Panic or Heart Disease?

[mchr1111]

I am a 29 year old female. I don't smoke (any more), I don't drink caffeine (any more), and I consume absolutely no artificial sweeteners or soda (any more). I've suffered off and on with panic and anxiety for about 9 years.

This past October, I started having panic attacks again, and they all felt like a heart attack. I had random pains in my chest and under my sternum. My arms hurt and my jaw sometimes feels tight. To top it off, I've had random muscle pain since I was 14 and GERD for just as long. I've been having panic attacks to the tune of about 1-3 a day for months. Zoloft isn't working and I just found out I'm pregnant again, so I can't take klonopin. Thank goodness that my husband is amazingly supportive.

My question is, does anybody else have panic attacks that you are SURE are heart attacks? I've had 4 EKGs, 3 chest x rays, and the heart attack blood work done in the last 2 years and they're all normal. I still have moments every day when I'm SURE I'm just a ticking time bomb for a heart attack.

Am I crazy???

[bbww]

I went through the same thing. I was convinced it was my heart or a respiratory disease. I tried xanax, Klonopin for about two years nothing seemed to help ...just made me depressed and lethargic, I even stopped leaving my house. Finally my doctor put me on 90mg of Cymbalta. I haven't had a panic attack in two years!!

I know everyone is different but it's worth a chance.

[LRon]

No, you absolutely are not crazy. You are "normal" in the sense that the symptoms of panic/anxiety can be frighteningly and maddeningly similar to heart disease. You are one of countless people who are enduring the same thing. I know because I've been there, for a long time -- actually since I was a kid.

You have every reason to believe that you are totally fine physically. Your young age, the tests, etc all indicate that. If you can get to the bottom of your anxiety, the chest pains, palpitations, etc should also go away. One good place to start is by trusting that your heart is OK. That will reduce your anxiety.

I can email you something that I think you'll find reassuring. If you send me a private message with your email, I'll pass it along.

Congrats on the bun in the oven, by the way! :-)