Can it start before you realise it?

[SamanthaAU]

Hi,

I was wondering, I have been told that I have been having panic attacks (even though I am still very unsure as to what they are) I have had two major ones which started when I was nearly asleep one lasting 10 mins from start to finish, the next one only 5 mins. And one laying in bed watching tv for only a minute.

Can they start before you realise it, or without feeling overly anxious? And can they be over within a minute?

I just find it strange that this is what is happening to me, but no Dr's will listen to me :(

Cheers,
Sam

PS I never seem to be hyperventilating either :(

[LeeBee]

What happens during your panic attacks, samantha? What did the doctor say?

[SamanthaAU]

Hi LeeBee,

The first attack I had was in the early hours of the morning after going back to sleep.

I had a huge wave of nausea come over me, followed by a tingling sensation on one side of my body that seemed to work its way up to a peak and back down again within a few seconds, then I had the shakes for around 10 minutes. I also was a little dizzy when I was shaking. At the end of this I had a feeling that someone was going to call with bad news. This is the worst attack I had, the second one a much smaller version.

The dr's have just said it is anxiety. Thought it may have been TIA or seizure of some kind but now (neuro too) just say panic attack. I am just worried they are too quick to brush me off.

I have been very anxious, and am an anxious type person in general, but these attacks have made me much worse then normal.

[LeeBee]

Hi Samantha, what you describe does sound really unpleasant, poor you! First of all, try to take some reassurance from the two health professionals who have checked you over. The neurologist in particular will see people every day who have neurological problems so would have quickly spotted it if you were showing signs of a neurological disorder. If they had seen anything worrying they wouldn't have ignored it - that's their job.

You acknowledge yourself that you're an anxious person (me too!) and that you're feeling particularly anxious at the moment. If you accept that you're anxious, and that the symptoms could be caused by anxiety, you might find they start to subside (this happened to me recently). Perhaps talk to your GP about ways to manage your anxiety, as it is bad at the moment? Good luck, try to relax and not worry too much, hope you feel better soon :)

[lifeissweet]

hi just wanted to say that i have suffered with panic attacks for years (on and off), and i used to get that i couldnt breathe.hyperventilate etc , but this time i dont get that, so i dont think you have to hyperventilate for it to be classed as a panic attack. sometimes i have mini inner panic attacks, where i get the sudden feeling something bad is going to happen , like you described, and i get tingy in my hands etc...for me these are when i have them starting but manage to get it under control...so i would say it does sound like a panic attack me, i would think that everyone experiences different versions of it.

its not always a very public thing, most of the time no-one would know i was having one.

hope you find this site some help though x

[decca]

Hi Sam,
I get something similar to you, tingly,shakes slightly dizzy without the room going around and a feeling of total fear. I wake up with it or it comes on just after I wake up, It's almost like some sort of withdrawal symptom. I think it's more probably an adrenaline reaction to a subconscious thought or dream. Can't find a physical reason for it and I would have though even a minor TIA would produce some form of temporary paralysis.
I try to quickly forget about it and not dwell on it - OK it happens now let's get on with life.

God bless
Decca.

[Graz]

Hi Sam, they sure can! I was round my friend's recently - no trouble at all when I stepped through the door, I felt confident and fine. As we were watching TV I gradually felt sick and my heartbeat went through the roof, I felt seriously unwell and I knew it was a panic attack. I had to leave. So from my experience it's certainly natural to have this happen for some :)

[SamanthaAU]

Thank you very much for your replies.

Cheers,
Sam