I am 20 years old, soon to be 30 next month. So on 8/10/2011 I experienced my first panic attack- I went to the urgent care because I thought I was having a heart attack or stroke. My heart started racing after feeling an electric type shock from my chest to my neck. I felt like I was going to faint, but didn't.
The urgent care gave me Xanax in which I took for about 2 weeks. I actually was starting to feel a little better. The Dr then started me on some anti-depressant which I had a really hard time taking- they made me feel worse. The Dr thought that maybe the dose was just too high so now I am taking a different medication Fluoxetine 10mg daily and 1/2 a 0.5mg Xanax as needed.
It's been a few months now and I don't feel like I am getting any better, I feel like I am just getting worse. The worst of my panic symptoms is when I have like a skipped or extra heart beats it feels like and my chest goes iced cold for a quick minute. I have had the heart thing checked out EKG, labs, 48 hour monitor, Xray and all was normal. I don't see anyone that has experienced this cold sensation with the feeling triple heart beats... Anyone? Anyhow, I am in search to cure this anxiety panic attack thing I got going on. Is there anyone on here who had anxiety/panic attacks and doesn't have to deal with it anymore? is it possible? How long does it take to start feeling better.
I assume you meant you're 29 (not 20) soon to be 30...right???
Sounds like maybe stress over turning 30 may have triggered an anxiety attack in you. I was stressed on my 30th birthday too. Trust me, you're still very young. What I'd give to be 30 again! LOL
Your symptoms are all common anxiety symptoms. I've had skipped beats and "fluttering" sensations with my heart at times. I went to the doctor and had about 50 tests and everything was OK. That gave me peace of mind knowing I was OK. It was just anxiety.
You have to give the SSRI antidepressants several weeks to work. You may feel worse until they kick in. Just keep telling yourself you're OK. Xanax is good for fast relief of anxiety.
How long it takes to get better depends on you. Everyone is different. Most people respond well to the medications. I still get anxiety but the medication I'm on [Zoloft] lessens the symptoms. You have to take it for several weeks to get the full benefit of it. Will you ever be "cured"? That depends. Does this sort of thing run in your family. It does in mine. If you have a genetic predisposition to it it will be harder to get rid of. If this is just a stressful time for you and you don't have the genetics for it then you should make a quick recovery. Anxiety has a high relapse rate. But now that you know what it is you won't be as scared if it strikes again.
Wow. Yes what I meant was 29 going on 30. When i first read it i thought it was the response to my comment. I was like dang this person is having the exact same things as me. woah.
Anyhow, thank you for your response. I do not seem to have any anxiety in my family genetically- some depression and mild anxiety I suppose, but nothing like mine. My biggest problem now is trying not to be afraid of it. For some reason I can't seem to believe that there is nothing wrong with my heart. My whole body hurts. It's like last week I felt great, like everything was starting to get better. Come today Monday- back to square one. I don't know if it's the anxiety causing all my pain in my neck and back, numbness in my arm and pain in my shoulder or if it's the auto accident I got in in August and the continued chiropractic treatment I get. I am trying acupuncture this Saturday hopefully that will help me out some. I so wish I was 20. lol I think 30 it a big scare- especially since I still haven't had any kids nor married. I stress the small things obviously. But I do have set in my mind that something is wrong with my heart. Any chest pain or arm pain for me is like "oh no... somethings wrong- can I breathe? yes I am breathing okay... deep breaths... It's ridiculous. The Dr's aren't much help with this stuff. I felt like they kind of looked at me like a freak.
Obviously the auto accident injuries could be the source of your pain and numbness but anxiety can cause these symptoms too. Perhaps a CT scan or MRI could reveal the source? I've had more back, neck and leg pain than I can count---all due to anxiety. I know it's hard to forget about your heart when it's bothering you but it is reacting to your anxiety exactly the way it's supposed to. These symptoms are harmless.
Yes, I know regular MDs can be unsympathetic to this problem. I used to go to one that thought I was an absolute loon. He'd just roll his eyes when I'd show up. The one I have now is much better. He's much younger and probably has been educated in anxiety more than the older guy. I used to go to a Psychiatrist for a while but he moved to another city and I haven't been to one since.
Anxietygoaway,
I am 32 and also suffer from panic attacks and my heart skipping beats, fluttering, racing...you name it and my heart has done it. I have had this going on for 5 yrs now and it has controlled my life. I have went to many drs and they have all said nothing is wrong with my heart but still feel like I have some heart condition that they don't see. Looking back I don't know which came first the heart skipping beats or the panic but it got so bad I couldn't leave the house. The panic attacks would happen soon as I walked out the front door. I take celexa and buspar daily and ativan when needed. I do better now but it is still a struggle every day and I too wonder is this ever going to end. I am married but have no children I would love to have kids but don't want to bring them up in this enviroment of panic I have. These past couple of weeks have been bad for me so I have been reading different post to see how others handle there panic and decided to join so I could reply to some. I hope this helps me as well as all the others who suffer with this awful anxiety/panic.
I just had acupuncture today- More so for my back and neck pain, chest pain. But the lady did a couple more for anxiety. Ya know what? I actually feel some relief... Anyone else tried acupuncture for anxiety?
I'm actually having MAJOR problems with constant, huge panic attacks right now, primarily because the antibiotics I'm on are the direct cause of this and I have to take them for a month(!)
Have you tried Propranalol? It's just, I went to the doc yesterday, SUPER-panicky, and asked him if he could give me something to help with the anxiety the antibiotics were causing, and he gave me these, 28 x 40mg tablets.
They don't actually cure the 'head anxiety', but they cure the 'body anxiety' for a few hours, they slow down your heart rate, cut out the shakes etc., even though your mind might still be worried, your body doesn't exhibit all the usual, horrible physical reactions, it remains calm. I'm really quite impressed by them, they're giving me a few hours of respite each night and for that I'm thankful.
I have had the cold feeling befor the panic gets to its worse point I get the cold sensation and then it happens, the doc also gave me anti ds but I stopped taking them as they made my panic worse I havnt been able to go back as I can't leave my house
I do hope you get rid of you panic forever as its so horrible
Re: Panic attack? (Anxiety) 
Re: Panic attack? (Anxiety) 
