# Panic attacks, what are yours like?



## GingerRae (Nov 6, 2006)

uh. . this is my first time venturing beyond the "first step" and "fun" forums and actually posting. . cuz i've really been pretty nerveous about actually talking about the "real" stuff. haha
anywhy. . . i've recently been having panic attacks. . i think. . i dunno, lol. i just was wondering if anyone else gets them and could describe what its like for you or what triggers them. . etc..


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## IndigoGirl (Aug 13, 2006)

I still remember my first panic attack (though I'd rather not). It happened during a class. I honestly don't even know what triggered it, but it's wasn't so bad, it just startled me and I had to leave class and never really returned because I was embarrassed that people noticed. My panic attacks are usually feelings of unreality, faintness, dream-like sequence, shakiness, and flushed feelings in my face and hands. I haven't had a genuine panick attack in a long time, but that's what I remember of it.


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## crazyg (Jun 18, 2005)

I've only had a one panic attack that I really remember. I was taking care of some kids at the daycare where I used to work. I found the job very stressful but I wasn't stressed in that moment. I remember I was handing out milk to some kids and all of a sudden my heart started beating really fast, and I felt like I was going to pass out. I had to sit down for a second, and my head felt really dizzy and I didn't know what was going on. I'm still not even totally sure if that was a panic attack, but I guess it must have been. It was a very scary feeling. It felt like I was about to faint.


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## korey (Apr 25, 2006)

Mine usually involve disorientation, fast heartbeat, pumping head veins, need to escape, lack of ability to speak, crying, and self-loathing at one point or another.


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## Dreamcatcher (Nov 8, 2003)

I have only had maybe two panic attacks since I started having anxiety problems when I was 16. I was never the same after having my first panic attack this one particular day, after that, SA was here to stay.

I was in church at the time; it was extremely crowded. I just remember all the sudden, I got very hot and sweaty and I felt dizzy, like the ground was moving beneath my feet. I felt nauseous, my heart was racing, and I thought I was going to pass out. There was also this frantic feeling of absolutely having to escape, to just....run. And that's just about what I did. I turned to my mom, told her that I "have to get out of here" and I was gone. I remember people quickly moving out of the way for me.

But what I remember the most? The feeling I had when I finally was out of there. It was indescribable. The minute I stepped out, I sat down on the steps and my mind completely cleared; I felt so calm and relaxed. It was just....amazing. 
Anyway. That's my panic attack story. :hide


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## mols (Nov 5, 2006)

When I have a panic attack I feel like I'm not connected to my body. My vision gets weird, or maybe it's just my thinking that I can't see. I dunno. My face gets flushed, I sweat, all I can think about is escape. When I can't escape the situation, it just escalates. The worst panic attack I ever had.. I couldn't feel my legs! My finger tips were tingling, and I kept thinking ok I'm going to have to tell this person that I have to go to the bathroom.. to be able to calm myself down.. but I couldn't say anything because I was trying so hard to appear that nothing was wrong.


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## Panic Prone (Mar 5, 2006)

so different. They started last year before I moved. I didn't understand what was going on. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Since then i've gotten so many different kinds of panic attacks. They all suck cause all you think it complete doom with no way out. The most recent ones have last days at a time where i'm in a constant state of panic, neck tension, doesn't go away. I've taken a week off of work cause that's how i've been feeling. Burned out mentally.


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## njodis (Nov 8, 2006)

Don't think I've ever had one. I do remember almost passing out when I had to do a presentation in highschool, though.


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## chichick (Nov 9, 2006)

I started having panic attacks this year in July for the first time. Scariest thing i ever felt. They would start off with me getting sweaty hands and feet and getting dizzy like I was going to pass out. I felt like I couldn't breathe and I couldn't sit or anything... just constantly paced around thinking I was having a heart attack or something. I don't know what triggers mine. I just get them out of the blue and am not stressed or anything. i though they may have been an aftermath from a kidney stone I had a few months before the attacks. The kidney stone scared me really bad. I went to the ER for my attacks and the doctor and my regular doctor both said I didn't need any stress or reason to have them. They said if the serotonin levels are off in my brain then I can get them anywhere at anythime. I have to carry pills with me at all times in case I get one. Mine get really bad. I haven't got a bad one in awhile though thank goodness but I still get some of the feelings of one beginning.


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## lonesomeboy (Aug 29, 2005)

mine is pretty standard fare and I think most people have covered it here.

I feel like eyes are on me all the time, I get sweaty and nervous and have this impulse to get the hell out whatever situation I am in. But worse of all, I get this feeling of self hatred for being like this, I think to myself 'why cant I be normal and fun? why cant I enjoy myself?'


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## GingerRae (Nov 6, 2006)

waa!` now i'm more confused. . . lol. some of what you all said, sounds like an everyday thing to me. . . hmm. . i would like to give a more in depth reply but i am soo exhausted. . i worked a 10hr shift then came home baked an apple pie and had a Thanksgiving dinner with about 6 people and a kid. . . so i gotta pass out. i will deffinitely come back with more to say. . . 

and thanks SOO much for all the replies. . its exactly what i was hoping for (actually more) it gives me a happy feeling inside. lol. . i was suprized to see so many replies. . and such great details. thanks!!


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## Drella (Dec 4, 2004)

Njodis said:


> Don't think I've ever had one. I do remember almost passing out when I had to do a presentation in highschool, though.


I have only had two panic attacks that I can remember. Once when I was 16 and again when I was 18. Both of them entailed me feeling as though I could not breathe. My skin turned pale and I kept concentrating on my breathing, causing more distress. My "psychologist" told me that these episodes were, indeed, panic attacks.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

GingerRae,

Good job on your first post here! :boogie :boogie :boogie
My first panic attack (I have had many to varying degrees) started out with my chest tightening and being unable to breathe. I would also get real hot. Depending on the length, I would actually sweat. I also noticed a lot or nervous shaking on the moderate ones - I have a hard time concentrating and try breathing exercises to calm down. The most severe ones (I had one that lasted about 45 minutes) I became as stiff as a board. It was fall 1994 and I was taking a computer class where I would fail if I did bad on a ten-point quiz, and it was a class I was retaking after I dropped it. I was so worried about failing it that I panicked at 4am! I could not move my muscles, they all just tensed up . I didn't do well on the quiz due to lack of sleep, but they let me retake it after I met with my professor. I ended up getting a 10! :yay


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## kev (Jan 28, 2005)

I was going through a period over a few weeks where I would wake up almost every morning with chest pain and it was hard to breathe. Sometimes my heart would race but not always. I would wake up with a lot on my mind and everything felt hopeless, but I didn't really make the connection that anxiety was causing the physical symptoms because I had never experienced anything like that before.

