Can a panick attack effect oxygen level?

[nicole123x]

Can having a pannick attack effect the amount of oxygen in your body? Is this true?

[Mr Anxious]

Yeh if breathing changes, CO2 levels and oxygen change

Kindest Regards

Richie

[nicole123x]

During a pannick attack my level has went to 85% once, I know this seems pretty low but it came back up a minute or something later, and my general everydayoxygen levels are now 98-99% could the drop be caused by my attack?

[Mr Anxious]

Sorry i was generalizing , you lost me at percentage lol, how do you measure that?

[nicole123x]

About 3-4 months a go I had a really bad pannick attack. I called the ambulance, and when the ambulance came they put that clip thing on my finger that measures your pulse rate and oxygen levels, when they first put it on (during my attack) obviously my heart rate was very high, then with me panicking even more wondering what is happening to me I was watching the screen that shown my pulse and ox levels and it went down to 85% then I started to really pannick! After about 20 seconds the 85% eventually went back up to normal and I started to calm down and my attack finished and I got took to hospital and then eveything was fine my ox level was 99% again! And every time I go to doctors they take my bp and oxygen levels, and my oxygen levels have always ever since been 98\99%! I'm asking,

do you think the drop of oxygen level was my pannick attack that made it go that way? Lol very confusing I know

[Mr Anxious]

I know there's variation in CO2 levels, 2 secs i Google for you now...

[nicole123x]

Oh please don't google !!! Google is so bad :(

Just wondering during my pannick attack will lower my oxygen levels ? Is that why it dropped due to my attack not something serious

[Mr Anxious]

PANIC ATTACKS:

1. PANIC ATTACKS ARE CAUSED BY A LACK OF OXYGEN IN THE BRAIN. THE BRAIN IS "OXYGEN-STARVED" AND SO THE BRAIN PUMPS ADRENELIN INTO THE BLOOD AND THE HEART SPEEDS UP AND BEGINS TO PALPATE IN ORDER TO GET MORE OXYGEN TO THE BRAIN.

2. IF YOU DON'T BREATHE YOU WILL PASS OUT. YOU WILL NOT DIE BECAUSE THE BRAIN IS SMART ENOUGH TO GET YOU OUT OF THE WAY AND THEN START YOU BREATHING AGAIN.

Google is the best lol, whats wrong with Google lol?, thats from a site, im not shouting it :)


So sounds about right i think

[nicole123x]

Thanks for your help! But google is soooo bad you could type in 'chest pain' and diagnose yourself with a heart attack lol been there done that

[Mr Anxious]

Lol, think we have all been there try putting anxiety before it "anxiety chest pain" many a times i have i diagnosed myself with a chest infection :)

[nicole123x]

Lol so true it can be so worrying sometimes! Worrying about the pain as it is, and then googling yourself lol

[Mr Anxious]

What brings you to the forum? , other than the obvious lol

[nicole123x]

I have been on the forum for quite a while I just wanted a bit of reassurance and see if I could take my mind off things and speak to others ! What brings you here? :)

[Mr Anxious]

Very very very long story ---- short version 13-27yrs GAD social anxiety , didn't really understand much about it for most of my life, normal guy really tidy job, house all that stuff, but find it hard to deal with a lot of stuff in life due to anxiety, just looking to talk to similar people really, just figured i can't be the only one lol, surprising how it affects different people in different ways on here, do you struggle or find it ok?

[nicole123x]

I do understand where your coming from and if tou would want a chat about that I'm here with open ears :) ....
I'm more health anxiety, more worry about my health as such as my heart etc, constant worry of a heart attack or aomething sounds crazy because I am only 16 years old.. Anxiety can make us think or feel anything it's really anmoying

[Mr Anxious]

Same here dudette, always here for a chat, inbox if your ever/always anxious/stressed/worried lol, I tend to talk a load of crap most of the time, but it passes the time :)

I have similar days to you, not as much these days, any slight pain means something bad's coming, short of breath = suffocating or breathings going to stop, been around that a couple of times lol, you get any help?

[nicole123x]

Yeah that's me !! Just randomly think my heart is just going to stop beating and every pain I have I'm going to suddenly drop to the floor and die lol, I'm seeing a councillor at school but she's not that much of a help really I mean, nothing can fix anxiety it's all to do with yourself :/

[Mr Anxious]

Yeh I used to be very similar , sort of over that a little now, i still get the obsessive sometimes, but they are automatic, sometimes i don't believe, them sometimes i do, it sounds so f*****d up when you talk about it lol, at least your trying to get help , don't want another 11 years of it like me lol, do you really believe some of the thoughts? its ok if you do.

[nicole123x]

I know what you mean it's embarrassing telling people sometimes! I'm convinced Im driven into believing my thoughts but deep down I know that they are impossible !
One day, I have a really bad upset emotional day when I think I'm just gunna die and nothing can take my mind off it, and another day I feel on top of the world and when I think about my thoughts I laugh to myself and think Hahahaha shut up Nicole how pathetic ... And let them go over my head x

[Mr Anxious]

I know its crazy for years i thought i was properly nuts,

i don't actually tell many people about , i probably would feel like i was nuts then lol,

Im the same mind, but i suppose that's what makes it a bad day is when you start to believe it more,

What does the Councillor tell you to do to try and overcome it?

I gota shoot off as working tomorrow...great meetings and people, can't wait for that s*** , if you wana reply to my inbox that's cool, no worries if not,

Take it your name's Nicole, hi im richie (handshake and all that) speak soon, watch out for those thoughts lol

Later dudette

[nicole123x]

Well I'm here if you need to speak, as are others on this forum is it very helpful at times! My councillor just try's to unpick ways to why I'm feeling like this but does nothing to help really, I have not recievwd a personal message from you? Send it again it hasn't came through and ill reply tomorrow goodnight Richie nice speaking to you! :)