Is it dangerous to have a panic attack after exercising if your EKG and Treadmill Stress are okay?

I suffer from panic attacks occasionally, but recently I have panic attacks after I exercise.. And by panic attack I mean they are doozies of panic attacks! While I am not scared of exercise in itself (before these panic attacks, I worked out 5-7 days a week religiously), I am actually scared of the panic attack that will follow the workout. I worry that the panic attack will cause my heart rate to increase on TOP of a high heart rate form working out and cause a heart attack or something (work out heart rate + panic attack heart rate = worry!) and that actually triggers the panic attack itself.. I know it seems dumb, haha..

Im 21, and I have had an EKG and treadmill stress test done, and my cardiologist says my heart is healthy and fine. My highest blood pressure while working out was 168/90, which she also said was lower than many people while exercising. The only other thing that was slightly abnormal was a PVC, which she said was benign and no cause for concern at all.

Bottom line, its not possible for a panic attack to hurt you, even after exercise, right?  I really want to start working out again!

[Tgodwin]

I don't think it's dangerous....I just had my stress test today and I had a pvc during it and I had a panic attack and my heart rate shot up to 215 bpm but the nurse said everything looks ok and she didnt seem concerned at all when i was at 215.

[RNRita]

I don't think a panic attack on top of exercise can do much except make you feel crazy.  I just never heard of exercise causing one, and am wondering if you are low on water or sugar before working out????

[dolfnlvr]

I'm wondering what you are calling a panic attack?  Sometimes, tachycardia is "blown off" by ER doctors as a panic attack when they see the patient post episode.  

Saying that you've been having panic attacks for years indicates to me that you are familiar with the experience, are these things you are experiencing the same or different?  Do you have the emotional symptoms of panic attack as well as the physical tachy?

[taron0]

I wasn't in the ER.. I went to see my family doctor, who referred me to a cardiologist.  They ran a treadmill stress test, echo, etc.  She said everything looked fine and all that.  I have also done a halter monitor in the past for 24 hours, because I had palpitations which turned out to be the same benign PVCs that show up on my EKG.  I don't know what tachycardia is, but yes the emotional symptoms are what I "feel" the most.  In reality, I don't 'feel' my heart as much as I know its beating fast because of my HR monitor that I wear when I run.  I watch my heart rate go up, and watching it get near 160/170 BPM when I run started getting me nervous, which would trigger it to go higher, and then I would end up in a panic mode scared that my heart rate from running was going to be too high for me to have while a panic attack was occuring, which intensified it, etc, etc.. If that makes sense?

[taron0]

Also, I have had several EKG's done, and my resting heart rate is typically around 53-60 BPM.

[dolfnlvr]

In that case, for peace of mind, why not call your cardiologist and tell her/him what your noticing, and if they think you should come in or where a monitor while exercising they'll do so.  On the other hand they may tell you that it's nothing and you can relax.  Either way, the peace of mind you can get just by speaking to someone who "knows something" (medically speaking) can alleviate symptoms all by itself.

As for your primary question...your body will not allow a "panic attack" to kill you.  You'll pass out and "reset" before any damage occurred.  That isn't really likely either.

Take care...we're here for moral support whenever you want/need it.

[sidbee]

Guys,

I am in the same boat these days.

Have my Threadmill test on friday , and the anxiety is alreasy making me feel crappy.
Had my last Threadmill test in Oct 2007 , I am 31, I can exercise and i have no problems , but when i see my heart rate going up , i have a Panick attack and it goes up more.
Last year in Nov , in the gym my Heart rate touched 200 and i called 911.

My life is nothing but a fear....

[SGT1982]

HELP, I dont know what to do. I am in the military and about 8 months ago after a hard run I has all the symptoms related to a panic attack that landed me in the ER. To make a long story short the ER told me to see a cardioligist, which I did. First off he ran the stress test and echo. He informed me that failed the stress test, daid that I wasnt getting enough oxygen to the back of my heart, we then did a heart cath. After that he slaped me on the back and said all clear. The thing is I am 27 yrs old with a history of anxiety issues, but I have been in the military for ten yrs and working out, until now. This happened once before, which in both cases it was within 5 min after doing the workout. I have not had an attack since, but I havnt worked out since the incident, which ultimatly has led to a reduction in rank since I could not complete the required PT test. I dont know what to do.

[carliii]

taron and sidbee, your descriptions are a carbon copy of how i feel.  I'm 32 and these panic symptoms after exercise have come and gone in the past 10 years or so.  I'm in the middle of one right now after suffering a few major panic attacks earlier this year.  Cardio tests all negative and EKG's and cardionet (which picked up a couple of major panic episodes) only sinus tach.  My baseline cardio stats are optimal too which makes the "heart" troubles more puzzling- resting pulse 52-56, bp 115/70, total cholesterol 140.  

This stuff goes away eventually but you have to be patient and let your nervous system and mind "calm" back to equilibrium.  Meds can help-- I'm on a combo of low dosages of Inderal LA (80mg 1x day), Klonopin (.25 prn) and Prilosec (1x day) which have been helpful.

[Fina603]

Today I was on the treadmill and I was adjusting the incline periodically during the workout.  After about 25 minutes I started to bring the incline down and I felt strange; as if I was in another world and then I felt lightheaded and dizzy and my heart started to race.  I got off the treadmill and was terrified and felt tingling in both my arms.  It almost felt as if I was having a panic attack.  This has happened to me three times this year after exercising.  I am so terrified, I just turned 50 and am currently under a great deal of stress.  Could this be anxiety induced or could there be something else going on? Most normal days I work out for 50 minutes on the treamill and eliptcal machine with no issues.