I never get full-blown panic attacks during the day but sometimes I'll get mild chest pain if I'm under stress.


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## Mehitabel (Oct 13, 2006)

Luckily, I've only had one. I was around a campfire with about 9 people, only one of which I was comfortable enough to talk to. My heart started racing, my chest felt tight, my knees went all jelly-like, and all I could think was that I needed to get out. I actually wanted to sit down on the grass and scream.


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## GingerRae (Nov 6, 2006)

IndigoGirl1987 said:


> My panic attacks are usually feelings of unreality, faintness, dream-like sequence, shakiness, and flushed feelings in my face and hands. I haven't had a genuine panick attack in a long time, but that's what I remember of it.


hmm, that almost sounds like i feel ALOT. . . its a normal thing fro me really. . i mean almost every day i wake up and my first thoughts are dread. . i think about the 2 minute conversation i'll have with my roomate and i immediately feel tense and the shaking starts. . .i get in my car to head for work. . . and my mind races with anxious thoughts and usually this is when the unreality hits and sometimes that comes with faintness that comes and goes througout work. . . . . and the whole time i'm at work is like a dream. . . i'm shaking and nerveous right now just thinking about it!



> so different. They started last year before I moved. I didn't understand what was going on. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. Since then i've gotten so many different kinds of panic attacks. They all suck cause all you think it complete doom with no way out. The most recent ones have last days at a time where i'm in a constant state of panic, neck tension, doesn't go away. I've taken a week off of work cause that's how i've been feeling. Burned out mentally


i guess this describes me most. . . i can't just take off work. . i usually lose my jobs this way cuz i'm SO tense and nerveous i can't go to work. . i just never really saw it as panic. . . i don't know what its like to have a non-tense back or neck. . . i'm so tense most the time i'm just in constant pain. . . but then i have other times i know i'm having a panic attack, like the 2 i mentioned most recently. . . it usually starts with this particular guy at work that just makes me extremely nerveous and i get even shakier, more tense, sweaty. . and i know if i don't do anything too strenuous i can keep it at that and no one notices. . but its hard to do that while i'm at work, once i do anything that gets my heart beating just a little bit fast. . my whole world jsut crashes. . everything spins. . i get wobbly legs. . .i can't hardly breath and i feel like my heart is going to explode and i get an overwhelming urge to cry, i'm screaming in my head. . stop being so stupid, just relax!! etc. . .



millenniumman said:


> Good job on your first post here!


hey thanks! i feel better now. hehe 

so. . . i could i have panic disorder so bad i don't even realize i'm panicking? what is the line between panic and fear i wonder?


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## DixieOrun (Nov 26, 2006)

I have had several. I tend to hyperventilate, have a fast heart rate, sweat profusely, have shaking hands, not talk, cry uncontrollably, and ball in a knot if possible. :sigh

It's not fun at all.


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## march_hare (Jan 18, 2006)

I don't really know if this is a panic attack or not, but it sort of sounds a bit similar to what other people have said:
I get the feeling of not being able to breathe properly, and I my throat goes really dry, and I really just want to take huge gasps of air, but obviously I can't do that cus everyone would be like "!!!!!" (this always happens when I'm around a lot of people). I get a cramp in my abomen too, my body telling me to breathe more I guess. Very uncomfortable.
I get the strong feeling that I need to get away, and I feel terrified that everyone can hear me breathing loudly (stupid!). I'm so consumed with breathing that I can't focus on anything else around me, and of course it usually happens at times when I ought to be c oncentrating X( I feel compelled to twitch and fidget a lot too, and I cough and yawn to try and get myself to breathe properly. This pretty much always happens to me if I'm in a classroom being given a lecture or presentation or anything like that. It's weird because it's not like anyone's looking at me, everyone's looking at whatever the lecturer is doing/saying. I just suddenly feel like I can't be there anymore.


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## Mozzie (Jun 6, 2006)

I shake. I feel like I have heart burn. I can't breath properly. My mind starts spinning. I can't talk, can't think, sometimes can't move.


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## kate2 (Dec 3, 2006)

I feel like I'm suffocating, my heart pounds, I get light sensitivity, which makes driving feel strange. I also feel confused, and I sweat profusely. It lasts a few minutes - and I thankfully know what it is, though sometimes they come back repeatedly, which can get exhausting. I really wish I knew what caused them to start last year. Thanks for this post, it's nice to get it out there.


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## kate2 (Dec 3, 2006)

I feel like I'm suffocating, my heart pounds, I get light sensitivity, which makes driving feel strange. I also feel confused, and I sweat profusely. It lasts a few minutes - and I thankfully know what it is, though sometimes they come back repeatedly, which can get exhausting. I really wish I knew what caused them to start last year. Thanks for this post, it's nice to get it out there.


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## MissBrownEyes (Nov 6, 2006)

> so. . . i could i have panic disorder so bad i don't even realize i'm panicking? what is the line between panic and fear i wonder?


Anxiety, panic, depression, all next door neighbors, all best friends, all work as a team. Fear is what brings it all on.
*
Panic Attacks - What are they & why am I having one? *

In dangerous, life-threatening situations, the body's defense mechanisms kick in to prepare us for confrontation or flight from the perceived threat. In these situations, the body gets us physically and mentally prepared to 'fight or flee' through the release of endorphins, adrenalin, cortisol, sodium lactate and more.

Simplified, these internally generated chemicals GREATLY increase our pain threshold; give us a powerful boost of energy, and increases our blood and oxygen supply to vital organs and muscles.

Think of a past heated verbal exchange or the time that other driver blindly cut into your lane in busy traffic, everyone is familiar with this response and the physical sensations it brings. However, the individual with panic disorder is SO SENSITIVE to their thoughts, inner dialogue, and environment that they can trigger this defense mechanism and associated response virtually at will!

Imagine, you're safe at home, sitting in front of the TV in your favorite chair when out of nowhere, you feel your heart rate accelerate, your breathing becomes erratic, and you experience TRUE TERROR for no reason what so ever. 
This is the experience of the panic sufferer.

