible it is. Those few years were absolutely horrific for me, and I never, ever want to go back there.
I wish you all the best and hope you can overcome it :-) xx