Pacic Attacks or something more?

[Mandygrv2240]

Hi everyone, I'm new here as I've just been having the following for only a few months, but here's my story. Sorry it's so long!

Back in October I was working out at a local gym, and feeling great for once! Then one day I had one of my episodes of heart palpitations (i've been on medicine for that for over 4 years) and I sort of freaked out. Right around the same time, I started having chest discomfort and left rib pain. I put if off as a pulled muscle for a while. Then after taking a couple of days off from the gym I went back and the machines said my heart rate was going from 160 to 200 bpm, jumping back and forth. Again, I freaked out. So I made an apt to go to my doctor. They said I would have definitely would have felt that, which I didn't. But I was still scared something more was wrong with my heart so they did and EKG and it came back fine. Still a week later, i had the chest tightness and really bad pressure now. Determined I was in heart failure, I called my doctor again and they referred me to my cardiologist (saw him when I was originally diagnosed with the palpitations) for more testing. I couldn't get into him for a couple of weeks, so I had to wait it out. In the process, I got very sick with a sinus infection and chest cold, which made my chest even tighter. I finally couldn't take it anymore and went to the after hours clinic, they prescribed me meds for the sinus infection, and diagnosed me with a nasty case of acid reflex. Finally once I was able to get into the cardiologists, he did another EKG, normal, stress test, normal, blood work, normal. He agreed it was more than likely GERD and possibly a hiatial hernia and have my PCP get me a prescription to take omniprozal, (sp). Well, my PCP sucks...they kept blowing me off and wouldn't fill the prescription. So the chest pain and tightness kept getting worse and worse and again, I convinced myself I was having a heart attack.I was having the chest pain, pressure, burning sensation in my left arm, tingling, neck pain, back pain...you name it.

Fast forward to this past Tuesday, all those symptoms got worse, and I again thought I was dying. I called my mom and asked her to take me to the ER after my apt with my neurologist for my migraines since hubby had to go pick up Marchie from daycare. Went to my neurologist apt, and he seems to think everything, including my migraines and chest symptoms are all related to stress, anxiety, and depression (lost my father who was only 61 very suddenly back in May) and prescribed me Celexa.

Couple of things, one, when first starting out, does/is it supposed to make you feel dizzy? I know it can upset your stomach a bit but I don't remember hearing about the dizziness. I had another episode this morning at work and almost thought we were going to have to call 911. I got really dizzy...then it's like I felt this flush go through my whole body, I got really hot, nauseated, had tunnel vision, burning in my chest and back, felt like I couldn't breath, and thought I was going to pass out. It went away but would come back every few minutes. That lasted about an hour and a half. I'm better now, and still at work, but I feel very tired and drowsy. Was that a side effect of my new medicine or was it a panic attack, or something more?

If you've gotten this far, thank you. I'm truely sorry my post was this long, I just felt you all needed the full background. Thank you in advance!

[Mandygrv2240]

No one has any input?

[stp4779]

Hi Mandy! Welcome to the forum - you're among friends here!

It definitely sounds to me like a combination of side effects of the medication combined with panic attacks. I've never been on that particular med, but a lot of meds out there make you feel worse before they make you feel better. It sounds like the side effects of the meds are possibly causing you to panic a little. I've read a lot of posts on here of people who experience dizziness when they start a med - it seems to be one of the more common side effects.

Just keep at the medication and give it a chance to work... Lots of meds take several weeks to build up to a therapeutic level in your body. Maybe you could try some breathing exercises to help with the dizziness?

Hang in there!

[jukebox314]

What's weird about this post, is that I kind of just went through something similar. I have health anxiety really bad, so when I get an ache or pain, I convince myself I'm dying. This past week, I had the chest pains you're describing. It was right in the center of my chest and it was like someone was sitting there. I was so nervous I barely ate anything. The more anxious I became, and the more I thought about it, the worse it got. If I forgot about it, sometimes it would go away.

Thursday came around and I went to the doctors because I had a fever of 101.7 degrees. Come to find out, it was acid reflux, like you said, anxiety and the flu.

Your story, I think it really is a combination of anxiety and possibly acid reflux like your doctors said.

[jukebox314]

Also, the feeling you were getting at work is a panic attack. As soon as I read that "flush feeling go through your whole body" that's what it sounds like to me. I'm actually going through an anxiety about this (sorry for talking about me:[ ). Fainting in public that is.