When I have a panic attack, i start to think scary things, I think im going to loose my mind, go crazy, or just crawl out of my skin, my heart starts to race really really fast, i sweat, my hands go numb, then down to my legs, i cant feel my feet, my vision gets blurry, and my hearing fades in and out, feels like im going to choke, i fear passing out, or just dropping dead, my head pounds, and my neck starts to hurt. I have these almost weekly. and im trying hard to learn how to deal w/ them, fight them and be positive. I hope teh same goes for you :hug

*What is Anxiety? *

Anxiety can be described as a painful uneasiness of mind, usually over an anticipated ill. An abnormal apprehension and fear often accompanied by physiological signs such as sweating and increased pulse, by doubt about the nature and reality of the 'threat' itself and by self-doubt.

Most everyone will experience feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. Whether it's the birth of your first child, sudden loss of a job, or in preparation for a major medical procedure, most of us will experience occasions where our stress level becomes overwhelming. A close relative of excitement, anxiety can be best described in terms of worry, a general troubled or uneasy feeling of apprehension. The worry associated with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is chronic, persistent and habitual, often initiated by unrealistic situations or thoughts. In addition, this worry is seemingly uncontrollable and often interferes with our ability to concentrate or otherwise function comfortably and normally.

For DSM IV classification of GAD, excessive, uncontrollable worry and anxiety should be present for more than half the days in a six-month period. The symptoms of anxiety will also cause 'clinically important distress or impair work, social or personal functioning,' distress not brought on by a general medical condition or substance abuse.

Individuals suffering from anxiety often experience a host of physical symptoms including: inner nervousness, diarrhea, heightened blood pressure, shortness of breath, headaches, irritability, fatigue, sweating, muscle tension and shakiness. Generalized anxiety disorder can coexist with other ailments including panic disorder, depression, and alcoholism.

Much is often made about the difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack; but both have their origins in the physiological response associated with the 'fight or flight' response.

The 'fight or flight' response is the body's fundamental, innate defense-response designed to ensure our survival. When we perceive excessive stress or imminent danger, the area of the brain called the hypothalamus triggers the release of naturally occurring biochemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol, sodium lactate and more. Simplified, these internally generated chemicals GREATLY increase our pain threshold; give us a powerful boost of energy, sharpens our senses, and increases our blood and oxygen supply to vital organs and muscles. This physiological response provides the body with the physical and mental "fuel" necessary to 'fight' or 'flee' the perceived threat.

This stress response was of great benefit to our ancestors warding off an attack by an enemy tribe, or fleeing the jaws of a hungry saber-toothed tiger. But these types of real, imminent physical threats to our survival are really more the exception rather than the rule in our society. More often than not, it's not the ringing of your smoke alarm at 2am that triggers the release of these stress hormones. Today, it's more likely the person who cut you off on the busy freeway on your way to work, or the verbal exchange you had with your spouse.

So instead of burning off this excess energy for the fuel it was meant to provide us (by actually running or fighting), these stress hormones are left to breakdown in the body. This is extremely taxing on our overall mental and physical health.

So while getting back to the difference between and an anxiety attack and a panic attack it's best to compare the two in terms of severity. An anxiety attack includes all the body symptoms associated with HIGH anxiety: inner nervousness, increased pulse, shakiness, etc. But this anxiety is long lasting and doesn't appear "out of the blue." A panic attack on the other hand strikes abruptly, is marked by intense fear and discomfort, and takes about 20 minutes to fully build, peak and ebb. One is left with continued anxiety but not panic.


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## OutbackJack (Dec 5, 2006)

Im a classic hyperventilater too! then on come the physical symptoms Nausea one i really hate, Shaky Cant talk because im outa breath dealing with Hyperventilating, At times i get anger too in supermarkets i can get irritable through it all and end up coming across rude but i dont mean to be , Then after all that exhaustion kicks in then avoidance and round it goes again , On good days im like a different person i dont feel so consumed by it all and managed to laugh but lately it seems 5/7 days are panic ridden :afr OJ


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## shygirlxx (Sep 7, 2006)

I'm still not sure if I've had one.
Can somebody explain the difference between a panic attack and just SA reactions?
I mean with my SA, when I have to do presentations or something like that, my heart starts beating really fast, sometimes feel like i cant breathe, face gets really red, overheated/sweating, eyes watery/slightly crying, shaking, feel like im going to faint sometimes, etc. 

But is that just my reactions to SA or is that a panic attack?


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## SADLiath (Aug 5, 2005)

shygirlxx said:


> I'm still not sure if I've had one.
> Can somebody explain the difference between a panic attack and just SA reactions?
> I mean with my SA, when I have to do presentations or something like that, my heart starts beating really fast, sometimes feel like i cant breathe, face gets really red, overheated/sweating, eyes watery/slightly crying, shaking, feel like im going to faint sometimes, etc.
> 
> But is that just my reactions to SA or is that a panic attack?


I think that's just really bad SA. It happens to me sometimes, too.

One of my old friends had panic attacks, and she described it exactly that way, except when I feel that way I am still aware. When she felt that way she said it seemed like she was slipping off into another world to avoid dealing with it, because it was so overwhelming.


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## Driftfisher (Dec 6, 2006)

Ginger...GREAT question!

For me: Cold and clammy skin...Heart pounds and blood pressure skyrockets. Burning sensation in my chest...sweating, stomach churns, dizzy, and I get very anxious.

Luckily I have only had 3 or 4 of these of this magnitude...I think after you get to know yourself and how your anxiety affects you, you do not put youreslf in situations where full-blown panic attacks are likely to happen.

Obviously they can take place but it does not seem to happen as much!

Good Luck!!! :yes


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## Inga (Jan 28, 2007)

My main symptom with panic attacks is nausea. Really really intense nausea. My panic attacks always end with me throwing up :blush . It never used to be that way. I used to actually FAINT with my panic attacks! But I've since learned to control my breathing and not hyperventilate, and to stay sitting during the whole episode, which tends to last for 5 to 10 minutes.

So, I think I've gotten a bit better. I'd rather puke than faint. But it's still really embarrassing.


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## D.B. Cooper (Jul 21, 2006)

Mine are usually random or triggered by unexplained physical discomfort (which is a sign of panic to begin with). I visualize my panic disorder like the ocean, waves rolling in and out. Some days the sea is pretty calm and other days its tsunami destroying everything. 

