Panic attacks

[HAnn521]

(I know there have been previous posts on this subject)

• Sometimes I feel like I am having a panic attack...but I deny it, how do I know if it truly is?
• What are the usual symptoms and causes?
• Can you begin to have them in your 20s even though you haven't ever before?
• and finally, are panic attacks a possible sign on depression?

[OBonio]

How do you know.. you know. What do you mean you deny it?

Symptoms :
http://www.panic-anxiety.com/panic_attack_symptoms/panic -attack-symptoms.htm#panic_attack_symptoms_1

Mine were : Palpitations. Unable to catch breath / hyperventilating. Tingling in lips, hands, feet. Dizzyness. Feeling of impending doom. Chest pain.

I thought I was having a heart attack!

Not sure what causes them though the hyperventilation really makes a mild one into a bad one. Catch 22! Can't get your breath, but you can't gulp air down either.

Yes, you can have them in your 20s. I had my first at 22. Carried on for a year on and off.

Possible sign of depression... I think they can be caused by other underlying problems. But not always. I still blame mine on Ecstasy and speed.

[WendyS]

You might want to check with your GP in case it's a case of hyper ventilation i.e. breathing so quickly that in fact you can't draw breath.   In such cases it sometimes helps to blow up a brown paper bag and take deep slow breaths from the air in the bag.  But don't try and use a polythene bag and suffocate  yourself.!   I[m not a medical person but it might be possible to confuse a sudden change in heart rhythm (i.e. occasionally missing a beat) with a panic attack so please see your GP for a checkup.

[HAnn521]

good advice and info...thanks...

OBonio: The reason I use the phrase "I deny it" is because I refuse to believe that I am so emotionally unstable that I can't control myself...I just try to pretend that I am in control when I really know I'm losing it! The truth is there have been times when I can't catch my breath, my heart beats fast, my head is pounding, my stomach feels knotted and twisted and I just want to scream and cry...the feeling of impending doom is certainly present as well...but this is rare and I hope it stays that way!

I also deeply hope that you no longer take speed and ecstasy!

[mfewell]

HAnn, are there particular situations that trigger it, or where it is more likely to occur ?  e.g. do you get them at work during the week (and e.g. during meetings) but find they are rare when you are at home at leisure ? And do you have Bach's Rescue Remedy in the US ?

[HAnn521]

Well, mfewell I have felt a panic attack about 3 times in the past 8-9 months. I believe that the first came about after my college graduation...I had no job, the plans I had for myself had fallen through and I had no idea where I would go from there...

I remember my family, friends were all around me for two days during my graduation to celebrate, then all at once everyone left...went back to their homes, school, etc. and I was completely alone, with no clue of what I was going to do with my life. I was driving away after having said goodbye to my boyfriend (who I wouldn't see for 2 weeks) and I couldn't catch my breath in my car...I started to breath heavily, my stomach knotted up, my head started to pound and I felt like crying...when I walked into my empty apartment I broke down and just sat trying to catch my breath and swallow for about 20 minutes.

Since then, I have maybe felt one or two...but I think that was my first. I don't have them often, and definately not at work...I fell panic when I am in situations like the above, when I'm alone, no one has been around during these times.

[KittyGlitter]

What you have just described sounds like a classic panic attack. I think what makes them worse is when you don't understand what is happening to you. But once you identify what it is, it becomes less scary. You can recognise the symptoms. I believe things happen for a reason, so it might help you to work out what is making you anxious - your body is reminding you that some issues need to be looked at. I also think that depression and anxiety are emotions that are internalised and they have to come out somehow so they take the form of physical symptoms. You could try talking to a counsellor or therapist who could help you work out why you get panic attacks. When you look at the 'why', things become less scary.

[mrbubbles]

Hi - a real full blown panic attack can be very scary - pounding heart, unable to breathe, feeling dizzy, sweaty palms, feeling faint, feeling as if you could literally fall off the edge of the world - you will certainly know if you have had one and I doubt would be able to deny it - anxiety can also bring on these symptoms but maybe not as aggressively (you do not have to be depressed to have panic attacks or anxiety) check out www.nomorepanic.com may be of some help - the main thing is to recognise the feelings before they take hold and try to control them with breathing etc etc - dont forget we are all different so there may be a unique reason why you feel panicky and yes you can get them in your twenties, thirties, forties etc without ever having experienced them before