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Today I was better, tonight really bad, Panic or Asthma?

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In the last five years, Advair has been a god-send for my life-long asthma. I was diagnosed with GERD two weeks ago and about a day after I went to the doctor, my asthma symptoms were really bad. Yesterday I was in the ER with what felt like an asthma attack. When I got to triage, my oxygen was 100%. They said I was having a panic attack. I went to my doctor and she gave me anti-anxiety meds, which I began today. Today I was better, tonight really bad again. I can't breathe normally at all. Is this asthma or is this panic? Now I don't trust myself at all. I don't want to spend six hours in ER to find out it's just panic. Advice?
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replied January 14th, 2012
I too suffer from life long asthma , allergies, and severe panic/anxiety. To me it sounds like anxiety. Mine(anxiety) is always worse in the mornings when I first wake up and at night time. The problem with the anxiety and panic is that it can feel like an asthma attack because it causes shortness of breathe or a choking sensation. I even went to the extreme and bought a pulseoximeter. Do you have a peak flow? Next time it happens if you do have a peak flow and everything is normal then its most likely anxiety. I have never had an asthma attack with a normal peak flow. Or if you want go to walgreens and get a pulsoximeter. There only like 30 bucks. I have noticed that hitting the albuterol helps with my anxiety too....Probably just cause its all mental.
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