Symptoms: 

Derealization (reality goes byebye)
Chest Pain
Numbness in random body parts
Pain in random body parts
Hyperventilating without knowing im doing it
Dizziness
Thought Loops (obsessing over physical discomfort)
Hypochondria (there is no convincing me that im not having a stroke/heart attack except an EKG at the ER and a needle full of ativan)

Currently i take 3mg of xanax daily to control it. I've tried pretty big amounts of other benzos but xanax seems to be the one in particular thats most efficent.


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## anonymous123 (Dec 29, 2006)

DB, doesn't that 3 mg of xanaz eventually not do what it uesed to? I have tried all the major benzos out there and, xanax is by far the best for me too, however, it seems like I can do fine one day on 2 mg, and the next day I need 6 mg. It all depends on my day and the appoointments I have lined up. 

Then there are days when I have no appointments and I really don't want to take any xanax but I start the withdrawl within 24 hours, normally at 4am....

I think at this point my benzo use is caused by withdrawl from benzos. If I could just get off them for a month I wonder where I would be?

I had panick attacks when I was 18 (now 29) and I would drink A LOT.... like pass out sitting up on a nighly basis and go to work 3-4 hours later. I would slam 3 or 4 mountain dews and then have massive pannick attacks, racing heart mostly and feeling like I was going to die I had no idea what it was at the time and went to ER several times before they put me one paxil which I stayed on for about a month. When I quit paxil, I quit cold turykey and actually had horrible shooting pains up my arms which gave me more panick attacks. I was at the cardiologist, getting shocked to test my blood flow, the enitre bit. I quit my job and they went away for years. 

About 4 years ago I started a new career and things took off very fast for me. I all of a sudden felt overwhelmed and one day I had a huge attack right in front of a client. Only this time I had no racing heart. I was completely disoriented, sweaty, red face, and HAD TO GET OUT. It sucked. I love what I do, and when I am loaded up on benzos I am great at what I do. I hate being loaded up on benzos. my memory is shot, I can't go out and drink socially without not remembering what happened for half the night, my mental alertness level is operating at 25%, I am tired half the time, it sucks. I hate the only thing that keeps my doing what I like to do and what I am good at doing. I know the problem is fear of what I am doing, and who I have to do it with, but I can't get past it. It's been 4 years now and it isn't getting better. SHoot, I remember when I worked my old job, I drank 10 cups of coffee a day, walked around liked I owned the place, and never had a bit of stress what so ever. I was so comfortable with where I was, but I hated my job and the pay that it brought. 

Am I rambling??? It just sucks to have everthing you have ever wanted but be scared as hell every morning unless you take a benzo pill or have a drink. One day I will conquer, one day.


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## Cherry (May 30, 2006)

First one, at a hospital visiting a relative, morning, winter time, suddenly became very warm standing at the foot of the hospital bed, lite headness, room spinning, ended up sitting down in a chair, trembling with sweat, drinking minute maid with huge embarrassment, I was 19 and didn't know what I had experience was a panic attack, just thought I didn't eat a big breakfast.
Second one, at a hospital visiting same relative, night, winter time, suddenly become lite headness, nuasea, slow motor movement-my legs felt like I had blocks of cement attached to them, vision became dim, shakiness,room spinning, ended up once again seating down in a chair, trembling with sweat and depersonalization-couldn't respond to anyone's concern or what I was going through,racing heart, a ton of embarrassment ended that visit, I was 21 and afterwards started to do research, ulitmately finding SA in the process.
I've had another one that occured at work a few years ago but nothing that big as my second one. I am fully aware of it now, which makes a big difference in controling it since they do come out of the blue and usually only last for 3-5mins. Everyone experience with panic attack is going to be different, there is just different degrees to it. My experience is only one out of many different ones posted here. You'd known if you had one,it's something that doesn't leave you and something you don't want to experience, is having no control phyically and emotionally clashing at the same time.


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## Petrichor (Feb 10, 2007)

My panic attacks are pretty freaky. I tend to know, sort of, when they'll happen before they happen... I was once visiting Chicago (this past November). Went on the El train.. that was it. I can't stand subways, have always hated them. I knew I'd hate it. I walked on there.. and I felt everyone in the room was staring at me. Began to sweat and got so freaked out. These two girls were staring at me like I was a freak. I was super-exhausted from traveling, I just couldn't stand it.. that was one of the longest times of my life. Felt like forever. I tried to text someone to get my mind off of it. Anything I could do... I felt out of control though. I wanted to just.. die, ya know. It sucks. Next time I was on that train with a good friend... It felt so much better.

They happen irregularly. But I haven't been having them much lately, as I'm homeschooled & I don't get out much. I'll probably have them more once I start working...

Jordan


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## Jean (Jan 18, 2007)

awful. in grad school i had to defend my thesis in front of a panel of 7 faculty members and a few other misc grad students. i barely got two words out before i began to panic. shaking, sweating, heart palpitations, you name it. my knees felt so weak i could barely stand. so i turned around and walked out of the room crying, which made me feel even worse and even more hopeless because i felt like i was just giving up. not to mention the fact that i just hate crying in front of people, let alone people who i know are there to judge me. eventually i went back in and finished, but i was shaking the whole time and barely heard anything that anyone said to me. it was total hell. 

but now i'm on klonopin and everything's great. no more panic for me! :b


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## Rob (Sep 25, 2005)

let see, dizziness, heart race (really fast), shaking legs, neck and face muscles twitch, voice gets all screwed up from the high strung state of sensitivity.
my initial response is "flight", just leave asap and forget anything else.

inderal and klon have since helped heaps however.


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## kirin-riki (Feb 26, 2007)

I get dizzy sometimes, clammy hands, cold fingers, dry mouth, heart palpitations, sweat alotlotlot, stutter, lose my train of thought, start "tic"ing (breathe funny so it stops me from talking etc)


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## betty (Jun 3, 2006)

how come nobody mentioned the going crazy felling?? is that just me?
Where you feel like your about to go koo koo :afr


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## GnoDaB (Mar 1, 2007)

I don't know if what i experience really is a panic attack. It sounds similar to what people have been describing on this post, except without the derealization, numbness, and hyprochondria. It usually happens when I'm the center of attention like when my teacher called on me in class recently. I didn't know that she would call on me and then the i got scared all of the sudden. I start to sweat A LOT, even though it is not as bad as when i was in high school, i start to tense up and get the pains in body parts and usually start to stutter and slur words. I also don't hyperventilate although my breathing does change (im usally unaward of it until afterwards) and i start to take deep breaths and then breath normally after the situation has passed. I usually feel exhaused after the situation too.


