For the past year I've been having panic attacks off and on. At first I thought I was having symptoms of a heart attack. I get real light headed, pain in one side of my chest and a bad rush of anxiety rapid heart rate. Which in turn freaks me out worse and I am unable to calm down until and I think I'm going to die, I take some sort of beta blocker. Then the symtoms subside. Sometimes I get jolted out of my sleep with this. Afterwards I just cry. I am tired of dealing with this. I try to convience myself that it's not health related that I'm fine and that worked for a while but lately it hasn't. I know that since I've been dealing with this a year that it's not a heart attack otherwise I'd be dead with how often this happens. This is affecting my work and my life.
Sounds like anxiety disorder. Since you ve been experiencing this for a year , your doctor must have ruled out other serious causes of these attacks before putting you on a beta blocker . Try some meditation . The jerks you have are called hypnic jerks . They will go away once the anxiety is adressed . I have had these jerks last week . They went away on their own . Try to relax . Try some simple breathing execises .
Well my doctor just ran some simple test 6 months ago. Just an EKG and some blood work to check my thyroids. I wasnt prescribed beta blockers. I get them else where as they are the only thing that helps my panic attacks. Until I get health insurance sorted I won't beable to go back to the doctor for another couple of months. So until then it's hell.
Have you heard about breathing exercises ? There are plenty of videos available on you tube . One thing called "ANULOM VILOM" . Try doing that . No harm in trying .
Okay thank you. I will look into it.
Hi stephanie, I have anxiety for 7 years. I am male 27 and play sport. I don't have panic attacks as you describe, I get heart palpitations/dizzyness/abdominal pains/chest pains and nausea. I have had so many tests, blood tests, ecg, echo heart scan, chest xray ext... And all were fine. To help me I exercise. After exercise it feels as if my body has just booted anxiety right out of my body. It does come back but takes longer. You said you cry, this is the body's automatic way of releasing tensions. Laughter if an even better way, but when we have anxiety it hard to have a good laugh. Stick with it and try exercise if you doctors say your healthy, am sure it will help.... Good luck and don't let it beat you....
Yes I hope once I go back to the doctors and get more test and everything is okay, that hopefully this will calm it down some. Sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind or turning into a hypochondriac.
Also I am only 26 years old.
Hiya stephanie i know how u feel😕 its not nice and at 2am this morning i was woken up with the worst stabbing pains in my chest and back... they would not go away, everytime i went to take a deep breath it would feel like stabbing in my chest, back and bottom of rib cage😣 i was petrified as i thought i was having a heart attack, its happend b4 but only lasted a few minuites and then gone again but last night seemed to go on and on. I find im over breathing now just to keep checking its gone...people keep saying its my anxiety and i try to tell myself its that but as i suffer from severe health anxiety its hard to do!! Ur not alone so dont worry we are all in the same boat ☺ xx
Well it's nice to know I'm not the only one. It's depressaing because I do feel alone in this because no one in my life understands what It's like. And he's anxiety attacks can mimic symptoms of a heart attack.
Yes anxiety can mimic brain tumors and heart attacks the list is endless, im only 27 and worried over health for a couple of years but never ever to the extent it is now...i have good days and bad days, ul be fine honest everyone on here understands how u are feeling xx
Yeah sometimes I start wondering if I have brain tumors and such as well. Ugh I've never delt with this until the last year. It's horrible!
Am sure in another 10-20 years you will look back and think well iv had all these symptoms and pains ect... and am still here lol. That how I look at it over my 7 years, as 7 years a go I thought the most dreadful thoughts that something was wrong, and what do you know I am still here healthy , but still with symptoms. I think I will be still like this when I am a pensioner unless I can banish the anxiety totally...remember your body is like one of the most complex machines on the planit, it will take a lot more than anxiety attack ect to put you to rest... All the best....
Do you take any medications for your anxiety?
No, I don't take meds. I feel if I get hooked and they work I won't get off them ever and lots say meds can have side affects. I am trying therapy in a few weeks so am hoping it will help.
Okay well good luck with that. I have been trying meds off and on for about 10 months now. I try to stay away from them for a while because I to don't want to depend on drugs to feel normal.
Totally agree, why should you natural body require unnatural medication... It just not natural to take meds...
No it's not. But sometimes I get desperate and take a xanax. I hate living like this.
I know exactly how u feel ive suffered health anxiety for few years now it all started a few years ago and was put on sertraline for a few months. I was great after that living a normal life untill couple weeks ago it camw back with a vengeance.....been to hospital and docs atleat 6 times in last 2 weeks i started having sinus problems and becauae im not used to having them types of problems it was weird.....then all of a sudden after that i had headaches and pressure on my head and jaw was weird. At first thought i had a brain tumor but docs kept reassuring me it wasnt then all of sudden i started getting tight burning sensations when panicing and when i lie down and my body feels so light almost like im floating. Im on my 5th day of certraline. Im hoping these help but it seems like this is gunna be a bumpy ride for me its horrible and scary and im constantly thinking ive got a horrible diesease. Sick of panic attacks and everything that comes with it but we all have to stay strong and fight this even if it seems impossible but we have to try r we will end up goin nuts. Keep ur chin up ur not alone i hope ur ok and u keep well. Big love
My doctor put me on Buspar. I couldn't stand the side affects. Then my doctor put me on lexapro. The Lexapro was an SSRI but was suppose to help with anixety. It helped it seemed. But I felt like I was so wired. Couldn't sleep and never felt tired. I've been taking xanax off and on for it now. It is horrible dealing with it. I'm ready to get on health insurance to go get help.