I hope this helps
I had a few panic attacks when I was younger and believe I have always had Conn's Syndrome but never knew it until I was in my late 30's because it never affected my heartbeat until that time. I have a physical problem that caused my panic attacks and this may not apply to you but when I was 19 I had a particularly bad one in which I couldn't breath, fell to the floor and lost control of my motor functions, could barely talk for a few minutes ... had a few over the years.. mostly a funny feeling in the chest, problems breathing an thinking I was going to die. I have ALWAYS been "juiced up". I talk fast, I am always in a hurry, as long as I can remember my life has always been highs or lows with my energy levels. Now I know why.


I started suffering Major PANIC attacks 2 years ago associated with occasional chest pain and "fluttering" heart rhythms and feeling dizzy especially after riding in an elevator... This would cause what I thought was a mentally induced "Panic Attack" or Anxiety Attack in which I would tense up, twist my hair, run my hands through my hair, and generally want to lay down and hope it would go away.

Well, after being hospitalized twice for "Low Potassium" and an 18 month ordeal of various tests I now know what is wrong and the treatment has now worked for about 4 months now... no more panic attacks / anxiety attacks.

I have Conn's Syndrome which is a trouble in the Adrenal Glands in which my adrenals overproduce hormones such as adrenaline and aldosterone which caused loss of potassium (abnormal fluttery feeling in chest occasionally, feeling of falling and quick stop in the chest, muscle twitches / spasms) and causes hightented blood pressure and anxiety (which just started in the last couple of years).

I am now on low dose spironolactone and I have completely turned around (in about 2 weeks after starting) and no longer have any of these symptoms... no more chest issues, no more anxiety attacks.

I had ALL of these symptoms (previously posted)
* racing or pounding heartbeat (palpitations);
* chest pains;
* stomach upset;
* dizziness, lightheaded
* difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered;
* tingling or numbness in the hands;
* hot flashes or chills;
* dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions;
* terror: a sense that something unimaginably horrible is about to occur and one is powerless to prevent it;
* a need to escape;
* fear of losing control and doing something embarrassing; and
* fear of dying.

Just a thought since I have seen some posts that describe some of these exact symptoms... Easy Blood test to see if your aldosterone / renin levels are OK and if your potassium is at or below 3.5 on the scale. If you have low or zero renin, high normal to high aldosterone and borderline to low potassium you MAY have a physical issue similar to mine.

In addition to EVERYTHING the person above me wrote. Excellent post.

Consider this.....part of anxiety is a racing heart and feeling dizzy. When you exercise....your heart rate goes way up and you can get dizzy from it. Now don't you think it's possible that this is exactly your porblem. The good news is, the more you exercise, the better it is for your anxiety. Exercising actually reduces anxiety problems.

Same for me-- I'm a runner & cyclist and the panic attacks only occur during rest, not during exercise. Had the holter monitor, echo and several EKG's. All negative, just sinus tach. I found that simply accepting that panic attacks may come makes it a little more bearable. The "cooling down" of your nervous system can take time, which is frustrating for an active person. In the meantime, meds can be helpful. Klonopin and Prilosec have worked well for me. Just use them in moderation.

I keep having panic attacks and they seem to be gettin more severe....im having trouble working out now because i believe that it induces them more...i have gone to several doctors and they give me meds but i dont feel any different....im startin to become more of a agoraphobc now......i really hate my way of living right now...these panic attacks are becoming really tough on me and i sometimes believe that maybe i have somethin else wrong with me like cancer or something. I would like to talk with some1 who has panic attacks so i can ask them if what they feel is similiar to what i feel.

generalized anxiety and moderate panic attacks.
I've heard anxiety is something that is locked in your brain that suddenly triggers the scared feeling.
It could possibly be the fact that... that one day you did get sick .. so now subconsciously your thinking to yourself oh man.. im gonna get sick again. Its hot out, its going to happen again.

I could suggest talking to a doctor.. but they will most likely prescribe medication. Im not big on the pill thing. I think talking to people and doing yoga and just relaxing will cure anything.