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## shyone23 (Apr 30, 2005)

I get nausea clastorpbia and feel sick to my stomach like i have to get out. Iquit goin to church and school cause of this.


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## seenhell (Mar 5, 2007)

It feels like I'm traveling through a vortex. This might sound bizarre but imagine if you were being propelled forward at 1000mph and thats how I feel. My vision seems to tunnel. My stomach is floating and nervous and I'm so out of it I can't even look at things straight let alone try and concentrate on anything to relieve myself from this horrible feeling. I feel like pacing around is the only thing I can do. When it gets to the point when I feel as though I'm in full delirium the only thing that helps me is taking extremely long walks. I started smoking again after having quit 2 years once I began to have panic attacks again. For as bad as smoking is, it feels like one of the only true constants for me when I feel so hopeless and desperate.


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## BeachGaBulldog (Feb 13, 2007)

One example of a panic attack for me is when there are too many people in an enclosed area. I have always hated going to the grocery store. If I am in an aisle and people are on opposite ends, I feel trapped and have to get out. I'm the same way in a bookshop. If I am in an aisle, and people approach from both ends, I have to flee. Tonight I went to a restaurant with my girlfriend. It was a buffet. At this one area for the main course dishes, there were a whole bunch of people in a line waiting to get food. I wouldn't get out of my seat until the crowd thinned down. My heart races, I tap my right leg up and down, sometimes without realizing I do it.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I get lightheaded/dizzy, weak, jittery, and I zone out. Sometimes i blackout if its to do with blood. My panic attacks from SA are less severe.


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## stephanie-s (Jan 16, 2007)

Start to sweat a lot, feel the derealization feeling, heart starts to race really fast, hands get cold/really hot, feel like i cant talk, feel like choking. Also i feel like passing out and sometimes, out of nowhere, i start crying too. Ive had 3-4 panic attacks.


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## bezoomny (Feb 10, 2007)

I get sick from anxiety, I don't know if it's a panic attack or not.

I get really hot and sweaty (blush bright red), and then my heart starts thumping. I have to remember to breathe (it's not really short of breath, it's just that I forget to breathe). I get really sick to my stomach and feel like everyone's staring at me. At that point I'm usually gone to the nurse's clinic.

I mean, it doesn't seem as bad as a "panic attack." I've been getting sick from nervousness since I was little, so it just progressed and progressed and I got sicker and sicker until now.


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## dave185 (Mar 12, 2007)

I've had about 3 or 4 panic attacks in the past year, although none too recently. And unlike some of the experiences I've read here, they all occurred when I was alone, with the same symptoms others have posted: quick and heavy breathing causing lightheadedness/dizziness, hands going numb, and shaking.

The worst one I had happened when I had a really bad hangover. I went into a crying fit that lasted 20-30 minutes. I didn't know what to do so I jumped in the shower and it finally went away. After that (which was like 3 or 4 months ago), I started avoiding overdrinking. Now, I don't drink at all.

As for what triggered my attacks, I can say that I was having thoughts of hopelessness and loneliness right before they happened, which is why they've only happened when nobody else was around.


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## minmin (Mar 11, 2007)

More of the same here... tons and tons of sweat (it's seriously quite disgusting), I feel completely detached and out of control (wandering into traffic, yelling at strangers ... all very embarrassing, and all very crazy-sounding), shaking, twitching, and so forth. I try not to drive during these attacks, but depending on where I am, it sometimes feels like my only escape... which is horrible and I can't believe I've done it.

My attacks don't always include all of that of course, and not always that severe (the sweating and "light" detachment are pretty consistent though, and happen very regularly). 

Also, I often get this incredibly overwhelming urge to hit myself (there's just no eloquent way of putting that), usually leaving me with a swollen jaw or sometimes a black eye if I'm not careful. Or, I'll just drink and smoke until, well, until I can't anymore. When I try and prevent the latter, I wind up doing the former, and vice versa. Breathing, trying to relax, listening to music, hitting something that's not me and not, well, alive, just doesn't seem to cut it (unless it really hurts, which sort of defeats the point).

Frustrating :stu


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## Melissa24 (Feb 1, 2007)

*Re: re: Panic attacks, what are yours like?*

Fortunately I don't experience panic attacks as much as I used to, but lately I've had more than usual. I've had about 3 in the last couple of weeks which isn't normal for me. Sometimes I know when they're coming (like before I have to give a presentation for class) and sometimes they come out of nowhere. Last night I experienced a panic attack on the road. I went out to practice driving with my mom (still haven't gotten my license) In town the streets are narrow, it was dark and there were a lot of people out so I was already nervous. I made a turn too wide and almost hit another car. This caused me to freak out and on the way home I zoned out and almost went off a country road. I was a complete mess afterwards. 
During an attack I usually get shaky, sometimes nauseous, dizzy, very light-headed, my hands will turn ice cold, I can hear my heart pounding, if I'm alone I'll cry (I can't cry in front of other people) I zone out and feel detached from everything, 


minmin said:


> Also, I often get this incredibly overwhelming urge to hit myself (there's just no eloquent way of putting that), usually leaving me with a swollen jaw or sometimes a black eye if I'm not careful.


I've done that before. I'll just start hitting myself in the head. It's only if the attack is really bad though and I've never done it hard enough to leave a bruise. Sometimes I'll scratch my arms with my finger nails until they bleed too. I hate that feeling that I've lost control.


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## Bedhead (Mar 17, 2007)

I dont think I've ever had a panic attack. Well When I get really angry/upset and just cant take it anymore, my throat closes up and I cant breath and its very painful. I dont know if I experience any other symptoms or not, I am too focussed on my breathing.
Someone told me that this is a panic attack, but I read today that you kinda have to have a few symptoms to make it a panic attack.

I've only had this happen about 2-3 times so far since the summer. ((happened yesterday, it was the longest I've ever had before, but still not too long.))
I dont know what it is. I have seen real panic attacks, severe ones. So I think it would be kinda.....dramatizing to say what I had was a panic attack.


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## PassTheXanax (Apr 1, 2007)

I need to post here. The panic is the worst part of my issues. It led to Agoraphobia.

My first one was 18 years ago in a restaurant. I was sitting in a mall eating with my friend and out of nowhere I felt like someone would if they were sitting on a plane and looked out to see the wing on fire. I grabbed my throat, felt like I was choking and ended up under the table clinging to the table leg like it was a parachute. I ran out of the restaurant and into the parking lot.

