I’ve always struggled with anxiety. I was diagnosed with adhd at 30 years old (now 33). My adhd presented itself as anxiety. I also was diagnosed with ocd. No rituals, just control. Control of everything in my life, including my health. So when I experience my first ever panic attack in January, it was no surprise that I spiraled with it. My panic attacks are more like “rounds of literal survival”. I’ll go from thinking and present symptoms of a heart attack or brain aneurysm every single time and they continue to become more severe. I go to therapy once a week, I see a psychiatrist weekly, yoga everyday, ’m medicated (Zoloft 125mg/day, Propranolol or Clonidine/PRN, Lorazepam 0.25mg/twice daily. My panic disorder is seriously ruining my life at this point. My relationships with everyone in my life, my career… literally everything. I cannot get a grip on it no matter how hard I try. Everyday is a fight for survival.

Hi guys. I'm terrified rn. 7 year history of panic disorder but tonight is testing me. I'm on holiday in another country with online friends. Been awake for 20 hours due to flight. I'm having one of my worst panic attacks in years while my roommate who I barely know is asleep in the room. Heart brutally racing, nausea, feeling super over heated and very intense impending doom 😭 I had 20mg of propranolol about 50 mins ago and have wiped myself down with a wet cold cloth to try cool myself. it's helped a little bit the panic returns in waves.

Can someone please reassure me I'm not dying and that the propranolol will help a bit soon 😅 I really need someone to talk to so i don't freak out more and try to call an ambulance

I really hope someone has gone through something similar because I feel so hopeless right now.

I moved to South Korea in 2022, which had always been my dream. But after moving here, I became very lonely and depressed. I cried almost every day, but I ignored those feelings and just kept going.

In 2023, I struggled a lot with school and put a lot of pressure on myself. I was also living in a tiny apartment that was full of cockroaches. I have a severe phobia of them, so I would often avoid going home until my boyfriend came back from work. I lived there for almost three years, and I never really felt safe in my own home.

In 2024, I became very depressed about turning 30 that next year. I constantly worried about getting older, and my thoughts became very dark.

Then, in January 2025, I started experiencing strange physical symptoms. Sometimes I felt like I couldn't breathe properly, especially at night. I would even wake up feeling like I had forgotten how to breathe. During the day, my throat would sometimes feel like it was tightening. These symptoms lasted for months, but I ignored them.

A few months later, I noticed my heartbeat while lying in bed. It wasn't fast usually around 80–85 bpm on my Apple Watch but feeling it made me anxious. I made the mistake of Googling it, and from that moment on I became hyper-aware of my heart.

Then one evening, after coming home from a concert, I was sitting in the subway when I looked at my Apple Watch and saw my heart rate was 120 bpm. I immediately panicked.

It quickly went to 130...140...150...160.

I tried to get off the subway, but it was still moving. As soon as the doors opened, I ran outside, and my heart rate reached 170 bpm. I was crying, convinced I was dying, and called my parents. They told me it sounded like a panic attack, but I was convinced it was a heart attack or heart failure.

I asked a taxi driver to take me to the hospital. They did blood tests and an ECG, and they told me everything looked normal.

But after that night, my life completely changed.

Now I'm terrified of anything that raises my heart rate.

I'm scared to:

• walk up stairs
• exercise
• walk fast
• go outside in hot weather
• drink caffeine
• even notice my heartbeat

My world has become so small.

In February, I had an echocardiogram and a 24-hour ECG with a cardiologist. The embarrassing part is that I became so scared that I never went back for the follow-up appointment to hear the official results.

I also saw a psychiatrist at the same hospital. She prescribed several medications for anxiety and depression. She mentioned that she had seen my echocardiogram and Holter monitor results. I asked her if there was a heart problem, and she said she couldn't officially discuss the cardiologist's results, but from what she saw, she thought they looked normal. She said the cardiologist would explain everything during my appointment.

For some reason, that terrified me. My anxious brain immediately thought, "What if they found a tumor or something serious?"

At the same time, another part of me thinks: if there had been an obvious heart problem, would a psychiatrist really have prescribed multiple anxiety medications instead of sending me back to cardiology immediately?

Since that panic attack, I feel like I've developed severe health anxiety. I constantly monitor my body and I'm terrified of my heart.

Has anyone else experienced something like this?

Did one panic attack completely change your life?

And if you recovered, how did you get your life back?

