Panic Attacks Forum - Likelihood of experiencing panic attacks

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Q: Likelihood of experiencing panic attacks

asked by: DoctorQuestion on April 21st, 2009

I went to a friends funeral on friday 20th april 2009 and felt fine, then the following day, saturday i suddenly went very disorientated and felt tired and unsteady on my feet. I went outside to get some fresh air but to no avail. I know that when i have been quite active i get post exhertional malaise, so i got comfy on the settee and relaxed. About 20 minutes into relaxing i couldn't lift up my arms or legs and when i tried to get air in, i couldn't. My partner opened all the windows and doors and put me into a sitting position but it took until the forth attempt for air to get in. I struggled even then and it felt as if only a tiny amount was gettin in. Both my hands and arms were numb upto the elbow and this took approx. 10 minutes to rectify. My partner said that my lips went very pale during the attack and i had to go to bed straight after. Since then i have been ver off-balance and totally shattered, with very poor concentration and patience. Is this normal ?

Replies(1)

Dr. Goce Aleksovski , MD

replied on April 30th, 2009

Panic Attacks Answer A6409

According to the symptoms you reported it seems likely that you might have experienced a panic attack.

Panic attacks are very sudden, discrete periods of intense anxiety, mounting physiological arousal, fear, stomach problems, and discomfort that are associated with a variety of somatic and cognitive symptoms. This might have been a single panic attack related to the emotional meaning of the situation in which you were a participant.

However, if you experience other panic attack episodes soon then you might want to visit your family doctor for medications: anti-anxiety medications or antidepressants.

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