After seeing a doc he told me that from my symptoms I was depressed and had a panic attack. Unfortunately I never forgot it. He put me on Prozac and I stayed on it for a couple years until the headaches became unbearable. The panic went away with the meds but the headaches made me stop.

A while later the panic came back. Bring on the Effexor. I hated it. It made me feel like an alien. Then came Imipramine, nothing. Then Paxil, very little relief. 

Soon alcohol was the only thing that would make me feel better. (I was a bartender so sneaking a shot or two during my shift was easy and felt good)

Next I couldn't function AGAIN and the doc gave me Ativan. WONDER DRUG at the time, panic was GONE all I had to do was take a pill.

No insurance later, self medicating later, now I am taking Xanax from online pharmacies and it stopped working.

Now my panic is daily. I can't drive, can't fly, can't go to the post office or a movie theater. Any place I have panicked before. Agoraphobia keeps me in my house except for work. The highway is a TOTAL no-no. 

I feel like I have the devil living in me. :evil


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## freeme (Apr 7, 2007)

To me, mine are some kind of mental meltdown of what I am expecting the next few moments to be and I anticipate that the worst possible scenario imagineable is going to happen and I can't stop it. See, I have really built this thing up in my own mind and psych myself out so bad. Usually, I have panic attacks when I am in a group of people of over say 10? and I have to say something. Thats right, all I have to do is speak and it scares the living **** of me b/c I am afraid that I will lose control of myself and they are going to have to call for the straightjackets and send me straight to the smiley farm!! Haha..Well, close. The anticipation of knowing when it is my turn to talk is what starts it and my hands start sweating, the room starts spinning, my face gets hot, my ears start ringing, my throat closes up, and I completely forget what the heck I am going to say, and I think I experience vertigo and my face starts shaking, like my mouth trembles and my eye probably even starts twitching and I just want to run away as far and as fast as I can before I completely lose it! There, hows that? What in the heck is that and WHY do I freak myself out so bad? I think mine are pretty extreme although I can't really know how intense someone elses is without being in their shoes. No fun...My first day of training for a job a couple years ago, the teacher said the dreaded, "And now let's go around the room and introduce ourselves." Oh my god, he might as well have said, "And now lets go around the room and completely humiliate and embarrass ourselves til we can't ever show our faces here again!!" Yeahhhh, let's do. So, I proceeded to start teh whole sweating, shaking, twitching routine and then stood up, walked out the door and went home and cried. I then had to go back the next day and apologize and explain that I had to leave b/c I was really sick and was going to throw up b/c it was all way to embarrassing to tell him the truth...That those people were somehow way too scary to tell them my name, etc. Wow. That is so pathetic sounding I can't stand it!


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## invisiblegirl101 (Mar 18, 2007)

Dreamcatcher said:


> I was in church at the time; it was extremely crowded. I just remember all the sudden, I got very hot and sweaty and I felt dizzy, like the ground was moving beneath my feet. I felt nauseous, my heart was racing, and I thought I was going to pass out. There was also this frantic feeling of absolutely having to escape, to just....run. And that's just about what I did. I turned to my mom, told her that I "have to get out of here" But what I remember the most? The feeling I had when I finally was out of there. It was indescribable. The minute I stepped out, I sat down on the steps and my mind completely cleared; I felt so calm and relaxed. It was just....amazing.
> Anyway. That's my panic attack story. :hide


Its weird because this is the way i feel everytime i attend church. I get very anxious, i start sweating, cant concentrate, i have the feeling of running away. Its horrible thats why i dont go to church anymore. Although once im out of church i feel fine. And no im not satanic. :sigh


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## hefferdoo (May 3, 2007)

today i had my first one, i was walking down the street with my boyfriend and i was feeling anxious all day because it was sunny outside and there were alot of people walking around (i live in the city) i was just joking around with my boyfriend and all of a sudden i felt weird like i was on drugs or something, i felt like my vision was blurred and things and everything looked crooked, my body felt numb and i felt like i was gonna pass out....it happened about and hour and 30 mins. ago and i still feel weird..does anyone else still feel weird a few hours after having one?


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## cbutcher78 (Feb 24, 2012)

Im not sure if Im having panic attacks or not, at first my mouth will get very dry and I cant get enough to drink, my heart will start fluttering then my heart will start racing, I feel like I cant breath. It freaks me out and I keep thinking Im going to die, I have had been to the ER several times in the past 2 weeks and they said it was panic attacks and gave me 1/2 ativan, and I still have the fast heart beat after they gave it to me, the blood work and ekg came back fine..:um


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## AussiePea (Mar 27, 2007)

I will instantly feel sick to the point where I WILL vomit, always. I am also dizzy, sweaty and I get the shivers. This used to happen every time I went out somewhere but thankfully have overcome all that now.

Horrible experiences they are


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## cbutcher78 (Feb 24, 2012)

cbutcher78 said:


> Im not sure if Im having panic attacks or not, at first my mouth will get very dry and I cant get enough to drink, my heart will start fluttering then my heart will start racing, I feel like I cant breath. It freaks me out and I keep thinking Im going to die, I have had been to the ER several times in the past 2 weeks and they said it was panic attacks and gave me 1/2 ativan, and I still have the fast heart beat after they gave it to me, the blood work and ekg came back fine..:um
> Sometimes I will have tightness in my chest, and my left arm and hand will tingle alone with tingling with my lips


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## Cletis (Oct 10, 2011)

I haven't had one for a while (thanks to Zoloft). 

For me I have the following symptoms during a panic attack:

* Dizziness
* Panic
* Confusion
* Heavy sweating - especially in arm pits
* Shaking - especially the hands
* Shaky voice. Voice gets higher in pitch.
* Jitters
* Shifty eyes
* Rapid blinking
* Very rapid heartbeat
* Rapid breathing
* Chest pain/tightness
* Stomach discomfort
* Numbness in fingers and toes
* "Jelly legs"
* Weakness
* Extreme fatigue
* Muscle tension/tightness/pain
* Chills
* Feeling that I'm going insane
* Feeling that I'm having a serious medical emergency of some kind
* Feeling I'm going to die
* Wanting to leave the area immediately
* Wanting to be alone

I've never been to the ER. Some of my panic attacks lasted for days. They are awful. :afr


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## angiemarie (Dec 26, 2011)

My vocabulary becomes very limited, the only thing I am thinking of is my anxiety or how to get out of there, my legs get wobbly, and sometimes they tremble so badly that my legs buckle.


