does anyone suffer with severe chest pain when suffering with anxiety? well apparently its anxiety but im too convinced its my heart and that anxiety cannot cause such pain!! iv had ecg's blood tests and blood pressure checked they all came back fine apart from i have a chest infection which they are referring to as something called Costochondoritis, has anybody ever had this? is this why im getting the chest pain? and shortness of breath? if so what can i do to stop it been so severe that i feel i am going to collapse or feel the need to ring 999 everytime i cannot breathe i just want it to stop why am i so convinced its my heart and im going to have an heart attack or when i go to sleep i wont wake up!! 
im only 22 and have been suffering with the pain for 2 weeks now but panic attacks for about 8 months but getting worse especially now with the pain, can someone please recommend something for the pain other than painkillers as i have tried them
Pain killers won't work if its anxiety, chest pain is common with anxiety, you need to try to calm down, its making everything tense, the more you relax the more it will,ease, .
I had EXACTLY the same as you,please believe me when i say i had BAD CHEST PAIN,its NOT your heart,tests PROVE that.take a moment and just try and convince yourself YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE...i had a chest infection,it takes time to go away - the pain WILL go away.stay strong 
the symptoms you describe are linked to anxiety and are very common with anxiety and yes the chest pains can still be very painful if the cause is anxiety, it just depends on the severity of your anxiety and the anxiety/panic attacks. i also get the same symptoms quite dramatically and i have nothing wrong with my heart. so dont worry
thanks for replying i just cant see how it is anxiety because the pain can be so severe i feel im going to pass out then all the other symptoms start the thing is it starts even when i am relaxed well i like to think i am 
i just dont know what to do anymore and when the pain will stop im on antibiotics for the infection and hospital say all my chest wall is inflamed but why am i still convinced hospital hav missed something and it is my heart i know i sound stupid but the symptoms are so real
Hi, I can totally sympathise! I have heart related health aniexty, I find my left arm aches often ( has done on and off for ages) I have been checked at a cardiac hospital Ecg, echo, ct scan, bloods and all absolutely fine but still can't shake off the feeling they missed something ( all 5 doctors)
It's ridiculous when Im calm and think about it but in the moment of panic all I want to do is get to A&E to be checked out! Your situation is slightly different as you actually have a valid problem causing your pain, I would return to your G.P and ask to change pain killers, not all work for everyone!
Good luck x
Triggered by anxiety im afraid,you work yourself up that much it intensifies - when it happened to me i used to breathe deeply in and out until i felt myself relax - if its any consolation i felt better towards the end of my anti biotics running out
aw thanks for replying hun its just so hard to belive when i get the pain i always get in my head this time its not a panic attack its going to be a heart attack i sound like im loosin my mind but i jjust cant get over the feeling i never used to be like this and dont get where it has stemmed from im definetly goin to try and reassure myself i have had 5 ecgs and i am still convinced they are missing something some nurses claim im too young for anythin from with my heart and some say not i think its because i feel i cant breath aswell when the pain comes i panic more and the symptoms dont rest going to try and be strong and know i am not alone my partner and family reassure me but its more comfortin to know people have actually had these symptoms and know exactly what im going through so thank u for your kind words hun i will definetly take them on board and keep sayin it in my head when i feel one coming on x
I know EXACTLY how you feel,i too was convinced the doctors were wrong and it was my heart,but rational thinking helped me ALOT - the doctors know what they see - if they can see your heart is fine then IT IS.i went into hospital with chest pain,i had bloods taken and an ecg,ALL FINE! After i had been told this the pain was not so bad,ie anxiety lessened,although i was still in pain (x ray revealed lung infection) the doctor explained that anxiety will worsen pain because your body goes into meltdown through panic / fight or flight mode he called it, you will be fine - the person you are fighting is yourself,find a happy place and think good rational thoughts and i promise slowly you will win this battle!x
thank u matthew im just trying to convince myself it is anxiety and hopefully we can all beat it one day, Hi Donna, thank u for replying see i feel i have just read my life the last few weeks out in front of me you are exactly the same as me the only thing is doctors and nurses wouldnt do anymore tests except my blood and ecgs and blood pressure as they was 99.9% its definetly not my heart as i say they say im too young im 22 i see it can happen any age, and yeah iv got a chest infection but i just cant see how the anxiety is whats causing the severe crushing type pain all over my top chest area im currently on antibiotics and taking iburofen and paracetomol its eased off for now but i know soon as i go to bed thats when the shortness of breath and the anxiety symptoms start im the exact same tho donna soon as im calm i think to myself i can get over this but when i have a panic/anxiety attack thats when i think to myself right a&e straight away i cant think of anything else! its like when i was having my ecgs i wasnt really havin any pain so i think that contributes as to why i keep thinkin they have misdiagnosed me and thats why it didnt show on my tests i sound so stupid but just wish i could overcome this and get my life back same as u guys x
thank u shel you have just read me like a book how strange! thats exacly how i was and am soon as they told me i was fine the pain was still there just not as much so yeah i deffo see where you are coming from and im definetly going to reassure myself and keep saying it until i belive it how did you overcome this or learn to get over the feeling of it not been your heart once you was having a panic attack? x
If it's any comfort I was told by a heart specialist that if my heart had ever been in true trouble at any time a resting ECG would flag that up as their would be dead muscle! So logically all the times I was sure I was having a heart attack I couldn't have been as it would have shown up! Also when your having your panic feelings reassure yourself that it's your mind playing tricks and you was fine the last time and you will be fine this time.