Hi, I have anxiety and panic attacks, and I notice that my stomach symptoms get worse when my anxiety is high. I often feel nausea, dizziness and fear that something is wrong. Does anyone else experience anxiety affecting their gut?
Even when i feel okay and in the morning i will wake up my stomach will feel empty and have that feeling that i will throw up and dizzy that i will fall down somewhere…. Who else? Because of that my anxiety is getting very high

One night I had a heart palpitation that startled me a lot, so I stood up super fast and almost made myself pass out. For about 7 hours I was extremely anxious, twitchy, and nauseous. Every since then I’ve been on a journey of taking care of my mental health and seeking different methods that may help cope with my anxiety, as after the panic attack, my anxiety has been in a much different state than it never has before. Throughout these months of trying to get better, I developed a lot of physical sensations that I’ve never felt prior to my panic attack, and sometimes it makes me super anxious that it could be something bad. For about two months I had very very persistent chest pains that were super sharp and/or dull that would be on and off, and last a couple hours to a couple of weeks. It also came with random “zaps” of pain in my fingers and even my toes at some points, but they weren’t as persistent as my chest pain. For a while now I haven’t felt any chest pain, but about a week or two ago my chest pains have come back (not as harsh luckily) as well as persistent headaches. The headaches aren’t painful, but they were for the first week, but now they kind of just linger there and it’s uncomfortable and annoying more than anything. For the first week I would get a little jolt in my head, and the best way I can explain is as if someone poked my brain. I’ve taken blood tests, an ekg, and had a heart monitor for my chest pains, and they all came out well, so my doctor at the time suspected it was just anxiety. I haven’t gotten checked out for my head pains because I’m assuming it’s just possibly chronic anxiety/stress or the amount of screen time I have, and plus I feel fine for the most part. And also because, once again, I’ve never had headaches like this until AFTER my panic attack. I’m wondering if this is normal to occur after a panic attack or if I should get checked out? My fear of getting a MRI scan also contributes to me not getting checked out yet because loud noises are extremely triggering for me I don’t know why.

I understand usually panic attacks last a couple minutes or close to an hour. However, I regularly get very short ones that are triggered by existential anxiety. May be important to note I am not diagnosed with anxiety (my therapists suspects I have it) but I am diagnosed with adhd.

I usually experience sudden panic, fast breathing and heartbeat, and extreme detachment for maybe 15 seconds before I can calm myself down.

Google hasn't really given me any good answers. Are these just very short panic attacks or something else entirely?

I just need to vent and tell my story. I’m so fed up dealing with panic attacks and anxiety.

I’ve been dealing with this since I was a teenager. Bad panic attacks, to the point I would call 911. Things calmed down a bit by the time I turned 18. Then when I was pregnant at 19, all hell broke loose and my anxiety/panic attacks escalated. I guess due to hormones and being pregnant. After I delivered, things slowly calmed down. I recall being panic attack free for about 10-12 years. I always have anxiety and am a very anxious person, but the actual panic attacks were not happening and I felt I had it under control and I could talk myself down if I felt one coming.

Then last year, almost exactly a year ago, everything changed. In May 2025 I had my tubes removed and an endometrial ablation. Everything was fine until July 2025 when I began experiencing palpitations. They just started one day and continued daily afterward. These palpitations triggered worsening anxiety and eventually the panic attacks returned with a vengeance. I figure the surgery caused more hormone issues, which in turn has worsened my anxiety and triggered the panic attacks again.

August 2025 I had the worst panic attack of my life that lasted over an hour. I made my husband drive me to the ER, which usually calms me down, but while there I continued to experience the panic attack. I struggled for months. The panic attacks created phobias, I was scared to leave the house, I didn’t want my husband to leave, he became my safe person and I always wanted him near or I’d panic. He couldn’t even go for an hour appointment without me freaking out. I would constantly worry about doing things or going places out of fear of having a panic attack.

I eventually got a bunch of tests completed (echo, ECG, halter, stress test) all came back normal, my palpitations were benign PVC and my heart was healthy. By about March 2026 the palpitations had seemingly disappeared. And my anxiety/panic attacks slowly were getting better. I still had difficulty going out or doing things, but it was slowly getting easier.

Fast forward to now. I found a lump in my neck that has been confirmed as a nodule on my thyroid. I have hypochondria and finding this out has significantly increased my anxiety and made things so much worse. I can feel myself regressing and everything all the progress I made seems like it’s gone.

Today I had to abruptly leave an appointment early because I had a full blown panic attack and felt trapped. I just wanted to go home. Now I’m scared to even go back to this appointment out of fear of having another panic attack. I hate that I’m like this. Panic disorder is the worst
Thank you for reading…

I’ve been having some really heavy days lately. I’m a student about to start my last semester of college, and I struggle just to get out of bed every single day. I’ve been feeling so lonely and deeply afraid of the future, both for myself and on a global scale. Elections just happened in my country, and a dangerous person won, someone who promotes rolling back our rights and privatizing public institutions and education. I have so much fear about this whole technofeudalism thing, about how the world and my country are falling to pieces. I am afraid as a woman, and I am afraid as a lesbian.

