Panid attack out of no where HELP

[LadyBug]

I just had a panic attack. I was reading and all of a sudden I felt like my heart stopped and I had to take a deep breath, and then I couldn't breath. It came out of nowhere. Is that normal? Has anyone else ever had it feel like your heart stopped and that trigger an attack? I have had panic attacks in the past, but it has been years, I mostly have anxiety issues. Please help.

[Dreamer029]

i used to get heart attack symptoms, such as chest pain, and shortness of breath when i first got my panic attacks, its a scary thing. in some people they may have an ectopic beat (possibly triggered by caffeine or many other causes) and the feeling of the palpitation gives them a panic attack. its really scary i know how you feel. what put me at ease for awhile was going to the Dr. and getting an ECG just to know nothing was wrong.

hope that helped, and hope you feel better!
Lauren

[deno1617]

Hi,
I know just how you feel. I have had that happen to me quite a few times and it always triggers a panic attack. I tell myself it has happened before and I am still here but it always manages to beat me and start off the panic symptoms!! Also I occasionally have where it feels like my heart stops for a second and then "vibrates" in my chest before starting normal beats again.
Hope you are feeling a little better now - take care.
Diane

[shoegal]

Hi. It sounds like you had some sort of palpatation and when you felt it, it triggered a panic attack. This has happened to me lots of times unfortunately. I think our bodies are on 'red alert' so when something happens we panic far too easily.

I hope you feel better soon.

Love shoegal xxx

[cattttt]

Yes, it's stopped now, but it's woken me up at night in the past, also just after I've gone to bed and I'm just drifting off to sleep.........a real drag as lack of sleep seems to make it worse.

[LadyBug]

Update: Yesterday at work I started feeling anxious (mind you I don't have panic issues at work normally - just at home) so I got up to from my desk to go for a walk down the hall. As I was walking it was as though my whole body went numb and as though I was fading away....i immediately thought there was something going on with my heart.....PANIC!!!!!!!! I ended up having to go home for the rest of the day...after taking a xanax to calm me down to drive....has anyone else had this sensation with panic??

[clarissa]

all to frequently I getthe fading away feelings, we had an advert over here for a mint chewey sweet called softmints - the guy was made out of fabric, I always liken my attacks to these I sort of "float" along - it is horrible, I always put my hand out and try to hold something that is solid and take deep breaths, often if people ar there I cough as if I caught my breath - it is my way of having a silent attack noisily! do you know what I mean?

there's a place that I dream of when I sleep, so peaceful, so quite, I call it mother earth.

[Insomniac]

I used to suffer more with anxiety, but last summer the panic really set in. Lack of sleep is certainly an issue. I have had trouble sleeping this week because of a bad cough. But last night was tough because I felt anxious and had palpitations. I started the bad habit I had in the past of thinking a panic was certain to follow. Then I remembered that I knew how to control my breathing... so I practised the breathing exercises - which wasn't easy. But the panic didn't get me!

Being over tired generally makes your body feel worse, so its reasonable to feel more stressed/anxious at that time. Often when you're just about to drop off to sleep you get that jump, which can sometimes be like a palpitation, or cause one. Just keep on with the slow inhale/exhale.

Last summer every time I got a symptom I got worse and worse. But now I am learning to control it a bit more. I'm on seroxat which I'm sure helped get me started. But I am also learning to have belief in my own ability to calm myself and beat the anxiety. Hope this helps.


Lisa.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

[Meltdown]

I often have the heart stopping sensataion upatnight describes, followed by a panic attack.

Sometimes it is just a singel "thump" in the chest, other times it's like my heart performs a series of sumersaults in my chest, which is really scary.

I have come to realise that 9 times out of 10, this sort of attack is preceded by some sort of negative thought or worry, even though I might not have realised it at the time.

[Meg]

Upatnight

Yes, what happened to you was completely normal . You had a palpitation or several ectopic beat which we all have each and every day. When we're quiet we notice them more.

What happened next is where the panic bit came in. What you thought abouit it was crucial and by thinking there was something wrong with your heart and allowing it to scare you was what instigated the adrenalin rush that is then Panic and then a panic attack ensues.

Its is normal for us all to stop and be startled but then to stop the panic bit you need to talk to yourself calmly and sensibly and rationally, that this is a normal bodily function and just by the fact that you can think and panic shows your heart is very much working and you are infact - fine .That will counter the autonomic nervous sytems adrenalin rush and help you calm down.

There is a whole article on palpitations under health worries on your left of this page.

[rosebud]

Hi

This happens to me all the time.
It's not very pleasant at all!!!
Meg that was very reassuring.

Traceyxxx