Please help: Tight chest and fast heart beat

[Sarah]

Hi! I really need some advice. Here is a a little about my situation.
I'm a 29 year old, female, smoker and I have been dealing with anxiety for about 10 years, however, I have never had it as bad as i have in the last week. I had a sever panic attack last week that woke me up and i had to crawl to my husband in the other room for help. I was terrified i was dying because i couldn't breathe, my heart was beating so loud it was deafening and it was racing. I was shaking and was so dizzy i couldn't stand. We almost called 911 because neither of us knew what was happening. Since the attack last week, i have had a mild attack everyday. I will feel heavy in the chest, get dizzy and my heart will feel like it's fluttering. It almost always happens when i'm in public (e.g. at a restaurant, at a movie theatre, walking to the store, etc.) and i get worried i will have another attack, and that's usually what triggers it, but it has also happened when i am at home "relaxing" on the couch. I had an eating disorder, depression and anxiety about 5 years ago and was on Paxil and tranquilizers (can't remember the name) for about 3 years. I hadn't had any symptoms of the anxiety in years. I have been under some stress from getting married, moving to another country away from all my friends and family, having to leave my job because of the move, going through immigration, not being able to work because of immigration and not having health insurance.
Now, i have been having a tight chest, fast heart beat and dizzy feeling daily for the last week or so, and i was hoping there are some ways to deal with it that doesn't involve a trip to the doctors and getting a prescription for medication. I would also like to add that i am terrified when i do have these symptoms that i am sick or dying or there is something seriously wrong with me, and that seems to make my anxiety worse. Is there an herbal supplement that will help or something over the counter i can take for when it's really bad? Does anyone else have the same problem or should i be really, really worried? Thank you so much for reading. Any input is greatly appreciated from the bottom of my heart.

[chemlabrat]

I've been there. I'm only 24, and I've had all the feelings you just described. I haven't had an attack as severe as the one you did, but I've had the same symptoms in debilitating form. Dizzyness to the point of not being able to stand, palpitations and skipped beats that last for days, fast heartbeat and having it pound so hard you think it's going to explode out of your chest.

First off, are you seeing or have you seen a doctor about it and had any tests done? While anxiety will do this to you, it's best to rule out the easy stuff you can test for to make sure it's nothing serious. When it comes to my health, I always try to get a doctor's opinion first. Then, once I determined I had anxiety, I've been learning slowly to deal with. As far as I know, there's nothing that you can take to just snap you out of an attack like that. Although I have heard that the smell of lavender oil can bring them out of an attack, it hasn't worked for me.

Hope this helps. If you need anything let me know.

[kaialian]

Firstly, Welcome!! There is some good support here.

I also get the dizzy, jittery feeling. Sometimes it will only last an hour, but sometimes more. I am currently working on deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation. Sometimes it takes a few tries to calm down, but it does work.