Question:
Recently I had what my Doctor said was a panic attack. I thought that I
was having a mini heart attack and wasn't sure I'd be alive by morning.
I have read panic attacks last a few minutes and then are over. This was
bad for quite some time and I still had symptoms up to 24 hrs later.
Started woke up struggling to breathe. Hots flushes everywhere but
mainly chest, crawling skin, heavy legs. After a couple of hours I
nearly rang for a taxi to take me to casualty. Then after about 8 hours
when feeling mostly better I got paralysed. I couldn't move. By morning
I felt mostly ok and was going to give docs a miss when my chest went
funny again so I went. Was that a panic attack or a mini stroke or heart
attack?
Answer:
Panic attacks can last for hours, or it's possible to have several over a
period of hours. So yes, it's quite possible what you experienced was a
panic attack. If the doctor's checked you over and ruled everything else
out, then that's the most likely explanation.
When you say you became paralysed, did that feel like a physical paralysis,
or one brought on by fear? If your arms bent "by themselves" so that your
hands were up by your chin, and your hands became stiff and unmovable, that
can happen as a result of overbreathing. Your legs would have become stiff
and straight and you wouldn't have been able to move. It can be relieved by
breathing in and out of a paper bag (plastic bags can be used, but are a bit
dangerous if they become stuck over your mouth and nose).
If you recovered from this attack apart from some tingling or other
sensations, then it's not likely to have been a heart attack or stroke,
although people who suffer their first major panic attacks think that's
exactly what it is because the symptoms feel so extreme. However, a panic
attack is perfectly harmless, does subside in time (it feels like it will go
on forever), and can be controlled by relaxation exercises, breathing
exercises and/or medication.
If the attacks continue, see your doctor about possibly changing your
medication as it may be a change in your anxiety condition which might
require alterations to your tablets.
My own experience tells me that the after effects can last quite a long time
ranging from a few minutes to a day or so. It was good that you had it
checked out by a doctor. Trust his judgement on this that it was a panic
attack and not a heart attack or stroke.
The doc would have to ask you several questions, examine you, and possibly
order some tests before he could answer that question with any degree of
certainty.
However the fact that you had so many symptoms in different parts of the
body suggests anxiety and not organic illness.
In the past I have awakened in the night with a heart beating very fast and
hard, and felt short of breath, and panicked because I thought something was
wrong with my heart. But the episode ended after several minutes and I
slowly became less anxious, so I figured it was a panic attack. It was a
nocturnal panic attack.
