Passing out from panic :(

[Amy1986]

Hi everyone,

Has anyone passed out after a massive panic attack, i havent had one in months and i woke up last night at some ridiculous time and my heart felt like it was trying to get out of my chest, went to the bathroom and keeled over :( is this something being wrong with me, thought i was going to die, can nightmares trigger panic attacks?

[trinidiva]

You won't die from a panic attack, although I can say that personally I have had some that make it feel that way.

[Basil_art]

Our brain is the main trigger of panic attacks. Subconciously we are in a state of expecting that something wrong may happen even thouth there is nothing to be afraid of.

[bhamlaxy]

You may want to check out a doctor just in case, but it sounds like you just had a weird dream or something that spurred a panic attack. You could have stood up and moved so fast that you got dizzy and fainted temporarily.

[PanicCured]

I'm not clear of what you are describing. Did you actually pass out or just felt like you would but didn't?

You say "keel over". Do you mean you woke up and got up fast and got lightheaded?

[Amy1986]

Sorry, keel over meaning passed out

[bhamlaxy]

My guess is that you woke up in a panic attack, got up quickly and walked to the bathroom. You know how sometimes when you stand up too fast your vision gets black and it takes a few seconds to get back to normal? That, combined with possibly high blood pressure from the panic was a bit too much.

[laurandisorder]

I have passed out from a panic attack once - well more than once, but it was the same severe attack. This was the worst one I have ever had and I ended up having to go to the ER. I couldn't even walk or stand up. It was pretty bad.

The fainting was from extreme hyperventilation, low blood pressure and not having much food during the day. The attack was an adverse reaction to smoking pot :s (never again).

The good news is that it hasn't happened since and apparently it is very, very rare. When I went to the hospital, the Doctor there said that it was my bodies way of trying to shut down. Not in a bad 'dying' kind of way, just in a 'brain and heart rate sort yourself out' kind of way.

I hope you're ok? I got some nasty bruises from my experience!!

[Amy1986]

Tiled floor didnt agree with my head but im ok :) thanks. I did get a little scared to go to bed at all for a few days after but can't really stay awake forever.