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## midnight marauder (Feb 24, 2012)

my legs get wobbly, hyperventilating, sharp pain in my chest


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## Elona (Feb 24, 2012)

My first one; I remember thinking I was having a heart attack. This was just after that awkward first kiss in school. 

I still get that pounding heart in a panic attack. I also get so hot I feel I am going to burst into flames- in fact, i swear the human torch is based on my panic attacks. I also tense up, especially in the face as if I am trying to stifle a gargantuan scream. And to top it off, there is the odd occasion where I faint as I indeed had the misfortune to do after the unfortunate example above.


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## RoflSaurus (Feb 25, 2012)

I get really angry. My heart rate increases. I lash out at others and scream. Sometimes I hyperventilate to the point where I pass out/faint. At that point I would be bawling my eyes out too.


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## Mandakay13 (Jan 20, 2013)

I have had them for yrs but nowhere as many as I do now. I have them at sort of different degrees I guess. When they first started I had this "inpending doom" feeling and I felt like I couldnt breathe, chest pains, pins n needles in my head and hands, sweaty hands and feet, thinking I was dying or having a heart attack, sharp pains in my head, dry heaving or actually vomiting (pretty sure that was from being so worked up), derealization or feeling like nothing was real (lasted about 6 or 7 mos. with no stopping unless I had a benzo) all of that at once or a couple of those, thats how my panic attacks are. I am currently going through benzo withdrawl, cold turkey bc my drs office stopped giving anti anxiety or pain meds, all together so no tapering and that blows. All the anxiety seems amplified. Rambling... Sorry.


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## emberam22 (Feb 7, 2013)

I always feel the need to hide my panic attacks... Other than trembling and breathing hard no one notices even though I feel the need to cry. I haven't had one in a while... But I remember two obvious ones.


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## Letmebe (Dec 17, 2012)

Increased heart rate, adreneline rush, sweating, heightened hearing, the feeling that everyone is laughing at me, my breathing rate increases, my eyes widen and I start shaking and trembling, I can get rooted in place and the thoughts of how horrible I am and what a failure I am and the feeling that everyone is staring and laughing at me starts.

If it goes on long enough I start feeling phantom sensory memories from a incident that happened when I was 11 and got beaten by a mob of kids on the playground and was left for dead by students and teachers on a freezing cold day.

I grab hold of my stomach or grab one shoulder, in the exact same spots I held them all those years ago while curled up in a ball on that playground being beaten senseless.

If it goes on any longer than that I can have a effect where my brain copes by overlaying a false reality onto the real one for a time, or worse I go into shock.

The biggest problem with my panic attacks is they happen very often, more than 20 times a week.
They can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours.


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## LittleEarthquakes (Jan 13, 2013)

Depersonalization, derealization, heart racing, palms sweating, hands tingling, knees feeling weak, air feels thick, shortness of breath, feeling like I'm losing my mind, everything feels far away yet closer at the same time, difficulty hearing.


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## Implicate (Feb 1, 2011)

My thoughts race out of control, my heart rate increases, I get very hot and start sweating and turn red, I hyperventilate, I get tunnel vision, I have difficulty hearing, my knees go weak, I start gagging and vomiting, I lose the ability to feel my flesh (I often ball my fists and my nails dig into my flesh completely unknown to me, which often causes me to bleed), it feels like an electrical current is running through my body, I am sapped of all strength and become very fatigued, and my panic attacks often chain for hours or days on end.


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## PurrPanther (Nov 16, 2012)

My heart beats very fast, im hyperventilating, i choke on my breath, i start throwing up acid ****, i choke on my puke, i faint, i start shaking while im fainted


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## slider (Feb 9, 2013)

my account of a panic attack come in stages


Preattack. Identified current situation as ideal for panic attack. Example, churches, hosipitals, girls talking to me or have invaded personal space and have touched me, rooms i cannot get out of or start to feel small, large crowds of people, and final is waiting in lines that are slow / going to pay for items and counting my money and losing count or the feeling that i dont have enough money to pay for what ever im buying (because im poor).

0. Implementaion of grounding methods, first start with emotional grounding. Picking colours in the room, visualizing driving to a place and taking every turn, boobs picture a nice delicious flat chested girl - take the image in enjoy it and boom stages of panic attack are gone. Visualize lets say majoras mask or ocarina of time and moving around one of the villages or clocktown. Going into every room and remembering where stuff is. 

Physical grounding methods employed by me
ammonium nitrate cold pack - break the water and boom instant cold for a bit. I put this in my pocket and press it agenst my leg and take in the coolness. It just feels wonderful because most of the time its 115 deg outside. Drink some cool liquid - water or soda (i like water the best with ice)
Ever see a grown man stand in line and pull out a rubic cube and just start going at it? Odds are your looking at none other then me in a situation where i become stressed, like a waiting room and some hot girl just decides to sit next to me and start smiling at me. Chew some gum or eat some candy. I would carry bubble gum in my pocket for this purpose.

I notice the onset of a panic attack when my sense of smell (normally i turn this off in public mode) turns back on and i can smell the environment that i am in. Smells become very intense - like the time i was at the auto department of walmart and the smell of rubber was too much for me and i just avoided that entire area..

smells linked to positive memories of safety or wellbeing are a form of grounding.

Using smells as physical grounding:
stick cinnamon: it smells great and reminds me of when i bake breads.
Bubblegum - reminds me of a summer trip i had to the lake and had this candy for the first time
dish soap - a soap made by polymolive called "spring sensations" is my all time favorite smell. I carried a small tube of this and could smell it with in my pockets even when it was closed.

music - turn on your ipod and sit back usually does the trick unless i have to talk with someone. 

Linking smells with color or songs. When you are in a stressful situation think of a special shade of a colour and boom you smell what ever it is your linked with it or have a taste link. I cant drive with music playing because then i cant see cars due to sensory overload - its annoying.

methods not to be used vs physical grounding:
Putting yourself in a wrist lock / elbow lock - very very painful if you know how to do this and you might even break your wrist if you apply to much pressure. I did try this once and almost broke it by accident. 
(so this was ONE time and i never tryed it again lol **** that just drink some water)


panic attack avoided = true
stopping
if failed = true
next

1. Frustration with current situation
2. Examine escape options, how far am i from doors / others peoples location in relation to me.
3. stage 3 is face flush
4. stage 4 is rapid heart beat
5. flight or flight now in effect
6. escape situation to open air place / if failed escape continue
7 escape failed 
8. hands shake and vomit comes up to my neck
I have never gone beyond this point and actually puked so I'm thankful


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## ThirtySix (Oct 13, 2012)

Heart pounding, sweaty hands, hot or cold flashes, then comes the inability to breathe, and then move.. and at every attempt to move even an inch, my head shakes violently. I try to calm down by breathing slowly, but if it fails the cycle just repeats endlessly. . .

