Atypical panic attacks

[MayaH]

Hi everyone,

Haven't posted in a while but wanted to get some advice. I've been having panic attacks on and off for the past four or five years (my latest panic attack was earlier today). Usually they last between five to ten minutes, but more often are about five minutes long but they are severe. I either hyperventilate really badly or just feel like I can't take a breath in and have to breathe out slowly quite a few times (more often it's hyperventilation). Sometimes one or both of my legs start trembling and I rarely feel sick during them but the symptoms that ALWAYS ALWAYS happen are:
-Difficulty breathing on some level, (often but not always hyperventilation) the severity can vary, often with chest discomfort or tightness but not pain
-Dizziness or feeling like I will faint
-A feeling like I am in danger or as though I'm out of control (this comes on just before the attack so I always get about a ten second warning).
-The worst symptom of them is always disassociation. I get it really really badly to the point where everything feels as though it makes no sense and this can make my breathing worse. The only way to describe it is I completely detach from everything around me and I don't feel like I'm really 'there' - I'm never sure of where I am. Often when this happens a friend holds me which seems to help a bit. The most recent one I had where a friend was there I detached so badly he had to tell me what had happened and then about two hours later I remembered for myself. I have to close my eyes when this happens (and cling to someone!) because I'm so scared.
-I also either feel incredibly uncomfortable or I cry uncontrollably but I always come incredibly close to crying whenever I have a panic attack.
-Afterwards I'm often weak and/or still wearing off from the detachment. At the end of the one I had when my friend was there I felt as though I couldn't speak for about five minutes afterwards. I found it hard to communicate with him but luckily he was very understanding about it.
-I often have to be held by somebody if the attack is really bad which seems to help massively as I often feel safer (another major part of the dissociation is feeling very unsafe).

Has anyone else experienced panic attacks like this?

M :)

[GingerFish]

Like you, I've had panics for about 4/5 years and usually they were tolerable and I could either get through them no bother or they were still severe, but I could deal with them. Over the last month however, they have been more severe and pretty much exactly what you have described. The worst symptom for me is the impending doom and death feeling. I hate that. It seems to linger on for ages after the attack too with me. The amount of times lately I've nearly called an ambulance for fear of dying or feeling the need to be sectioned because I feel I am going around the twist, has been too many to count.

I've been very stressed lately and I've been checked out my doc twice in the last week alone and they assure me that physically I am fine, I am just having a bad flare up of OCD and anxiety/panics.

[jayb1]

All my panic attacks were like that my 10 second warning was feeling extremely agitated. I relied on my mum to come and hold my hand while I shook and cried and breathed into a paper bag. Lately I have managed to deal with them on my own by just sitting quietly doing my belly breathing and letting it wash over me . Still terrifying but more manageable. BUT it has taken me 20 years to able to deal with them !!!!!!!