Hello Everyone,

Right now I was sitting at my desk. I don't know what did it but all of a sudden I felt my heart beating, then I got lightheaded and then I got that scared feeling. The next thing I know I feel like I will go to the bathroom at any moment and that my eyes are not focusing right. Does anyone else get this? What do you do? And why does it just happen all of a sudden. I am working on an important project and I was interrupted which kind of pissed me off. But other than that there was really nothing. I am on Effexor albeit only for the last week but I had been anxiety (panic attack) free for 8 days now. I hate the fact my heart speeds up like that because I feel like it is going to burst out of my chest or just shut down from being overworked.

And I'm already SOB because I have severe GERD and it is healing right now so the panic attack does not help at all. Now I feel even more SOB which makes the panic attack go on and on.

I also hate the shaky hands. I can feel all my limbs shaking uncontrollably and that really bothers me. The weird thing is you can't see them shaking.

I am a professional young adult and no one would know just how much I suffer from this. I feel like it is taking over my life some days.

Does anyone else feel this way? What do you do?

Sorry to hear this is happening. I once had a similar experience sitting in class a couple years ago during college. I couldn't concentrate and kept thinking "what if I die right here in the middle of class?" yet no one had a clue what I was feeling.

At the time, it seems the only thing that works is to wait them out and remember that you're NOT dying. And that you're not alone in your panic attacks.

The good news is that many people seem to grow out of them. I still have day-to-day anxiety and health anxiety, but I haven't had a panic attack in almost two years.

Good luck!

Thanks for the response! I have been telling myself over and over that I will not die but for whatever reason the heart pounding and limb shaking does not help to convince me otherwise.

I went through a few months of absolutely no panic attacks and then from February through April I had a slew of very stressful and unfortunate events take place. I was fine during that time but around May I noticed my body started feeling rundown and my anxiety became ten times what it had been.

I wish I was calm like my husband.