How dangerous are the physical symptoms of a panic attack-when I have one I feel like I could die?
iona
on
Sep 26, 2014
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In my experience, I get the most horrid symptoms. Firstly, I get this sudden overwhelming fear that my chest will suddenly collapse, literally. Like it will suddenly self destruct. Then my breathing as a result messes up because I get paranoid my body is dying on me. And then I can feel my eyeballs in my eye sockets moving around trying to make sense of what I am doing. The walls feel like they are closing in on me and I have no way out. It's like my body is screaming but with no response. When they get super bad, I either am sick or pass out. It isn't the best thing in the world. And the worst thing is they can be triggered from practically nothing.
CMThornRose
on
Nov 11, 2014
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Not dangerous at all so try not to worry about that too. It is often described as feeling as though you are having a heart attack which I myself can relate to. You will feel short on breath, sharp chest pains, sometimes writhing in agony and have pins and needles due to the racing heart with shortness of breath but you will not die.
Randy1
on
Dec 11, 2015
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They are not dangerous at all, just uncomfortable. The only concern is that if you are driving you should pull over immediately, in case you pass out. But panic attacks are not life threatening.
niceninja412
on
Nov 11, 2014
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They can be dangerous and you should seek help if possible,given that the attack allows you to move.
KatieB
on
Nov 2, 2014
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A lot of people mistake panic attacks for physical illness - I once drove myself to hospital thinking that I was having a heart attack, when in fact it was a panic attack. The physical symptoms typically aren't dangerous (although they feel that way) - chest pain is most often stress, not anything dire. However, when you hyperventilate or your heart beats too hard you are at risk of fainting. Your body is incredibly aroused during a panic attack, so use abdominal breathing, deep muscle relaxation and keep hydrated during the course of the attack. Despite the relatively benign physical symptoms, panic attacks can be quite emotionally disabling. If you experience them, seek professional help, because if you work at the problem from its origin, you can stop the panic attacks for good. :)
Sh4una
on
Dec 24, 2015
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In my personal experiences with panic attacks I've realised that feeling like you're going to drop dead or the world is just going to swallow you up is a common thing, I've learnt that there is no real way to be told how to "stop this" you should try and find your own way and go with what you think is best, for example during a panic attack I will always try and play a game on my phone!
Anonymous
on
Oct 12, 2014
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Nowise, the physical symptoms of panic attack includes mainly hyperventilation (fast and deep breathing) and palpitation (fast and strong heartbeat) which causes hyperoxygenation of organism and you can feel tingling in limbs, fainting or you can have feeling like you are going out of your body or like having heart attack.
But in fact, you are in control all the time, it's only fight or flight reaction which is normal part of organisms auto defense system.
But in panic attack it is triggered in situations that didn't contain any risk or danger.
Everything that happens is normal and natural reaction of organism, but in this situation you have scare from the triggered fight/flight reaction and it makes that symptoms worsen and that trigger another defense reaction and that scares you.... It's vicious circle.
But in every case, it's not dangerous! It's only abnormal, and for your calm, it's normal to feel abnormal in abnormal situation.
But one of the important things is to calm yourself and wait if the attack disappear, if not after about 2 hours or if it's worsening, it's strongly recommended go to the hospital and get an assessment.
The reaction itself is very energy consuming, so whether the body wants or not it must after some time end it.
cakeinthebath
on
May 21, 2015
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Panic attacks are very stressful, but they cannot kill you. Think of your body as having a "panic tank", and once that's empty, you return to calm. That's why panic attacks end by themselves.
Anonymous
on
Dec 18, 2015
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panic attack do not lead to death no matter how bad you are feeling from one. taking deep breaths and relaxing is key to helping a panic attack pass. always seek medical care if you are suffering from panic attacks as this may be a sign of an underlying mental health condition.
Elliott13
on
Oct 6, 2014
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Panic attacks are not all that physically dangerous. Although it might feel like you're dying, that is because your body is in panic mode, which may make it difficult to move, think, or even just breathe. When you are having a panic attack, it might be helpful to remind yourself that you are not actually in physical danger.
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