Hi, I get exactly the same thing so don't worry, when you get anxious or have a panic attack your body releases adrenaline thinking that you will need it for fight or flight and this can make the muscles in your legs sore and painful after an attack. A good way of getting rid of the pain is exercising after you've had an attack, it relaxes you and also helps to use the adrenaline that has been transported to your muscles. I find that I also tense my legs during an attack so I make a concious effort to try and keep them relaxed - this helps me too.

hi, i would like to know if you feel so rubbish every day.. i mean like weak, hopeless. lightheaded. i do an i wondered if it was the after affects, i get confused because i avnt had an attack that day but feel rubbish.. the pains in my chest are painful.. i always think im goin to have an heart attack.. do you ever get body jerks.. i get them like a quick jerk off the arm or leg.. and head ache.. well more like shootin pains.. i go to the doctors but like i explained they dont help or talk you through what you may feel or owt.. emz x (p,s. im new to all the panic attack thing so not sure how to feel or what to do thats why i sound like an hypocondriac.. is it usual to feel rubbish after an attack for a while.. i have them almost every day thinkin something is wrong)

Well, I'm 19 too and I've been getting them since I was about 16. I have to say that I feel a lot better now but at the beginning I felt all the things you were describing, I especially felt light headed - like I wasn't actually there. I would say that you should go back to the Doctors again, be persistant until they offer you help. It's difficult for people who have never had a panic attack to understand how horrible and scarey they are and believe me, I've had people look at me like I'm completely and utterly crazy but at the end of the day, you can't help what you're scared of. I developed a phobia of fainting and therefore, hated to be in a crowded places, get too hot, not eat, stand up for too long etc. All of those things would set me off. I think when you have a panic attack it knocks your confidence which is what gives you the low mood, depression and anxiety often come hand in hand and it's so easy to just give up but the thing that got me through it was keeping busy. For about a year I just sat at home worrying and then wondered why I wasn't feeling better. I felt so low that I just couldn't be bothered to move and when I did I just felt dizzy and uncomfortable but then I started a course and went out every day, since then I have so much more energy and I feel like the fogginess in my brain has lifted a lot. So my advice would be just to keep busy, do things that scare you because once you've done them you have these achievements that you can use to prove to yourself that you're not useless or hopeless and you can cope with whatever's thrown in your direction.
Also, it's so common to worry about having a heart attack or something similiar when having an attack so they way I cope with it is to think that I've had a panic attack before and nothing's happened so why should it this time? A panic attack never changes, your body will always react in the same way and do the same thing.
Don't try and cope alone either, as well as talking to a medical proffesional, also make sure you confide in people you can trust and rely on as a good support network really helps.
Hope this is helpful!

it calms me down a bit to know you have the same thing.. every day i feel like i dont want to move too. thats becaus every time i stand up i get so dizzy.. i feel weak and achey every day and my head hurts.. the other night i had a really bad panic about visitin the doctors the next day and what they will say about my legs been in pain. i was shakin really bad like i was cold and infact a cold shiver was runnin down my back.. this has only happened 2 times in the 6month of me having them.. do you ever get that feelin that you are goin to die.. i get worried to sleep thinkin i am not goin to wake up and i worry what will my boy do with out me.. were so close. the dad lives with us too but me and the baby are so close we would be really hurt without each other.. i have gained a phobia and its really buggin me, my phobia is having an heart attack.. the pan in my chest some days can be so intense that i think im having an heart attack.. iv started to get it in to my head that this pain happens all the time.. im now goin for a high colesterol test friday to see if its high because if so it causes heart attacks.. i wont take any medication because some tablets say may increase the chances of a heart attackt..i just want to be normal again.. did you get pains all over your body.. every pain i get im checkin it for lumps to see if i have cancer or owt.. im so paranoid.. emz x

emma, i really hope you read this. im 18 and have developed the same phobias. im so scared too but i realise your posts were a while ago. how are you now? im so scared that ive got loads of things wrong, ive been to the hospital and had blood tests 3 times, a stomach x ray and pelvic exam because i kept feeling so ill. i realised i was worrying myself literally sick and the doctor showed me the xrays and it showed i was constipated which he blamed on stress. he said stress and anxiety affects your body in weird ways so im just taking that as my comfort. i had reflexology done on my feet today and was told there was a lot of tension. i dont know what my problem is!! everyday i dont feel myself and i have brain fog, im just not myself. i really hope you read this and youre feeling better. love jade xx

I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only one going through this. I have been having attacks since mid march. I have been to the emergency room 3 times and 2 the doctors office 4 or 5 times within 2 months. The doctor put me on prozac, and i think it made me have the attacks more. Then she took me off of prozac, and now im suppose to be taking paxil. I have not taken any yet, because I'm scared of the side effects. I'm taking hydroxyzine for the attacks too. Some days I'M in a fog, and sleep several hours, other days i feel fine, but my arms and legs are weak. This has really changed my life, I don't know what to do. It is very scary. The doctors seem like they don't care. I keep hanging on thinking that one day it will go away. This is a tough thing to deal with. People who have never had it, just don't understand. I will keep all of you in my prayers. take careand don't worry!

Hi Catter,

I'm 44 and I've had this since I was a child. I know exactly how you are feeling and trust me, it's so frustrating. I spent years going to doctors and getting x-rays, etc. thinking there was something really wrong with me, especially the stomach problems and the pain and stiffness in my legs. I finally realized after doing much research and had enough blood work done that my pain was from stress and tension. I also found a solution to a lot of the pain..I was low on Vitamin D so I started taking 5000 IU of Vitamin D a day and all the aches and pains are pretty much gone. I also take Vistaril for the anxiety which my psychiatrist gave me. It has very little to no side-effects, unlike the paxil and really helps with my anxiety. If you are worried about the side-effects of Paxil I can tell you that it is known to cause a lot of weight gain. If that's not a problem for you, it may work pretty well. I was on it years ago and I like it. Do you go to a regular doctor or a psychiatrist? If the doctor isn't listening to you go to another doctor. I switched a few times because like anything, some just aren't that good. Many times when we begin to take meds we go through a few before we find the right one. A good therapist can also help you with your anxiety. Again, you have to be choosey and find the right one. I wish you well and if you need to talk or have any questions I'm here for you.