Did you eat at all before you felt like that? Were you on your period? Or are you still sick?
There could be a bunch of reasons as to why you felt of that way.

[gregsmithhhhhhh]

Definitely a panic attack. The shortness of breath is usually caused by a mix of the panic itself and the fact that when you go into a panic attack, you tend to hyperventilate without realizing it, which makes you dizzy. As far as the heart palpitations, I had the same issues but mine were with what felt like a skipped beat. This was 4 years ago(16 at the time, athletic), and after a long process and a visit to the cardiologist, all the worry was for nothing and it went away. I've only had one flare-up of palpitations since then and that was in October because I had a huge fear of lyme disease so my body started to actually mimic the symptoms.

I've had my fair share of posts that say "Is this ______ or anxiety?". So far, every one of them have just been anxiety, you just don't realize how much stress and anxiety you go through until your body reacts and gets your attention.

[frankzito]

Hi everyone, I'm new here as I've just been having the following for only a few months, but here's my story. Sorry it's so long! Back in October I was working out at a local gym, and feeling great for once! Then one day I had one of my episodes of heart palpitations (i've been on medicine for that for over 4 years) and I sort of freaked out. Right around the same time, I started having chest discomfort and left rib pain. I put if off as a pulled muscle for a while. Then after taking a couple of days off from the gym I went back and the machines said my heart rate was going from 160 to 200 bpm, jumping back and forth. Again, I freaked out. So I made an apt to go to my doctor. They said I would have definitely would have felt that, which I didn't. But I was still scared something more was wrong with my heart so they did and EKG and it came back fine. Still a week later, i had the chest tightness and really bad pressure now. Determined I was in heart failure, I called my doctor again and they referred me to my cardiologist (saw him when I was originally diagnosed with the palpitations) for more testing. I couldn't get into him for a couple of weeks, so I had to wait it out. In the process, I got very sick with a sinus infection and chest cold, which made my chest even tighter. I finally couldn't take it anymore and went to the after hours clinic, they prescribed me meds for the sinus infection, and diagnosed me with a nasty case of acid reflex. Finally once I was able to get into the cardiologists, he did another EKG, normal, stress test, normal, blood work, normal. He agreed it was more than likely GERD and possibly a hiatial hernia and have my PCP get me a prescription to take omniprozal, (sp). Well, my PCP sucks...they kept blowing me off and wouldn't fill the prescription. So the chest pain and tightness kept getting worse and worse and again, I convinced myself I was having a heart attack.I was having the chest pain, pressure, burning sensation in my left arm, tingling, neck pain, back pain...you name it. Fast forward to this past Tuesday, all those symptoms got worse, and I again thought I was dying. I called my mom and asked her to take me to the ER after my apt with my neurologist for my migraines since hubby had to go pick up Marchie from daycare. Went to my neurologist apt, and he seems to think everything, including my migraines and chest symptoms are all related to stress, anxiety, and depression (lost my father who was only 61 very suddenly back in May) and prescribed me Celexa. Couple of things, one, when first starting out, does/is it supposed to make you feel dizzy? I know it can upset your stomach a bit but I don't remember hearing about the dizziness. I had another episode this morning at work and almost thought we were going to have to call 911. I got really dizzy...then it's like I felt this flush go through my whole body, I got really hot, nauseated, had tunnel vision, burning in my chest and back, felt like I couldn't breath, and thought I was going to pass out. It went away but would come back every few minutes. That lasted about an hour and a half. I'm better now, and still at work, but I feel very tired and drowsy. Was that a side effect of my new medicine or was it a panic attack, or something more? If you've gotten this far, thank you. I'm truely sorry my post was this long, I just felt you all needed the full background. Thank you in advance!
I'd get on a different med . Celexa made me feel like that .

[ab123]

Some of the symptoms you mentioned kind of sound like svt. Which is a benign heart condition which causes your heart rate to go fast, then goes back to normal. Ask the doc about that since it went so high that one time. And if it is that. It won't hurt you, just give you awful anxiety.

[Mandygrv2240]

Thank you everyone. It's good to hear that I'm not alone. I do believe this is all related to my dad's sudden passing. But why do we do this? I feel like I'm overreacting to everything and that I shouldn't be like this. I just can't help it. :(

[anzy]

Hi sorry for your lost,What your feeling sounds like emotional stress once everything settles the emotion kicks in causing your anxiety,with time all will be ok good luck.