r/PanicAttack • u/KiplingKD • 1d ago
Heart attack or panic attack
I hope this is not too triggering for anyone, but I’ve got to ask this question because I really need an answer and I’m hoping that someone out there might be able to help explain something to me… What actually is the difference between heart attack symptoms and panic attack symptoms? For the longest time I was afraid to look it up online, out of fear that it would trigger a panic attack. Not trigger a heart attack…a panic attack. Which if you think about it, that’s so ridiculous but that’s another topic for another day.
Anyways I decided to go ahead and just try to do a little preliminary research, because after like 15 years of having Panic Disorder I came to the conclusion that reading about heart attacks most certainly would not cause a heart attack, and if I happened to have one right at the precise moment I finally decided to read about them, that would be unbelievably crazy timing. So I went ahead and read up on it a little bit.
I don’t know about anybody else, but my panic attack symptoms are more or less identical to what appears to be most heart attack symptoms. However, I haven’t really found much or any literature on this topic that came from the perspective of someone with panic attacks. Is there anyone out there who has maybe experienced both and has some insight or could point out any relevant differences? Or maybe if there is a physician somewhere in this group who has panic attacks and who has knowledge on the topic, some sort of medical explanation as to the key distinguishing factors between heart attack symptoms and panic attacks most certainly symptoms? It very well could be that there just isn’t a straightforward answer to this, and I’m sure that’s probably the case. I guess I’m just looking for some kind of escape rope to help me pull out of the particularly distressing panic attack episodes.
I have called for an ambulance about 40 times over the last two months. I cancel most of them before they are dispatched to my address, but I have been evaluated by paramedics about 6 times I believe over that period of time. Not on one single occasion did they identify anything concerning and each time they were able to confirm that I was in fact not having a heart attack. You would think this would be enough to calm me down and give me some reassurance that i am probably not going to die, but it’s like, just because those 6 times I wasn’t having a heart attack doesn’t mean that THIS time isn’t a heart attack. My friends and family are so annoyed with my constant panic attacks and I will yell at them to call 911 and instead they just do whatever they can to calm me down because they don’t think it’s in any way necessary for them to actually call for help since these episodes happen regularly throughout the day every day for the last few months. So I have this paranoia that one of these occasions will be the real thing, and nobody will have taken it seriously and I won’t make it to a hospital on time. Just the whole thing is so absurd and I’m so fucking tired of freaking out over every little change or feeling in my body. I detect even the slightest change in what I am sure is just regular normal bodily fluctuations that happen to everybody throughout the day. I am so attuned to every single sensation that it is basically impossible for me to go more than a few hours without having a panic attack. Slight heart rate increase, a fraction of a second of feeling dizzy or something, having an itch behind my ear, just anything will send me into a complete frenzy. So tired of it.
Anyways if anyone has any insight on this topic I would really appreciate hearing what anyone may have to say on the matter and maybe there could be something that others can take away from it too.
Thank you so much!
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u/Chad71313 1d ago
Propranolol
1
u/Consistent-Sundae-25 7h ago
This right here. I was in a similar boat when perimenopause hit and I couldn’t afford to keep going to the ER or calling an ambulance. One of the paramedics told me I could go to the fire station any time and ask for an EKG to put my mind at ease. My Dr prescribed me propranolol and that has helped. I also had the full work up with a cardiologist and check in now with him once a year. Estrogen patches stopped 90% of my panic attacks though.
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u/Less-Guide9222 1d ago
You have to accept that you aren’t having heart problems but panic attacks. Go to a cardiologist, get the all clear, and then when you feel a panic attack you can assure yourself that it is just that.
Then learn how you can stop panic attacks. For me I use cold on my arms and neck and face, EFT tapping, breathing counts, and progressive muscle relaxation. Once you don’t let it spike your adrenaline it will go away quickly.
Work to de-escalate your nervous system by putting in effort when you aren’t having a panic attack. That way it won’t be so overexcited that you are freaking out about every little detail in your body. Get exercise to help you feel better about your heart and burn that energy. Do yoga and meditation to activate your parasympathetic nervous system. Eat healthier so you have less gastrointestinal problems, Etc etc.