panic attack or heart attack?

[travissanders]

(male, 22 years old) so for a while now ive had heart palpitations and panic attacks.....ive been to many doctors...had many tests done (EKG, BLOOD, THYROID, HEART MONITERS), everything. ive had all these at lease 20 times. they always say that its panic and anxiety attacks. sometimes i think im having a heart attack but everytime i go to the hospital its a panic attack....are the doctors wrong or is it most likely i am in fact having panic attacks......maybe i'm a hypochondriac....i dunno. lemme know what you think.

[mark115]

im 30, i've had the same thing, are there triggers to your attacks? i've had mine when there was a clear situation that worried me. so it felt like a heart attack, really scary, but it only manifested itself in that worrisome situation, my guess is if you are having attacks without any reason, then it could be your heart, but if the docs and tests say other wise, then i would trust those and try to relax about it, stress can be a big factor

[travissanders]

yeah the doctors alawys say im fine. its probably stress.....i mean.....who doesn't have stress these days days? thanks for responding.

[travissanders]

ive been on meds before also....and when i was my symptoms went away. i think maybe i think too much into things. i dunno. i just want to be healthy. my mom has panic attacks also. maybe its passed on. all i know is panic attaks are one of the scariest things ever........i wish i never got them.

[adviceseeker777]

HI,
I've been suffering from panic attacks since I was a child and have been on meds for about 15 years now for them.  I'm in my late 30s and I can tell you that to this day I still think I'm having a heart attack when it's a panic attack.  I've gone to the ER so many times I've lost count.  I'm also a huge hypochondriac so I'm sure the doctors are always missing something, but I will say after the amount of tests i've been through and the amount of doctors I've seen...I'm fairly certain it's all mental.  That's not to say the symptoms aren't physical and very real.  So take comfort in knowing...I've had at least a thousand panic attacks and NOT ONE has been a heart attack. They've just felt like it>
best,
k

[1234567891010]

Low vitamin b6 causes panic attacks. Take a good  vitamin b complex if your doc o.k's it. My panic attacts went away afters years of suffering. They went away as soon as I started the b complex. Look it up on google under orthomolecular medicine .Take care

[HeartMaja]

Panic disorder is marked not only by triggers that cause attacks but also sudden ones that seem to come out of nowhere.  If you have had all of these tests done and they all came out normal, then I would trust the tests.  The best thing to have done is an MRI.  If you are still worried, get second opinions.  Just do whatever it takes to calm your nerves.  I am not a doctor but I have to say, with all the check-ups you've had, I'd say it is panic disorder.  Even if they seem to come out of nowhere, they can still be caused by stress (you may not realize you are stressed but life-changes, work, school, etc. can cause this), caffeine (or energy drinks), smoking, medications like Adderall (adderrall) (amphetamine salts) or anything that is stimulating.  The curious thing is, I have panic disorder and I take Lexapro, Klonopin and Adderall (adderrall).  The combination of Adderall (adderrall) and Klonopin make me feel "normal."  At least most of the time.  I noticed I have more of a problem with palpitations when I am tired.  Might also note, even though you probably already know this, palpitations are just an awareness of your heartbeat.  It is not arrhythmia -- although you can have arrhythmia but your tests would have shown this.  Simple EKG will show that.

[HeartMaja]

Edit: I stopped taking Lexapro because it made me feel "neutral" (just didn't really care about anything -- not happy or sad.  Just blah.  Also makes you have NO sex drive) so my doctor prescribed me Wellbutrin which I think works with dopamine rather than seratonin?  Not sure.  Either way, it works better as I actually cry during movies again!  :)  Also, it helps with sex drive.  For some, it's like Viagra.  Wellbutrin (generic: bupropion) is also a medication used for smoking cessation.  I smoke and did notice I didn't crave cigarettes as much -- but I still smoke.  

[tlmelec]

About 20 years ago, I had panic attacks. I would get a bad tingling sensation through my whole body and would have difficulty breathing (or so it felt). I always thought I was having heart trouble. Medical tests never revealed any issues. After several months of this, I happened to see on TV a report about the effects of caffeine. I was a candidate as I drank a brand of soda that was known to have high caffeine content. I cut anything with caffeine out of my diet. Within about 1 week, the attacks mostly went away. Once they started subsiding, I was able to mentally counter an onset of an attack. Within another month, they became almost non-existant. I no longer have panic attacks and avoid caffeine as much as possible. This worked for me, but I imagine there could be other causes for different people.

[BarbsS60]

Hi everyone,

I've suffered (am suffering ) with panic attacks since age 11 and am now 60.   I believe  my parents took me to every Doctor in my home City to try and get a diagnosis.  The dx of panic disorder was not yet available so I ended up with many  dxs".  I am sure it was very frustrating to my parents, however, more so to me.

Finally in 1982 I was diagnosed!
Of course that was the year my first child was born and what a trigger that was.  I found a great shrink who had recently heard of panic disorder so I was pleased as could be.  Many meds were tried, most of which did not work.  Therapy was expensive.
About 1995 I had a HUGE panic attack while I was driving, hearts palps, pvc's, my life was ending etc., a massive panic attack.  I was able to drive to my PCP'S office, he was out, however I was able to see an associate immediately.  I was devastated when she said the words:  panic attack.  Being a woman I was able to cry.  She asked me if I would like to try going on this med called Zoloft, I wasn't happy about going on it, but I knew I had no choice.  I was so tired of the attacks, they were so draining.

Well, this little story does have a happy ending.  Zoloft didn't cure my attacks, however, I have never since 1995 had a HUGE attack again.  Yes, I do have what I call mini-attacks, but not so often.  

In my opinion, panic attacks are all about losing control and other people seeing us not looking normal.    A lot has to do with Seratonin not being abundant which is the reason for zoloft in a low dose.

I wish all with this disorder, normalcy & peace in they're life's.

Barbs