Awful place to be I know! I wouldn't wish anxiety on anyone, trapped in my own mind 😞
I panic alot less now but when i had a big wave of panic my ritual in my head(along with the deep breaths) was "im fine.... Im fine.... Stupid anxiety.... Its only anxiety....calm down" i used to repeat these thoughts in my heaf until i felt myself slowly calm down,i still get an odd moment when i feel a pain or a sensation and i just tell myself "its a bit of pain you're ok" thats my method anyway,also i could never sleep that good on my back as my chest felt even heavier at night so i used to lay on my side x
Yes that is definitely comforting to know it is hard to believe tho but im sure after 5 ecgs something would of flagged up on one of them surely ;/ thanks for your advice I really appreciate it and I feel calm at the moment so im going to try and sleep whilst I can I qill lwt you know how I get on once again thanks hun feel free to private message me if u need a chat x
Im definitely going to give that a try hun thank you im the same with my back feels like someone is sat on my chest if I try and sleep on my back so I lay on my side too, I just need to reassure myself when it happens I will let you know how I get on thanks for your help really appreciate it x
Ok laura,take care.wishing you a lovely peaceful nights sleep x
Thank you shel you too and I will speak to you soon take care x
Hi Laura,
Seems like a good few people have helped you out already however I just thought I would add a bit that might help you a little.
Chest pains can be down to several things as you know however in your case it does sound anxiety related, this doesn't mean that you can't go and see a doctor for tests and reassurance if you haven't already. Let's say for instance that the cause of the pain is not Anxiety. A whole range of things from Acid Reflux to Costochondritis (inflammation of the cartillage that joins your ribs) can cause intense chest pain and in a large majority of the time the pain might be severe however it is completely harmless and should go away over time.
When it comes to heart problems and heart attacks a general ruling is that those sorts of problems don't give sharp pains as such but a crushing sensation almost as if somebody had put a giant elastic band around your chest and back. I am not telling you this to worry you and I don't want you to think about this too much as with anxiety you start to fixate on certain things and create problems in your own head.
From what you have described it doesn't sound like you have any problems with your heart and your symptoms sound textbook anxiety/panic. If you haven't been to the doctors and you feel you need to for reassurance then do it. A simple listen of your chest will can rule out concerns as the doctor will be able to hear the valves on all of the chambers of the heart opening and closing. In addition to this they can have a quick listen to your chest which if clear would rule out and inflammation, viruses and chest infections.
In the meantime if you search google you will find some great CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) resources that are free of charge. I found these CBT extremely helpful as it taught me how to deal with a panic attack in it's early stages by focussing my attention elsewhere. It is extremely hard when in panic mode not to zone in and fear the worse however it is possible by following some really simple tips.
I hope I have helped you a little. If you have any more questions the feel free to ask I am happy to listen and help any time you need it. I have been there too! I have suffered some real extremes of anxiety and I feel I have turned a corner and am well and truely on the mend! Anxiety is an ilness at the end of the day and although it is harmless it doesn't mean we don't suffer big time, there is no need to feel embarrassed by it what so ever!
I've had costachondritis, which is an inflammation of the area between the ribs and the sternum. It does not cause chest pain, but does cause pain in the ribs. I've also had bad chest pain, but it is probably not anxiety related because my EKG shows some abnormalities so I'm getting further testing. Good luck and i Hope that you are feeling better.
Hi Laura,I know it has been over a year since you last posted,was just wondering how have you been doing with the chest pain?at the moment I'm suffering from chest sore/tightness in the middle of my chest..and I'm just worried it's my heart..I have had 5 ecgs done and blood tests etc..everything seem fine..docs says it's all anxiety..I'm 23..any advice?