Thanks for the tips slider, will try this tomorrow.


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## Shrewwwww (Feb 13, 2013)

My first anxiety attack was by far the worst. Id start getting short of breath and have to breathe quicker and quicker until I was hyperventilating. Then id start to feel a tingly in my arms and legs similar to when your arm or leg is asleep and you move it. That made it feel like I was shaking but when people felt me I wasnt. As these symptoms go away I feel weaker and weaker almost to the point that I cant move and everything I do leaves me out of breath. I have only had 1 or 2 attacks since then that have been as bad. Now, my anxiety attacks are just intense shaking that seems to come from the middle of my spine and after shaking for a few minutes it really starts to hurt my muscles.


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## Snapple (Feb 13, 2013)

Awful. I normally feel I have pins and needles all over me, and hot flashes.


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## BigBlueMoon (Feb 7, 2013)

Don't know if this qualifies as a panic attack, but in Grade 9 french class, I had to do a presentation that I wasn't ready for, and I wasn't feeling great that morning either (my mom made me go to school). Add to that the fact that I wasn't exactly on good terms with my teacher, and everybody in the class picked on me. I remember starting, getting halfway, feeling very nauseous, getting disoriented, began sweating a lot and eventually it escalated to the point where I asked to be excused.

Dunno if it was a minor panic attack or if I was just really sick. I was able to calm down, but I took the next day of school off since I didn't feel too great them either.


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## DragnoticChaos4231 (Oct 10, 2012)

Hard to breath, feel the need to escape( like said in one of the comment)Some other stuff that I can't remember.


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## MarjoleinL (Feb 15, 2013)

I do have a lot of panic attacks. Everytime when doing something challenging actually. So I avoid the challenging things, because I hate them so much and I even get scared to get panic attacks.

When I get a panic attack, I feel nervous in my stomach, I feel like my whole world is collapsing, like everything will go wrong. I start hyperventilating and I get really sick, and it keeps building up until I vomit. When I vomit, I feel quiet again and the anxiety is gone. Until it all begins again.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Increased heart rate.
I have like a mini hot flash.
Depending on severity, there may be trembling.


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## DesertStar91 (Feb 1, 2012)

Sometimes during finals week, on my way to college, I start shaking and panicking like mad. My minor is going to be linguistics (Can't minor in it yet, it's a community college.) and I start having panic attacks in class if I called up to the front of the class to talk. I have panic attacks all of the time in college. I am surprised I am still going :///


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## Charleyy (Oct 8, 2012)

I don't have panic attacks but I do have very increased heart rate, feels like everyones staring at me (or worse) and I usually sweat. It's weird because I only notice these things once I get back home.


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## bennyboy92 (Feb 14, 2013)

God awful


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## YuyuM (Feb 8, 2013)

I actually believe I had a real panic attack last thursday night (funny it was valentines day and it was one of the worse days of my life, but it had nothing to do with anything romantic wise why I felt like that). I was lying down in bed trying to go to sleep and extremely upset and stressed, and my chest started hurting. At first I wasn't sure what was happening, I started taking deep long breaths in short periods of time to try and calm myself down because I didn't want to over think it. I thought I was having a heart attack, pain was migrating throughout my body and my heart felt heavy. I was panicking and confused and maybe even disorientated and not sure if I should try to get someone awake or call someone. My hands were sweaty and shaky. I was feeling sick. I felt extremely scared and all I hoped for was that it wasn't a heart attack. I even thought of if I was dying and becoming scared of that. 

Honestly I was also scared to get anyone for help, I felt embarrassed, because I have the mentality of not wanting people to know I'm feeling terrible. Nothing like that had happened before, so I wasn't sure what to do. It lasted for a quite a few hours.


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## me480e (Sep 22, 2014)

*Panic Attack*

I have had hundreds over the years. Yesterday I had one that was over the top! I was purfusely sweating ie: DRENCHED with sweat but yet I was cold. I could barely talk to call for my husband My legs were rubber and I needed help to my bed to lie down. It takes about 30 minutes for me to calm down enough to get over them. I am on zoloft and xanax and they are still out of control. I had to be carried to my bed where I stayed until it passed. My husband can spot them coming on before I know it is there. It makes me afraid to ever leave the house without him or someone else to help me when it happens. Horrible feeling....


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## Draconis (Jul 24, 2014)

Recently I have been having these weird random panic attacks. I was in a cab on my way to a meeting and suddenly I felt out of breath , extremely anxious, claustrophobic , my mind was uncomfortable in my own head. It happened a few times after that in my office and on a trolley. I can't really pinpoint what's causing it. Maybe it's the people , or the noise, or it's the stress from work. My blood pressure is extremely low. I'm always so cold, yet my palms are sweaty. I'm only on Zoloft and other 5-htp supplements , but I have been taking it for a long time now. S*** like that never happens to me. I'm not an anxious person in general. It's true that I get confused and overstimulated easily, but this is ridiculous. I sat on a bench in a park to catch some of the last sunlight, and I felt sick from the people walking by, the way they move and how they were too close...ugh. And the sounds are killing me (i'm not being over dramatic). An ambulance drove by and siren was making me feel horrible, I literally ran away from it. Not jogging , straight up sprinting. I'm not sure how to procede further. I might need professional help because this s*** is unacceptable.


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## Owllette (Sep 26, 2014)

How do you tell the difference between a panic attack and just being really upset? When I get stressed out from crowds or overstimulation, I feel very upset, crying, wanting to run away, with a fast heartbeat. But I don't know if I can say that's a panic attack. I've been told a panic attack feels like you are literally having a heart attack. How do you know if you have one?


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## Charlieisnotcool (Jul 10, 2014)

Fast heartbeat,my head is exploding,my hands can't stay still,I feel like I'll vomit soon and I feel like suffocating.


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## social worker (Sep 15, 2014)

heart racing, if you touch me you'll get an electric shock, can't sleep, no appetite, my head is full of helium, if not for my neck it would float away...pretty standard stuff I think...after about 5 weeks of anxiety it magically went away a couple of weeks ago, back to my normal depressed pessimistic self now...:mum


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