On top of that, there is this constant uncertainty regarding my family. They have been emotionally abusive, but in that specific way that always leaves me thinking, "it's not that big a deal, it's not that bad." Still, the fear is always there that one day they will just decide to cut off their financial support while I'm trying to finish my degree, or that I’ll get a job, lose it, and have to go back to them with my tail between my legs.

I suffer from anxiety disorder, but since last year the snowball has only kept growing. During the last two semesters, the panic attacks haven't stopped, and they are triggered by the smallest things. Last semester I had one right in the middle of class just because the professor assigned a workshop and I didn't know how to answer it. Not long ago, I went to my parents' house, my grandmother spoke to me a bit sharply, and I had to sit down because the shock made me dizzy and my blood pressure dropped. Even everyday things make me collapse. Recently, I gave my girlfriend a haircut and it looked really cute, but the ends were burned, so I went in to trim them, ended up cutting more than I should have, and ruined the shape. I spent the whole afternoon in bed trying to stop thinking about it, but the night came and I just couldn't. I kept waking up abruptly, my heart racing for long stretches.

Now, every time I panic, my blood pressure drops, I get nauseous, I cry uncontrollably, I shake, and all I can do is lie down to sleep because my body feels so heavy and I can't even manage to fix myself something to eat. Physically, I am incapable of relaxing. I suffer from hypertonic pelvic floor and bruxism.

I don’t have the money to pay for a therapist, not even for a single session. Right now, I’m doing JournalSpeak and I read Nicole Sachs' book, and I really try to stay positive, but I honestly don't know how to keep going...

One of my most frequent reasons I have panic attacks is from my death anxiety and a few minutes ago I just recovered from one. This one was different though. I don't remember what sparked it, but I started to feel my panic attack coming on. I started gasping and my stomach felt like it dropped ten stories through the floor. I was shaking and repeating to myself that I was going to die and the world seemed to tilt as I frantically looked around and started grabbing at things to ground myself to reality. It probably didn't last more than ten seconds but it felt much longer. It was one of the strongest attacks I've had in a very long time. But eventually I was able to stabilize myself and caught my breath. But almost immediately after it ended my whole body felt warm and fuzzy and suddenly everything that was worrying me before didn't worry me anymore. The type of death anxiety that I have isn't a sense of doom or death coming soon, it's more existential than that. I fear growing old and life passing me by and then dying and what happens after death. That's the root of my death anxiety. But suddenly, it was like all of my worries and questions were answered and I had this sense of calm and happiness just wash over me. Suddenly growing old and passing away turned into finding a forever partner, growing old with them, potentially having kids, maybe grandkids, reminiscing on old memories, passing away peacefully in a home full of love and not worrying about what comes after. It was like my anxiety just left and I was normal for a few seconds before the warmth faded away too. I'm just curious if anyone else has experienced this? As of right now I'm not panicking anymore but I'm also not calm like before. I've never felt that way before but it felt so nice. To joke it felt like my anxiety was like "here, have a sliver of happiness you've earned it after dealing with me for so long :)" And just to add, I don't frequently have panic attacks, I maybe have one every few months but when they happen they can be intense or silent. However, this euphoric feeling has never happened before, and to be fair, this was one of my most intense panic attacks, so maybe that's why. But I suppose I just wanted to share and discuss with others about this feeling and if it's normal. And yes I have a therapist who I can confide in as well.

I want to hear your worst panic attack stories. I feel there are comfort in numbers. My two most frustrating ones include and unfinished tattoo and crapping my pants on vacation. Community, let's talk about this obnoxious condition!

Hello im am here asking for help because currently i am dealing with alot of anxiety, i have always dealt with anxiety since i was a little kid but since Sunday it has gotten to an extreme level. I am shaking uncontrollably, i dont want to eat and i did feel like there was a lump like where my double chin was but I no longer feel that. It comes and goes which makes me believe it’s anxiety, Yesterday I woke up at 6am to go to the ER because I felt like my throat was closing and stuff like that they gave me a nebulizer and sent me home the nebulizer has helped with my breathing and they diagnosed me with a viral illness idk I forgot the name. Later that night I felt so good I ate and I didn’t shake or anything I felt better. Today now in the morning at 10am I got the same thing all over again yes a little less such as not feeling like my throat is closing but I am shaking and nervous for some reason and im not sure exactly why I am this way. Has anyone felt this way before I just want to feel okay and eat like a normal person again please

hello i’m very new to this sub, im 21 and have always had some degree of health anxiety that would come and go but this year i started living alone which really increased the level of health anxiety i was having constantly. the past month i have been so stressed and consumed by multiple health “issues” to the point where ive been to the er a bunch of times and even gone home because i couldn’t live alone anymore.

yesterday i had what i think was a panic attack for the first time in my life. i am so scared of what happened, i felt like i was out of control of my body and so shaky and in a rush, i was showering and couldn’t even stand there anymore because i had to get out and be with someone. is this normal? more than my usual health anxiety, im now scared about my mental health. i really dont want this to happen again and feel scared of my own body. will i be okay again?

