What are your experience of panic attacks?

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Hey,

Just wondering, what are your experience with panic attacks, what usually triggers them for you or are they idiopathic? Thanks in advance

I have PTSD, so my panic attacks are usually due to being triggered by something related to trauma - a sound, smell, or something I saw on TV, especially on the news, or read about. Feeling like I am powerless in a situation can do it.

Getting stuck in a downtown Manila traffic jam with six other people in the van pointing in different directions and yelling at me how to drive, and none of them is speaking pure English.

Blessedly, the seventh person was a former jeepney driver, and got us out of their before I really lost it.

I tend to have bad ones. I sometimes can't feel my hands, I start sweating, and I feel like I can't breathe. They're triggered by paranoid thoughts. I'll start thinking I'm being followed or stalked. I will start shaking and unable to feel safe.

- Claustrophobia

If I'm entering into a situation where the exit isn't clear or the room is very small and enclosed. Especially if someone touches me unexpectedly whilst I'm in this situation.

- When I'm extremely stressed and under pressure

If I'm so stressed that I can't eat or sleep properly, there's a good chance a panic attack is on the way.

Thankfully I haven't experienced an attack for a year now.

What I thought were panic attacks have turned out to be sensory issues, most of the time.

I have gotten major anxiety over arguments and conflict. One time I had to go to work in the midst of an online conflict, and it resulted in a 4 hour panic attack. Terrible day. I ended up hiding in the cash office trying to calm down for most o the shift, which.... people were snitching on me for that. Telling the boss I wasn't doing my job.

In March 2020, with Covid on the rise, the office where I worked set us up for remote work and sent us all home. Literally a few days later, I began contracting symptoms; I think I caught it from someone at work. I eventually recovered, but it was the roughest illness of my adult life.

One day during the summer, isolated in my apartment and fearful of a recurrence, I felt like I couldn’t breathe and like I was having a tingly sensation on my head. I walked into a nearby urgent-care facility. They checked me out but informed me it was likely a panic attack. After hearing this, I felt immeasurably better. I think it was brought on by seeing constant news stories of famous people dying of Covid. The panic attack was a scary experience, as my mind was being flooded by daymare fantasies of slowly dying on a ventilator in a hospital.

I later found out that my brother also went to the doctor complaining of breathing problems and worrying he had Covid, and was informed he was having a panic attack. I’ve since read stories of other people confusing panic attacks with Covid, due to the commonality of a feeling of difficulty breathing.

Experience:

I have a diagnosed Panic Disorder in addition to PTSD etc.
Too many to share including some at work.
I usually end up throwing myself on the ground in tears, or running out of buildings.
Lots of cursing is involved, and occasional throwing of stuff (not at people).


Causes:

Emotional flashbacks from trauma (helplessness, shame and guilt in particular), agoraphobia (having to go outside when I don't want to), sensory overwhelm (auditory and visual misophonia, light sensitivity, scentophobia, texturophobia, having my feet covered by blankets or having shoes / skates / boots tied on), being too hot, not being able to breathe (stuffy nose), not being able to get a necklace off without wanting to rip it off and break it, confinement, confusion, paperwork, court / lawyers, and having too many responsibilities.

I probably have generalized anxiety, OCD, & panic disorder.
One of the main triggers for my panic attacks have been problems in my romantic relationships like feeling pushed away, unwanted, & rejected. Also my first girlfriend had some issues & sometimes gotten herself in trouble(drugs & alcohol related) & I'd start worrying when I wouldn't hear from her when I was supposed to. I'd get thoughts about something bad happening stuck in my head. I'd get an upset stomach & have to use the bathroom a lot, & I couldn't really function. Then when I would hear from them I would take it out on them for triggering my worry(extremely wrong of me). I became controlling & clingy with them in a futile attempt at trying to prevent my panic attacks. That just made the relationship problems worse & it should be no surprise they broke up with me since I was being very abusive to them. Those problems are a lot better in my current relationship partly because I'm on a good psych med combo to treat my anxiety & OCD. Plus Cass is a lot more needy & clingy & doesn't get herself into major trouble so she'd be a lot less triggering than my exes were if I wasn't on meds but of coarse it's still good for me to be on the psych meds & I have no intention of stopping them.

I've had some other triggers as well like planning to go to some social events. I'd get nervous before we'd leave & would get an upset stomach so I'd stay home since I had to stay close to the bathroom. Some other triggers have been stressing about changing plans or stressing about life stuff. I'd get a bit demanding & controlling about the changing plans. For the life stuff stress I'd try to create plans to prevent or minimize the problem.

I have had them before and then a major shut down happens afterwards. It feels like the walls are closing and the room is spinning.

Been taken into A&E twice with supposed pacic attacks

I've got a grip of them now but for me it feels like my heads gonna pop. My legs have gone to jelly with them as well to the point where I literally fell over...thats why I had to go to hospital

It took me years to accept that that's what they are because I was convinced I had epilepsy at one point. They even did an eeg test on me to rule it out and an mri brain scan as well to see if anything else was going on