panic attack

last night i had a panic attack that came out of nowhere
and my heart was pounding and goin like realllly fast.
it was a bad attack.
but the thing was the attack started at 8pm and my heart didnt fully slow down till like 11.
and this morning i had a panic attack when i woke up and my hearts calming down but its still real fast when the panic  and anxiety comes on.
i thought i was in cardiac arrest or i was gunna have a heart attack.
my anxierys been high all day
and i took a clonazepam (which i do everytime i need it)
is this normal
the heart thing?
thanks

[kteen16]

oh another thing , can your heart beating fast from axiety and panic do anything to you?
like is it bad? can it stop your heart?

[sunset555]

Hey there, you are going to be all right by the sounds of things! I too have suffered on and off in the past with anxiety/panic and most recently within the last six/nine months or so some very rapid heart beats which I can agree are very frightening indeed!!

The one thing I personally never did when I experienced these fast heart beats was to actually take my pulse, because I was so overwhelmed at the time, I didn't even think of doing that. So I guess I am asking you have you actually taken your pulse????? and if so what was it?????? bet you it was all right, because if it wasn't you would hardly have the rapid heart beat for hours on end.

Also you say that this all came out of the blue, which is probably true for you, but I bet that unsubconsiously something was physchologically bothering you for this to happen in the first place.

Only you can decide the answer to that.

How are you feeling now????????

You have certainly come to the right place for support.

Keep me posted, and if you need to talk you know where to find me.

God Bless,
Sunset

[kteen16]

i havent checked my pulse, im afraid too. lol
i dont want it to be to high.
cuz when i think about my heart rate, it gets faster.
thanks for your support, my hearts still goin lol
im trying to take the anxiety away so it will slow down but it takes forever cuz the anxiety comes back then my heart goes faster, its been doing that allll day.

[sunset555]

Hi again Kteen16,

Listen, I have been where you are right now and I am sorry that you are feeling the way that you do, but all I can do is solemly promise you that these feelings and sensations that you are having right now are most likely symptoms, and to put your mind at further ease if you were to make an appointment at your doctors to checked everything checked out, this would also give you peace of mind! greatly. Have you went to your doc??/ and also hey don't ever be scared of taking your own pulse! nothing to be frightened of.

Sunset

[kteen16]

Thank you.
one more question, can your heart beating fast like this for a long period of time do something nad?
like can it give u a heart attack or stop your heart?
thank you so much for your help :)

[kteen16]

and yes i have a docs appointment thursday

[sunset555]

Hi again, firstly I must say that I am no doctor and am no way medically qualified and can only give you advice on personal experience. 'so when you ask me if the fast heart beating can do you any damage, my answer would have to be firstly, at what rate is your heart beat going, as you havnt even taken your pulse, but I highly doubt it will do you any harm or damage, cause if it was going to be damaging for you it would have affected you by now.

I am also so glad that you have made a docs apt for Thursday as you so need to have peace of mind just to settle your mind if nothing else.

Also my doctor once told me many moons ago, that the symptoms simular to what you are experiencing now are all smptomatic and the more you focus in on your heartbeat the louder and the faster it will become, but I doubt that any real danger will come to you.

Hope this helps you a little, as it's not very nice at all to be feeling the way that you do at the moment.

Get well soon.

Sunset.

[Charlotterose]

One thing to keep in mind... no one has ever died from a panic attack.. I mean no one.. no one.. I always tell myself that when I have them...

[Jikan]

Namaste,
Panic attacks are frightening but fortunately physically harmless episodes. They can occur at random or after a person is exposed to various events that may "trigger" a panic attack. They peak in intensity very rapidly and go away with or without medical help.
I can't understand, however, why you take klonopin when an attack is active.  Normally, a fast acting benzo would be used for that purpose, such as Xanax and a slower acting agent would be used on a regular basis.
The two drugs are similar but klonopin has a slower onset of action but lasts longer-almost like an extended release med.  Xanax IR has a quick onset but doesn't last as long unless you take the CR formula (which has a slower onset).  Both effect GABA, a neurotransmitter associated with inhibition.
Without knowing your history it would be difficult to determine what is best for you, so I suggest that when you talk to your doctor on Thursday, you tell him/her exactly what your symptoms are, how often they occur and how long they last. Also let him/her know if there are any particular triggers you can identify.
Other than medication and counseling, exercise(especially yoga) and meditation are good at reducing the frequency and severity of an attack.

Michael