Hey everyone. I had a severe panic attack yesterday that seemed to come out of nowhere. Hours later, I was still panicking with arm numbness, chest tightness and other muscular pains. I called the online emergency department because I was convinced I was dying since the symptoms lasted for hours. Fast forward to today, it’s been over 24 hours since the peak of the attack happened. I still have chest tightness, some minor pain in the chest and other muscular aches (neck, back). Is this normal so long after an attack? I’ve never had one this bad or prolonged before.

Thank you!

Hey does anyone have advice on finding a remote job? With the panic disorder its been extremely hard to maintain in person work. Ive managed a retail position enough to not get fired but not good enough to ever be considered for management. My wife got a ok full time job but its not enough for us to afford rent, food, car payment, phone bill, and whatever life throws at us.

I have a cyber security A.A and certification along with a Linux certification. Im working on getting a business administration bachelor's. I do not care what the job is as long as its remote I'll be able to be reliable for full time without panic attacks getting in the way.

My panic attacks are so bad I can only leave my house in a 10 min radius and even with that driving myself is a huge struggle but I still need to make money and I dont know where to look or what to so. Posting here for advice from people who understand panic disorders

i’ve struggled with anxiety my whole life, but it has never been this bad.
over the past few months i find myself panicking at random moments during the night for no reason, since the end of june to now it’s been way worse.

i’m pretty sure i have stomach issues, because i can’t eat anything without feeling nauseous and like i’m about to vomit. i’ve never felt this way before and it has only been a problem until now. my mom thinks it’s acid reflux so i started taking medicine for it and hopefully things get better.

today i was helping my grandma move out of her apartment with my family and the whole time i just didn’t feel like myself. i feel like i’m not here and like i’m watching someone through their eyes. it’s really freaking me out and i’m scared for school to start again because what if i have a panic attack randomly during the day?

i’m trying not to let this get the best of me but it’s affecting me badly, i want to hangout with my friends but again i’m scared that i’m going to panic and freak them out.

does anybody know what’s going on? i’m really scared and i’m going to make an appointment with my psychiatrist and pediatrician but i don’t know what’s wrong with me.

I frequently have panic attacks due to my stomach , just 20 mins ago I had a short lived one.

I think I over ate and was feeling extremely stuffed + had gas stuck in my chest. Genuinely felt like I couldn’t breathe and burps were getting caught in my throat making it extra hard to breathe.

Does anyone else experience this? I do have GERD and I suspect I have rumination syndrome, I regurgitate my food a lot bc I feel like I need to burp a lot.

I just am so sick and tired of this. I always get to the point of extreme fear and anxiety that I’m actively dying and about to succumb to my panic. My whole body gets numb and I grab at anything and everything so aggressively. I’ve ripped my hair out and have made myself bleed due to it.

I don’t mean to but I can’t control my body’s reaction to feeling like I’m approaching deaths door

Luckily my panic attacks are shorter lived now a days, I am able to sometimes logic my way out of them, but still. I hate even having to deal with these

Has anyone experienced panic attacks that only involve a racing heart?
Sometimes I’m just in the middle of my day when my heart suddenly starts racing real fast and loud for no apparent reason. I think I’m relaxed, I am home alone, not stressed out, there is no reason whatsoever to feel anxious but my heart starts pounding hard.
I don’t experience any other symptoms that are commonly associated with panic attacks—no intense fear, no sense of doom, no problem breathing, or noticeable mood changes. Nothing. It’s literally just a racing heart.
When it happens, it can last anywhere from a few minutes to about an hour. Sometimes it happens several times in one day, and other times I can go weeks without it happening at all.
I’m 30F and generally healthy. I had my annual health checkup last year, including a standard ECG, and everything came back normal and healthy. I do have ADHD and Bipolar disorder but I’m taking meds for both(Concerta for adhd and Depakote and Latuda for BPD) and have been dealing with them very well.
Could this still be a type of panic attack, even if a racing heart is the only symptom? Or is it a heart problem?

Was given for a flight, I have been suffering with extremely bad flight anxiety and panic attacks due to claustrophobia. I am also very scared to try the medicine and panic on it or feel trapped in the feeling of it. Another worry is could I get rebound anxiety from using this just two times? Can anyone give me advice or convince me to take the med?