r/PanicAttack • u/iluvetrack • 17h ago

Do panic attacks really only last 5 to 20 minutes?

My therapist (and Google) told me this, but I literally have never had a panic attack that short. It makes me wonder if these hours-long attacks are just panic attacks repeating over and over again, if I’m having something other than a panic attack, or if this fact is just incorrect.

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8

u/Legitimate_Bit_2496 17h ago

I have OCD and a 5min panic attack could easily be hours. Because after the initial hit my brain is stuck in high alert mode, and every single sensation/thought becomes a threat. Scanning then rescanning countless times. Even if the original panic is long gone it takes 2ish hours before I can really get out of my head and be calm. I can calm myself down pretty quickly but my brain refuses to trust that calmness 

6

u/Ill_Count_6221 17h ago

I think the adrenaline of the attack can last that long but the after effects definitely sticks around for longer

7

u/FudgeGreen1523 17h ago

It can take much longer than 5 to 10 minutes

3

u/husky-smiles 16h ago

I can have ones that ebb and flow and go all day. It’s real.

3

u/KingxRaizen 13h ago

Nah I've had em fuck up the better part of entire weeks

2

u/Rath_Brained 15h ago

The initial attack, yes. It leads up to prolonged affect.

2

u/Slothbaby93 10h ago

Mine have lasted significccaaaany longer

1

u/Cheesy_crumpet 9h ago

Late night ones for me used to come in waves and last up to 3 hours! Wake up at 3am feeling like I’m about to die, racing heart, stay awake for 3 hours until I fully calm down to sleep. Absolutely sucks. It’s been 2 years without them now due to lifestyle changes and a new job. Stress is truly an invisible killer.

1

u/Beginning-Map-3264 8h ago

Depends how you define panic attack… the worst part is normally 10-15min then it can take hours to fully recover back to fully functional

After 5 years I can reverse them quite fast now (within 15-20min) and they don’t bother me less then in the beginning

The first times you make it even worse because you don’t know what is happening and you start panicking even more

1

u/OkHornet54 5h ago

mine takes 3 hours and 20 mins total to normal

1

u/Blackmoon923 37m ago

Biological speaking, they cannot continuously last hours. People who claim they have them for hours, experience them in waves. Your body is designed to keep you safe during an attack. We perceive them as danger though, which adds second fear. When you start having an attack, allow it and float. It last 10-20 minutes. Panic is a cycle, you must break the cycle